Coles shopper's secret to saving $220 on epic grocery haul

A Coles customer has stunned fellow shoppers after sharing his remarkable food shop in which he picked up a $28.44 boneless shoulder of roast pork for a mere 36c.

He took to Facebook to share his incredible savings, which also included packets of diced lamb and grass-fed diced beef priced at just 4c each, and beef sausages slashed to 50c.

"This singular shop saved about $220," father-of-four Travis Muir told Yahoo News Australia about the astonishing buys found at Coles in Ellenbrook, Perth.

In a photo of the haul, chicken thigh fillets were sold for 9c while salmon steaks, a tub of mushrooms and three capsicums went for 10c each. The most expensive product was a large box of doughnuts, cookies, Ferrero Rocher chocolates and lollies for $7.20.

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"We are a family-of-six and I have three children with additional needs," Mr Muir said. "My quite-active five-year-old with autism was difficult to get to bed so I would shop quite late with him just before closing when the local shop was quiet."

Mr Muir said the family spends around $300 a week on groceries and saves $200 on average. "I'm constantly comparing prices and quality, but I'm never really shopping to a list," he explained. "I grew up watching Iron Chef so if I have several key ingredients, I then shop around the biggest savings."

Respecting staff key to markdown success

Mr Muir made the savings after spotting items that had reached their best before or use by date but had not been marked down. He then spoke to the store manager and was told Coles donated or discounted unsold products nearing the end of their shelf life, otherwise they would be binned.

"Every store may have different policies but from the stores I have visited it's pretty consistent that between 3-4pm on weekends and 6-7pm on weeknights is when they try to markdown items for clearance," he continued.

"This does depend on staffing availability, so patience is the key. And respect of staff. They don't have to make time to mark items down, so it's important to appreciate it."

Mr Muir, who also supports groups such as Ellenbrook Meals that provide free food to the community, and donates items to animal rescue centre Wildlife Express, said gets higher quality products than he would have otherwise. "It definitely helps take the sting out of mortgage rates tripling," he added.

Bargain hunters share more wins

As Aussies feel the pinch at the supermarket checkout amid cost-of-living woes, money-saving tips are being lapped up. In another Facebook post, a Woolworths customer showed off her discounted shop in Perth's Averley, which included a roast chicken reduced to 93c, pre-made beef ravioli and spaghetti bolognaise for $1.20, Cadbury's Caramel Cake Bars for 90c and a $1.60 lemon loaf cake. "Only popped in for bread," she quipped.

Coles addresses markdown tactics

In a previous statement to Yahoo, a Coles spokesperson said: "We know our customers love good value so when a product is near its best before date we often mark it down so it can be enjoyed for a cheaper price, instead of being wasted.

"Markdowns do not uniformly take place at the same time across all stores. There are many things that can impact when this takes place including stock on hand, delivery schedules and team member rostering."

The spokesperson stressed that "food safety is paramount" to Coles, and it encouraged all customers to be mindful of use-by and best before dates.

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