Coles, Woolworths shoppers expose bizarre price blunders: 'No way'
Coles and Woolworths shoppers have shared their hilarious responses to pricing fails on popular supermarket products in-store and online.
One confused customer took to the popular Facebook group Markdown Addicts Australia to post two images of the pricing errors on a bag of Coles brand ground coffee.
“I love coffee, but no way I'd pay $420,” joked the shopper.
Alongside the post, the woman shared two images of a one-kilogram bag of Coles Urban Coffee Culture Strong Ground Coffee, with the price tag reading: “Any 2 for 420” and “save $4.”
With one bag of the same ground coffee selling for $12 at Coles online, it appears the math doesn’t add up and fellow shoppers were quick to agree.
The cheeky post caught the eye of many shoppers, gaining hundreds of likes and scores of comments in a matter of hours.
“Someone at Coles had clearly over indulged on the '420' when they made the price tags,” joked one shopper, referring to the slang terms for cannabis.
“I know they said prices were going up, but I didn't realise the jump would be so high!” joked another.
While a third suggested it would be “cheaper to get one for $12.”
However, several shoppers pointed out that the colossal price tag was likely due to a team member forgetting to hit the ‘shift’ key, so instead of a dollar sign they entered “4”.
Coles thanks 'eagle-eyed customers' for pointing out ticketing error
A Coles spokesperson confirmed to Yahoo News Australia that the price on the Coles' award-winning Coles Urban Coffee Culture ground coffee was a result of a ticketing error.
"We know our customers love good value, but it looks like a ticketing error (or perhaps too much delicious caffeine) resulted in our recent two for $20 offer being misprinted," said the spokesperson.
"As always, thank you to our eagle-eyed customers for point out things we could improve in our stores,” they added.
As the price discrepancy was due to a ticketing error, it was likely correct in the system and therefore, customers were not overcharged.
However, if customers feel they may have been overcharged, they can contact Coles Customer Care.
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‘Gave me a good giggle’: Woolworths customer reacts to pricing blunder
It’s not just Coles who is causing a stir for recent pricing fails, with Woolworths shoppers sharing some of their own pricing errors on social media.
A Woolworths shopper posted a photo of the pricing blunder she encountered during her recent trip to the supermarket on Markdown Addicts Australia.
“Somehow I think Woolies got their pricing wrong although seeing as they put Pepsi through the roof this wouldn't surprise me,” wrote the shopper in her post.
“This was one of the cheaper suits, some selling for $800+, but gave me a good giggle while shopping,” she added.
In the accompanying photo, you can see Woolworths advertised a Bonds Baby Zip Wondersuit for a whopping $660, despite being listed on the website from $14.40.
Similarly, a fellow shopper was confused when she found two baby products advertised on the Woolies website at jaw-dropping prices.
"Are these gold plated or had someone made a mistake?" wrote the shopper, alongside screenshots of the baby cups.
One screenshot showed Woolworths' Zak Toddler Cups for $60 each, while the Zak Feeding Set was $90.
A Woolworths spokesperson confirmed to Yahoo News Australia that they were aware of the pricing errors on the baby products and have taken measures to rectify the issue.
"We’re aware of an error that affected a small number of baby product price labels displayed online and in-store," said the spokesperson.
"The error was causing individual products to be priced at the entire price of the box rather than the individual product," they said.
"We’ve notified our teams and are taking steps to rectify the error as a matter of urgency."
Shoppers joke that recent 'price gouging' has gotten out of hand
Woolworths shoppers were quick to respond in the comments, with shoppers joking that recent “price gouging” has gotten out of hand.
“At that price you would hope it grows with the baby and they can wear it forever,” joked one customer.
Several shoppers pointed out the price tag was likely missing a decimal point and should read: “16.60”.
Others suggested that the woman scan the item at that price to get it for free, due to a loophole.
The loophole customers are referring to is the widely-unknown Scanning Code of Practice that operates in Australia’s major supermarkets, including Woolworths, Coles and Aldi.
The scanning policy entitles customers to receive an item free of charge if the scanned price of an item is greater than the shelf price displayed.
The only exceptions under the code are products with a shelf price greater than $50, as well as tobacco and liquor products.
In this instance, it's not likely the customers would receive a refund for any of the products as they were a result of ticketing errors and the items would scan at lower prices.
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