Latest news with #Coles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Sneaky tactic Woolworths and Coles use to make you spend more at the checkout
A British expat has claimed Coles and Woolworths deliberately play 'banging music' in supermarkets so customers spend more on groceries. Gemma Penn made the claim while comparing the differences between Australian and UK supermarkets. 'They've always got banging music in Australia whether it's Woolworths or Coles,' she said in a TikTok video. Ms Penn liked that she could listen to the Spice Girls and British act Jamelia while shopping. She theorised the pop anthems and dance tracks were making her spend more money. One social media user claimed 'Pump It Up', by pop musician Endor, was played at Woolworths every day at 3pm for that reason. Deakin University's Professor of Consumer Behaviour and Marketing Paul Harrison told Daily Mail Australia that shoppers needed to remember that the big supermarkets were moneymaking businesses and weren't there to look after shoppers. 'When they say things like they're making things better for you, it benefits them,' he said. 'Music puts us in a good mood to treat ourselves and puts us in a frame of mind where we feel safe. 'We find it hard to resist underlying vices. More upbeat music does get people to spend more on premium items.' Mr Harrison said if a store played sophisticated music, shoppers were more likely to be drawn towards buying 'the more sophisticated version of a brand'. He also said retailers wanted people in and out within 20 minutes, and the faster music helped achieve that target as people generally spent more per minute. Mr Harrison said a 20-minute shop with fast music encouraged people to buy items they may have been normally resistant to. In March, an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) inquiry into the Australian grocery sector found Coles and Woolworths were among the most profitable supermarkets in the world. The inquiry found they used promotions to make it harder for customers to judge whether they were getting a good deal or not. Woolworths customers who sign up to the Everyday Rewards program are offered deals and specials, and even get a $10 voucher for every $2,000 they spend in store. 'It's not much of a reward, but people like to feel like they're getting something,' Mr Harrison said. A Woolworths spokesman told Daily Mail Australia: 'We play music in our stores to make our customers' shopping experience more enjoyable.' 'The music that our customers hear in store is from a vast range of genres and eras to cater for the wide taste of our customers and team members, with a particular emphasis on supporting Australian artists,' he said.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Coles and Costco price comparison 'shocks' Aussie mum: 'Significant amount'
An Adelaide woman has shared her surprise after comparing the price of grocery items at Costco and Coles to see which one was cheaper based on unit prices. American bulk-goods chain Costco has been growing in popularity in Australia, with 15 stores now dotted around the country. Ri Springbett has been a Costco member for the last five years, paying $65 a year to shop there. The 37-year-old told Yahoo Finance she was curious to see if her membership was still worth it for her smaller family and decided to do a price comparison against Coles, where she does her weekly grocery shop. 'Costco is known for its bulk-buy and bulk discounts, but as a family of three, I thought, is this really beneficial for me to actually be a member to be shopping here?' she said. RELATED Aldi delivery warning as supermarket takes on Coles, Woolworths with online move Aussie tradie loses $110,000 house deposit due to small detail Aussies issued July 14 ATO tax return warning: 'Really messy' Springbett said she was 'shocked' by the difference and found some items were 40 to 50 per cent cheaper at Costco. However, she noted that Costco-branded products dominated its offering, so she had to compare similar products offered by Coles instead of like-for-like. Australian mince meat, for example, worked out to be $10.99 a kilogram at Costco, compared to $20 per kilogram at Coles. However, this was based on buying 3.920kg of mince at Costco, with the comparable Coles item available in a 500g pack. Free range eggs were $0.67 per 100 grams at Costco based on a 30 pack, compared to $0.94 per 100 grams at Coles based on its 12 pack. TipTop bread was $3.69 a loaf at Costco, compared to $4.50 a loaf at Coles. A whole roast chicken was $7.99 at Costco, compared to $12.50 at Coles. Springbett only compared a relatively small range of products, but she said she "cannot believe" what she discovered, and it was enough for her to change her mind about the value of her membership. 'From those few things, I'm actually saving a significant amount by purchasing the items that we're already using at home or items like coffee, cheese and mince,' she said. A CHOICE comparison conducted in June last year found that of the 23 bulk items it spotchecked against similar items at Coles and Woolworths, Costco had the cheapest unit price 19 times. Aussies urged to compare prices as grocery spending hits record high Grocery spending reached a record high in June this year, according to Finder, with the average household spending $233 per week. That was up 27 per cent per week from June, 2024. Like Springbett, millions of people are looking for ways to save on their groceries, with around a third now shopping at multiple stores to find the best deal. Finder money expert Rebecca Pike told Yahoo Finance Costco's primary appeal was offering lower unit prices on items sold in larger quantities. 'Costco's bulk-buying model can offer significant value on certain items, particularly for larger households or those willing to stock up on non-perishables,' she said. However, she said it was still worth doing your own research. 'It's also important to remember that not every item will be the cheapest, so you should really be clear on how much the unit price is at your local supermarket so you can compare,' she said. Bulk buying also won't be practical or possible for every household, including smaller households, those with limited storage space and those who don't have the upfront cash to bulk buy. 'It's essential for consumers to be savvy. You should be really certain that you can recoup the membership fee through savings from your bulk buying, and that includes having the means and the space to do so,' Pike said. 'If you don't shop there regularly, or don't buy enough to offset the fee, it might not be worthwhile.' Costco membership worth it for Aussie mum Springbett said the grocery savings, along with the savings she gets from her and her husband filling up their cars at the Costco fuel station, made a membership worth it for her. 'It has definitely changed my perception a little bit on Costco. I can see that value more clearly now, but also I will be inclined to purchase more things in bulk,' she told Yahoo Finance. Costco allows members to bring up to two guests and Springbett said she often takes friends and family members to help add more value. Springbett usually shops at Coles weekly and spends between $100 and $120 for her family of three. She then shops at Costco every few months and spends about $200 each trip. She said the biggest items she likes to buy at Costco are school snacks for her son, fruit and vegetables, which can be frozen, and loaves of bread that can be frozen. Springbett said she was very 'strategic' with her Costco shop and made sure she wrote out a list and stuck to it. 'You can get distracted. You can go in and everything looks shiny and exciting … You can end up walking out spending $500 easily,' she said. 'The excitement of Costco is quite appealing, but that doesn't benefit you in any way if you're spending double the amount you intended to."
Sky News AU
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Expat exposes the one major difference between supermarkets in Australia and the UK that makes Aussies 'spend more' at the register
An expat has identified one major difference between supermarkets in Australia and those in the UK that makes shoppers Down Under "spend more". Gemma Penn recently took to TikTok to point out supermarkets Down Under always have "banging music, whether it's Coles or Woolworths." In a video taken while shopping, she expressed surprise at having heard British singer Jamelia and the Spice Girls while browsing the store aisles. For most Australians, dance music is just background noise that people have become accustomed to hearing while doing their grocery shopping. However, Gemma, who is still getting used to the novelty, said the pop anthems and dance tracks are "for sure" making her spend more money. One viewer took to the comments to say the tunes, like pop musician Endor's 'Pump It Up', which Woolies plays every day at 3 pm, are merely a "subtle mind game" to make shoppers reach deeper into their pockets. Deakin University's Professor of Consumer Behaviour and Marketing, Paul Harrison, weighed in on whether music really does influence spending. "At a basic level, what we know is that faster music means that people move through shops faster," Mr Harrison told Yahoo Lifestyle. "The one thing that they have found is that more upbeat music does get people to spend more on premium items. "So, an example might be, if you're in a supermarket and you hear sophisticated music, you're more likely to be drawn towards buying the more sophisticated version of a brand." Mr Harrison referenced research from one of his students a couple of years ago, which found there is an ideal "Goldilocks moment" in-store. He said retailers want people in and out within "about 20 minutes", and the faster music helps achieve that magic target, in which people spend more dollars per minute than if they were to stay for 30, 40 or 50 minutes. Mr Harrison said the 20-minute time frame doesn't, however, actually push people to stretch their budget beyond capacity. Rather, it encourages people to buy items within their means that they may have been otherwise resistant to add to the cart. It comes as an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission inquiry into the Australian grocery sector in March found Coles and Woolworths are among the most profitable supermarket businesses in the world. The inquiry found supermarket giants are using promotions to make it harder for customers to judge whether they are getting a good deal, and Coles and Woolworths' dominance of the sector seems set to continue. Woolworths and IGA meanwhile emerged as the two most expensive supermarkets to shop from, while grocery prices have slightly dropped at Coles, a survey by consumer advocacy group CHOICE revealed. has contacted Coles and Woolworths for comment.
The Guardian
16 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Aldi is trialling grocery delivery in Australia. We put it to the test against Coles and Woolworths
Aldi is known for its permanently discounted prices and its famously odd products sold in the middle aisle. Last week, the German-owned supermarket chain took another step into the Australian mainstream, trialling a grocery delivery service with DoorDash in Canberra ahead of a potential expansion around the country. Aldi has long resisted offering deliveries, given the service would make a basket of groceries more expensive, undercutting its price advantage over Coles and Woolworths. Guardian Australia tested it out. I normally take an ad hoc approach to grocery shopping and visit a few different stores, rather than doing a weekly shop. There's an Aldi near my home, as well as a Coles, and a family-owned fruit and vegetable store. Using my DoorDash account, I added 10 popular items to my Aldi basket, listing a Canberra address for delivery. These comprised a dozen free range eggs, a head of iceberg lettuce, a two-litre bottle of A2 brand light milk, a loaf of multigrain sourdough bread, a pack of RSPCA-approved chicken breast fillets, five brushed potatoes, five bananas, a 1kg bag of carrots, a pack of four beef mince burgers, and a 250g block of tasty cheese. This came to a total of $52.57, or $58.88 once DoorDash's $6.31 service fee was included. I was offered free delivery on my first order. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email According to the DoorDash website, its loyalty program, DashPass, which costs $9.99 a month or $96 a year, would give me free delivery on orders over $30. Aldi would not disclose the standard delivery fees for Canberra, other than to say they are based on distance. In Canberra, you can order from Coles on DoorDash, where a basket of 10 comparable items cost me $75.36 and from Woolworths on Uber Eats, where my basket worked out to $71.19 without any eggs, which weren't available. Both of these totals included service fees, but not delivery. So, if I use a third-party platform like DoorDash to purchase from the major chains, the price increases significantly. But most shoppers would choose the supermarkets' in-house delivery services. Unlike Aldi, Woolworths and Coles have built their own delivery services. Both require a minimum $50 spend to order from their websites. My basket of 10 items came to $61.23 from the Woolworths website, and $56.17 from Coles, excluding delivery. This suggests Aldi – where my basket came to $58.88 including the DoorDash service fee – loses its usual significant discount to the major chains due to the costs associated with its third-party delivery platform. The delivery fees are cheaper if you plan ahead, but, for the sake of comparison, I chose the fastest option possible, with Coles offering an 'as soon as possible delivery option', in an estimated 64 minutes, for $15. The supermarket's website tells me if I signed up for a Coles Plus membership – for $19 a month or $199 a year – I would be eligible for free delivery. Woolworths also offered a $15 fast delivery in 'approximately 50 minutes'. Its website tells me I would be eligible for free delivery on orders of $75 or more with a Delivery Unlimited subscription, for $15 a month or $119 a year. The calculations change according to delivery fees, which in Aldi's case can vary according to how far you live from a store. Aldi has acknowledged the cost of running an online shopping service will affect its prices. The total cost of an online Aldi order includes the item prices, a DoorDash markup, delivery fee and service fee, all of which are set by the delivery platform. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion A spokesperson for Aldi said it was committed to being the most affordable supermarket on DoorDash but acknowledged some of its prices on the platform 'may vary slightly' from those in-store. 'This reflects the added convenience of having everyday essentials delivered quickly and easily,' they said. I visited an Aldi store in person to check out prices, bearing in mind that my local is in Melbourne, not the same store as one of those delivering from Canberra. Most of the prices were identical, although the iceberg lettuce, eggs, bananas and potatoes were a bit cheaper in the store. Overall, my basket cost $48 when shopping in person, saving more than $10 compared to going through the DoorDash site with its service fee. But I also had to factor in a 25-minute round trip on the tram to get there, which comes with its own costs – or a 40-minute walk or 20-minute bike ride up and down a steep hill. Aldi tried a similar service with a third-party delivery provider in the UK, but it didn't last. The chain is also hesitant to build its own delivery system because that would add significant costs to the business, which would either result in higher grocery prices, or less profits for its German owners. Prof Gary Mortimer, a retail expert at the Queensland University of Technology, says Aldi has had to respond to the delivery trend. 'Online food and groceries now represent anywhere between 10 to 12% of supermarket revenue,' Mortimer says. 'As Aldi enters into that space, even using a third-party provider like DoorDash, Coles and Woolworths will be looking at how they go about defending that market share.' The retail expert Bronwyn Thompson says Aldi considers the competitive advantage of a delivery service to be worth the additional expense. 'If they're trying to be more of a 'whole shop' destination, this is part of that,' Thompson says. 'They've come a long way from just being a place where you'd get a few things.' The Aldi Australia chief commercial officer, Jordan Lack, said: 'We know Australians will rejoice at the news of Aldi taking our first step in offering customers this convenient shopping format'.
7NEWS
a day ago
- Business
- 7NEWS
Best-selling cleaning brand Pine O Cleen partners with Australian Red Cross to support communities across the country
There's no better feeling than knowing your favourite supermarket buys are also making a difference — and that's exactly what Pine O Cleen is delivering. One of Australia's favourite cleaning brands, Pine O Cleen, available to shop at Coles, is continuing its impactful partnership with the Australian Red Cross through The Cleen Up Program. For the past three years, the trusted household brand has donated up to $100,000 annually to support individuals and communities affected by crises across the country. Loved for their best-selling products like the Multi Purpose Trigger Spray, Platinum Laundry Sanitiser, and Scentsations Disinfectant Wipes, Pine O Cleen remains a go-to for thousands of Aussies. And now, you can help too. From July 2 to July 29, for every Pine O Cleen product purchased at Coles, $0.20 will be donated directly to the Australian Red Cross. It's a simple way to give back while stocking up on your cleaning essentials. The Cleen Up Program is now in its third year, continuing to support long-term recovery and strengthen communities across Australia. Pine O Cleen has played a huge part in helping Australian Red Cross provide ongoing support to communities during the recovery process which can often take months, years, or even decades. This vital support has reached those affected by natural disasters like Cyclone Alfred which left thousands of people without power and caused widespread damage to their homes in Queensland and Northern NSW. To support clean-up in affected communities, Pine O Cleen is the official hygiene partner of Australian Red Cross, providing cleaning and hygiene products — both for individuals to use in their homes and for Australian Red Cross Emergency Services volunteers working in community spaces and recovery centres. 'Every disaster we respond to has different requirements, and we work closely with our partners to coordinate recovery efforts and services for the specific individual and community need,' says Australian Red Cross Director of Emergency Services, Resilience & Recovery, Nichola Krey. 'The partnership with Pine O Cleen has helped to maintain hygiene throughout community hubs, ensuring people are in safe and clean spaces during their time of need.'
