Why does this keep on happening?

It hasn't even been a week since we wrote a story about a Woolies shopper who discovered a 'sneaky' find on the supermarket shelf.

The supposed 'special' tag on a sauce item at the supermarket indicated that the price had dropped from $5 to $4.25. But upon taking a closer look, the original price was actually $4, not $5 as written on the discount tag.

Now, it looks like something similar has happened again. This time, it was a Coles shopper who posted about the incident on social media.

In a video posted on TikTok, the customer said that the jars of Lotus Biscoff Smooth Spread at the supermarket are on 'special' this week for $6.50, as indicated by the yellow tag we're all familiar with.

However, after pulling the tag to reveal the original price of the spread, the shopper was surprised that it was also $6.50.

This means that there were actually no discounts or savings of any kind, regardless of whether or not the product was considered to be on 'special'.

The yellow ticket cost the same as the original. Credit: TikTok.​

Despite the issue being more and more prevalent these days, shoppers seem to be taking it in their stride. Most of them even made jokes about the pricing blunder!

'Wow, what a bargain…' one person wrote in the comments. A second one added, 'Wait… what… where? I can't get to Coles fast enough!'

'Inflation is coming for everything, even Biscoff!' said a third.

The man behind the video also still went ahead and bought the product, despite the fact that there wasn't any kind of discount on it. He did mention, though, that the spread used to be cheaper.

Coles has already come forward with a statement to address the recent pricing issues, which were said to be caused by staff members simply making a few mistakes.

'All Coles Supermarkets apply "Our Promise on Price Scanning" to ensure confidence in the pricing accuracy at our registers,' said a spokesperson for the supermarket.

'If a single item scans at a higher price than the advertised or ticketed shelf price for that item, we will give the customer that item for free.'

'Our Promise on Price Scanning goes above and beyond the requirements of the Australian Consumer Law, which requires businesses to refund the difference between any overcharged amount and the correct price of the item.'

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This isn't the first time the retail giant has claimed that a price increase on a product with a yellow 'special' tag was just a 'ticketing error.'

Just last week, we published a story on a similar ticketing error involving a Schick Quattro razor set purchased at Coles.

The sticker in the image displayed a 'special' price of $10.80; however, the original price was $10 underneath, and the barcode was crossed out in a pink highlighter.

As usual, a Coles representative explained that it was just a case of a staff member messing up.

However, many of you members have also shared your experiences with these dubious 'special' tags, and it's not just in Coles but in other big supermarkets as well.

Member @Abranass said, 'I have often noticed that the price on a "special" ticket is the same as the normal price on the ticket underneath. I find this extremely annoying as it is just false advertising and should not be allowed.'

Member @Oldtroll also wrote, 'This is nothing new. I have checked prices of items with a "special" sticker, not only in Coles but another BIG supermarket, in times past and found the same issue.'

You heard it here, folks! Several of our members have already had disappointing experiences with inaccurate 'special' tags, so make sure that you always check the price before checking them out!

What are your thoughts? Do you think the staff really made these price mistakes? Or are 'special' offers just a way for supermarkets to sell certain products even though there is no real discount? Let us know in the comments!

 

[Ezzy]

It says special, not lower so it can hardly be called misleading

But to be a SPECIAL PRICE wouldn't you expect an item to be cheaper, not the same price or dearer?
I was told years ago that the Producer not the Seller set a SPECIAL PRICE.

 

[Ian Crane-Luff]

The accepted interpretation for Special is that there is a Special Lower Price on an item displaying the Yellow Tag so yes it is misleading, especially to older fol

At the age of 84 I don't find it so.

 

[robyngilding]

This is another human error. Whether it is because untrained staff are putting up the tickets or they are rushing to get the job finished because of wage restrictions. If they had been trained properly they would know to remove the ticket underneath.

 

[robyngilding]

I worked for Woolworths in 1973 & as you stated Ricci, everything comes from Head office. I cannot recall having these stuff-ups back then. One practice was to remove the plastic numbers at the front of the shelf making up the price of the item & turn them over to show the back of the number which was white. A bit sneaky but there was never an opportunity to use the lame excuse that the employee erred. The blame must lay securely on the shoulders of management for their adopted practices!

The staff need to be trained properly if they are going to do the job properly.The wages in stores have been cut and most stores are now struggling to bring wages in on budget. I have worked for woolies for over 25 years and if people are looking for someone to blame for these mistakes go straight to the CEO. He is the one that controls everything. Maybe if enough people complained something might change