Did Coles cross the line? $10 family meal video prompts backlash
- Replies 5
The cost of living crisis is hitting Australians hard, with many struggling to put food on the table.
However, supermarkets have been doing their best to assist shoppers with this task, rolling out specials and discounts to help you save money where possible.
But before we get into it, let’s take a short refresher: In 2017, Coles’ Feed Your Family For $10 campaign was launched featuring celebrity chef and Coles ambassador Curtis Stone.
The concept was easy: Curtis showed the public how to cook up a nutritious and wholesome family meal for $10 or less with the ingredients from Coles.
Now, these old Coles videos have resurfaced on social media, with many users creating spoof videos detailing how it's virtually impossible to get a decent, inexpensive family meal together. In many cases, you can only buy a snack or a single item.
Needless to say, spoof videos of the campaign were well-received by many. Unfortunately, Coles’ was met with an outpour of backlash from its viewers, with one social media user even calling the video ‘tone deaf’.
In their more recent video, a Coles Express store manager is seen buying a sausage roll, a muffin, and a large coffee.
But instead of viewers seeing Coles’ video as a cheeky way of the supermarket riding along with the humour earlier spoofs caused, viewers just found the manager's choice of items insensitive given the context of the cost of living crisis.
These items were seen as inadequate and not representative of a proper family meal. This choice was perceived as dismissive of the real struggles people are facing to put food on the table.
'Is this a real video? That is an egregious mistake if so', one viewer commented.
One more wrote, ‘I thought the point was to feed a family a meal? Not to eat junk food yourself.’
While a third online user stated, ‘Did they turn off the comments on [their video]? They were getting roasted.'
Additionally, many of the comments noted the extreme insensitivity Coles Express showed in this instance.
One person noted that 'Not all publicity is good publicity these days. Awareness is already high, sentiment is more important.'
‘Used to be a meal for a family of four for $10. Now it's feeding one person for $10? Moving goalposts?’ questioned another viewer.
Overall, it would appear that the idea of being able to feed a family wasn't taken into consideration—and that's what so many people found outrageous in regard to this video.
This entire controversy presents an incredibly important lesson: When it comes to budgeting and properly taking on the cost of living, reflecting carefully on the current state of affairs, and overall the very real struggles that people are facing in this day and age is necessary.
What are your thoughts on Coles’ ‘Feed Your Family For $10’ campaign? Do you agree with Coles that it’s still possible to feed a family of four on a $10 budget? We would love to know your thoughts in the comments below!
However, supermarkets have been doing their best to assist shoppers with this task, rolling out specials and discounts to help you save money where possible.
The concept was easy: Curtis showed the public how to cook up a nutritious and wholesome family meal for $10 or less with the ingredients from Coles.
Cole’s ‘Feed Your Family For $10’ campaign has resurfaced, garnering a range of negative reactions from viewers. Credit: TikTok
Now, these old Coles videos have resurfaced on social media, with many users creating spoof videos detailing how it's virtually impossible to get a decent, inexpensive family meal together. In many cases, you can only buy a snack or a single item.
Needless to say, spoof videos of the campaign were well-received by many. Unfortunately, Coles’ was met with an outpour of backlash from its viewers, with one social media user even calling the video ‘tone deaf’.
In their more recent video, a Coles Express store manager is seen buying a sausage roll, a muffin, and a large coffee.
But instead of viewers seeing Coles’ video as a cheeky way of the supermarket riding along with the humour earlier spoofs caused, viewers just found the manager's choice of items insensitive given the context of the cost of living crisis.
These items were seen as inadequate and not representative of a proper family meal. This choice was perceived as dismissive of the real struggles people are facing to put food on the table.
'Is this a real video? That is an egregious mistake if so', one viewer commented.
One more wrote, ‘I thought the point was to feed a family a meal? Not to eat junk food yourself.’
While a third online user stated, ‘Did they turn off the comments on [their video]? They were getting roasted.'
Coles Express continues to receive backlash in the form of spoof videos over their 2017 ‘Feed Your Family For $10’ campaign. Credit: TikTok
Additionally, many of the comments noted the extreme insensitivity Coles Express showed in this instance.
One person noted that 'Not all publicity is good publicity these days. Awareness is already high, sentiment is more important.'
‘Used to be a meal for a family of four for $10. Now it's feeding one person for $10? Moving goalposts?’ questioned another viewer.
What are your thoughts on Coles’ ‘Feed Your Family For $10’ campaign? Do you agree with Coles that it’s still possible to feed a family of four on a $10 budget? We would love to know your thoughts in the comments below!
.png){kind=icon}
considering the cost of living these days, how insensitive of Coles.
why not drop prices so a family can get a good meal for $10 f### I'm living in the past 
