Shopper exposes 'hidden catch' behind Coles' Special offers – are you really getting a bargain?
- Replies 10
Whenever we are wandering the aisles at Coles, one of the very first things that we look for is that precious yellow tag that indicates whether or not the item is on Special.
After all, who wouldn't want to get a little bit of a discount on the things that they buy, right?
However, according to one woman on social media, you should still double-check these yellow tags because there could be a "hidden catch" behind them...
Posting on Facebook, a woman shared that when she was shopping at Coles recently, she saw something "hidden" on the Specials tag of one of the items.
It was supposed to display a lower price because it was supposedly on sale, but the woman found that the price on the yellow tag was higher than the price on the original tag!
A shopper discovered a "hidden catch" on a Coles special, sparking online outrage. Credit: Facebook.
The shopper was shocked by the discovery so she snapped some photos of the tag and shared them with her fellow Aussies on social media. Alongside the photos, the woman wrote: "This is why I shop at Aldi. No hidden catch with Aldi specials."
In the photos above, you can see how much the women's version of Schick Quattro razor blades cost. The "Special" price on the yellow and red sticker was $10.80, while the original price underneath was $10 (80 cents cheaper) and the barcode had been crossed out with a pink highlighter.
The woman's post was quickly brought to the attention of hundreds of other customers, who admitted they shared her feelings and that this discovery made them angry as well.
In the comments section, one person said, "They think we're stupid," with another agreeing and adding, "This just makes me super mad!"
Meanwhile, others chimed in to say that since this wasn't the first time something similar had happened, that is why they already developed the habit of looking at both the Special price and the original price.
"I always check the tag. Also, they offer deals like "two for $19," but the next week, each of my kids' vitamins costs $9.50. You have to know your prices. I only buy when things are really 50 per cent off," one mum added in the conversation.
Some customers gave the supermarket the benefit of the doubt, saying it may have been a human error. Credit: Getty Images.
Following the backlash the supermarket company received on social media, Coles has responded and addressed the issue alleging that there was no "hidden catch" to their weekly special deals.
The retail giant has stated that the price increase that occurred on an item that had a yellow Specials tag was simply the result of a "ticketing mistake" made by a staff member at that particular location.
"All Coles Supermarkets apply 'Our Promise on Price Scanning' to ensure confidence in the pricing accuracy at our registers," a spokesperson told an online news publication.
"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 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."
Even though most people in the Facebook group were suspicious of the "mistake," there were also some people who could see why it happened.
"They aren't doing it on purpose, this is a combination of human error on the back end and then at store level," one person wrote in the comments.
A second user agreed and added, "There's no catch. Someone just hasn't swapped the tickets correctly. Good help is hard to find."
A third one chimed in and said, "Someone's not doing their job properly."
So what do you think, folks? Do you agree that the pricing mistake was made by the staff? Or do you also think that sometimes "special discounts" are actually a bit of a ‘trap’ that don't really help you save anything? Post your comments to let us know what you think!
After all, who wouldn't want to get a little bit of a discount on the things that they buy, right?
However, according to one woman on social media, you should still double-check these yellow tags because there could be a "hidden catch" behind them...
Posting on Facebook, a woman shared that when she was shopping at Coles recently, she saw something "hidden" on the Specials tag of one of the items.
It was supposed to display a lower price because it was supposedly on sale, but the woman found that the price on the yellow tag was higher than the price on the original tag!
A shopper discovered a "hidden catch" on a Coles special, sparking online outrage. Credit: Facebook.
The shopper was shocked by the discovery so she snapped some photos of the tag and shared them with her fellow Aussies on social media. Alongside the photos, the woman wrote: "This is why I shop at Aldi. No hidden catch with Aldi specials."
In the photos above, you can see how much the women's version of Schick Quattro razor blades cost. The "Special" price on the yellow and red sticker was $10.80, while the original price underneath was $10 (80 cents cheaper) and the barcode had been crossed out with a pink highlighter.
The woman's post was quickly brought to the attention of hundreds of other customers, who admitted they shared her feelings and that this discovery made them angry as well.
In the comments section, one person said, "They think we're stupid," with another agreeing and adding, "This just makes me super mad!"
Meanwhile, others chimed in to say that since this wasn't the first time something similar had happened, that is why they already developed the habit of looking at both the Special price and the original price.
"I always check the tag. Also, they offer deals like "two for $19," but the next week, each of my kids' vitamins costs $9.50. You have to know your prices. I only buy when things are really 50 per cent off," one mum added in the conversation.
Some customers gave the supermarket the benefit of the doubt, saying it may have been a human error. Credit: Getty Images.
Following the backlash the supermarket company received on social media, Coles has responded and addressed the issue alleging that there was no "hidden catch" to their weekly special deals.
The retail giant has stated that the price increase that occurred on an item that had a yellow Specials tag was simply the result of a "ticketing mistake" made by a staff member at that particular location.
"All Coles Supermarkets apply 'Our Promise on Price Scanning' to ensure confidence in the pricing accuracy at our registers," a spokesperson told an online news publication.
"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 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."
Even though most people in the Facebook group were suspicious of the "mistake," there were also some people who could see why it happened.
"They aren't doing it on purpose, this is a combination of human error on the back end and then at store level," one person wrote in the comments.
A second user agreed and added, "There's no catch. Someone just hasn't swapped the tickets correctly. Good help is hard to find."
A third one chimed in and said, "Someone's not doing their job properly."
So what do you think, folks? Do you agree that the pricing mistake was made by the staff? Or do you also think that sometimes "special discounts" are actually a bit of a ‘trap’ that don't really help you save anything? Post your comments to let us know what you think!
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