This Old Coles advertisement reveals the heart-wrenching truth about the struggles many Aussies are facing
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Times are really tough for an increasing number of people these days.
People are struggling to make ends meet, and it's clear that the cost of living has risen drastically in the last few years.
This ad, released by Coles in 2017, provides a glimpse into the fullness of the financial burden faced by many Aussies today.
The ad showcases the now-defunct $10 meal program with recipes across all categories designed to cater to a range of family meals.
Staying true to its promise, the supermarket published a recipe crafted by Celebrity chef Curtis Stone for a Granny's cottage pie.
The cottage pie ingredient list is as follows:
Now, let’s take a closer look at the cost of this meal in today's prices and see how far out of reach the $10-meal deal has become.
A one-litre bottle of Coles Full Cream Milk sells for $1.60, and a kilo of potatoes comes with a price tag of $3.61 in the same store.
The smallest available pack of butter costs $3.70, and the smallest bottle of beef stock is $1.90.
Putting all eleven items together, the total cost of the meal is a whopping $24.62–more than double the initial $10 amount.
When the $10-meal deal was launched back in 2017, Coles was met with backlash for assuming that customers already had some of the ingredients in their pantry. The transformative cost of the meal today further proves how quickly living expenses have become out of reach for some Aussies.
Joel Gibson, Money Columnist and Consumer Expert, said that it's not very likely that ultra-cheap prices and rewards programs, not just for Coles but for other supermarkets too, will make a comeback any time soon.
‘I can see why they've probably done away with that particular promotion,’ Mr Gibson said.
‘There's a very limited range of things one could offer, and unless you were a vegetarian family or family that's eating, you know, no meat Mondays, or something, most of them wouldn't probably appeal to you.’
‘So I think there's a reason we don't see the “down, down prices are down” ads anymore, because prices are up, up, up.’
‘And there's a reason we don't see the $10 meal promotions, there's a reason we don't see a whole bunch of things we used to see in supermarkets—they can't hand on heart promise those sorts of savings anymore.’
Nowadays, if you want to cook a family meal that costs close to the original amount of $10, you'd have to be a very savvy shopper.
‘There used to be a time when you'd be able to get $5 steaks at pubs on a Tuesday night during the week, and then it became a $10 steak, and then it became $15.
‘It's partly just a natural result of inflation.
‘But we've seen particularly strong inflation in groceries the last couple of years and so it's not surprising. We've seen a whole bunch of those promos that go the way of the dodo.
‘I don't know that we'll ever see the range of $10 meals again quite like that. The Woolies CEO did say, when they had their results last week, that they may see some prices coming down sometime next year as inflation comes back to earth.
‘We might see some prices dropping six to nine months...but it's not going to go back to where it was.
‘That's why these things never return to where they were. I don't think we'll see $10 meal kits back in Coles, ever, probably.’
Even if the supermarket might run a few specials here and there, it looks like larger price cuts just aren't feasible right now.
A spokesperson for the supermarket was unable to provide a comment or confirm when the program officially came to an end.
‘The Feeding Your Family for Under $10 was retired many years ago now,’ the spokesperson said.
‘To help customers with budgeting, we have moved to more of a cost-per-serve approach.’
‘Today we have launched our new 'Great Value, Hands Down’ campaign, bringing down the price of more than 500 products across Coles stores and Coles online.’
You can learn more about Coles’s ‘Great Value, Hands Down’ campaign in this article we wrote.
Do you have any tips on how to save on groceries? Share them with us in the comments below!
People are struggling to make ends meet, and it's clear that the cost of living has risen drastically in the last few years.
This ad, released by Coles in 2017, provides a glimpse into the fullness of the financial burden faced by many Aussies today.
The ad showcases the now-defunct $10 meal program with recipes across all categories designed to cater to a range of family meals.
Coles advertised $10 meal deals in 2017. Image source: Coles.
Staying true to its promise, the supermarket published a recipe crafted by Celebrity chef Curtis Stone for a Granny's cottage pie.
The cottage pie ingredient list is as follows:
- 500g Coles No Added Hormone Beef 3-Star Regular Mince
- 40g Coles Butter, melted, divided
- 2 cups (500ml) Coles Beef Liquid Stock
- 2 Coles Carrots (medium-sized, about 200g), peeled and cut into small dice
- 2 Coles Celery Sticks, cut into small dice
- 2 Fresh Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tbs Coles Tomato Paste
- 1 tbs Coles White Plain Flour
- 1 Coles Brown Onion (small, about 150g), cut into small dice
- ½ cup (125ml) Coles Full Cream Milk, warmed
- 1kg Coles Brushed Potatoes, peeled and cut into 3cm pieces
Now, let’s take a closer look at the cost of this meal in today's prices and see how far out of reach the $10-meal deal has become.
First off, a pack of Coles beef 3-star regular mince now sells for $6.50 in a Sydney Coles store.
A pack of beef 3-star regular mince sold for $4 in 2017. In 2023, it now sells $6.50. Image source: Coles.
A one-litre bottle of Coles Full Cream Milk sells for $1.60, and a kilo of potatoes comes with a price tag of $3.61 in the same store.
The smallest available pack of butter costs $3.70, and the smallest bottle of beef stock is $1.90.
Putting all eleven items together, the total cost of the meal is a whopping $24.62–more than double the initial $10 amount.
When the $10-meal deal was launched back in 2017, Coles was met with backlash for assuming that customers already had some of the ingredients in their pantry. The transformative cost of the meal today further proves how quickly living expenses have become out of reach for some Aussies.
Joel Gibson, Money Columnist and Consumer Expert, said that it's not very likely that ultra-cheap prices and rewards programs, not just for Coles but for other supermarkets too, will make a comeback any time soon.
‘I can see why they've probably done away with that particular promotion,’ Mr Gibson said.
‘There's a very limited range of things one could offer, and unless you were a vegetarian family or family that's eating, you know, no meat Mondays, or something, most of them wouldn't probably appeal to you.’
‘So I think there's a reason we don't see the “down, down prices are down” ads anymore, because prices are up, up, up.’
‘And there's a reason we don't see the $10 meal promotions, there's a reason we don't see a whole bunch of things we used to see in supermarkets—they can't hand on heart promise those sorts of savings anymore.’
Nowadays, if you want to cook a family meal that costs close to the original amount of $10, you'd have to be a very savvy shopper.
‘There used to be a time when you'd be able to get $5 steaks at pubs on a Tuesday night during the week, and then it became a $10 steak, and then it became $15.
‘It's partly just a natural result of inflation.
‘But we've seen particularly strong inflation in groceries the last couple of years and so it's not surprising. We've seen a whole bunch of those promos that go the way of the dodo.
‘I don't know that we'll ever see the range of $10 meals again quite like that. The Woolies CEO did say, when they had their results last week, that they may see some prices coming down sometime next year as inflation comes back to earth.
‘We might see some prices dropping six to nine months...but it's not going to go back to where it was.
‘That's why these things never return to where they were. I don't think we'll see $10 meal kits back in Coles, ever, probably.’
Even if the supermarket might run a few specials here and there, it looks like larger price cuts just aren't feasible right now.
A spokesperson for the supermarket was unable to provide a comment or confirm when the program officially came to an end.
‘The Feeding Your Family for Under $10 was retired many years ago now,’ the spokesperson said.
‘To help customers with budgeting, we have moved to more of a cost-per-serve approach.’
‘Today we have launched our new 'Great Value, Hands Down’ campaign, bringing down the price of more than 500 products across Coles stores and Coles online.’
You can learn more about Coles’s ‘Great Value, Hands Down’ campaign in this article we wrote.
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