'What a bargain': Woolworths issues apology over clearance price tag mistake

In the age of social media, it takes little time for a slip-up to spread to different corners of the world.

Whether it's a funny video or a product that could rip some customers off, social media users find ways to make people accountable.

Woolworths recently found itself in hot water over a pricing error that left customers fuming and started a heated debate about the cost of necessities.


The controversy began when a Woolworths shopper shared a photo showing a yellow clearance price tag of $11 placed next to a pack of Ingham's Chicken Munchies Original.

The yellow clearance price tag also stated that the original price of the item was $13.

However, the original white price tag still showed the product's actual price of $10.

'Great prices. What a bargain,' the anonymous shopper wrote.


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The confusing price tag sparked outrage among social media users and shoppers. Image Credit: Facebook/Meanwhile in Australia


Many commenters expressed their outrage about the pricing blunder.

They suggested that this was a supermarket's attempt to 'steal from the public and farmers'.

'That's exactly the problem the ACCC were told about. Coles was also ordered to court for ripping us off,' a shopper commented on the post.

'Unless the CEOs and board of directors face jail time over this, nothing will change. A fine is simply the cost of business,' another replied.


Some shared their shopping tips to avoid paying more than the supposed amount.

'Always look under their clearance and specials labels,' a third advised fellow shoppers.

Others suggested more drastic measures, such as boycotting the supermarket giants and going to ALDI or local markets for their weekly shopping.

Amid the chaos online, a Woolworths spokesperson addressed the issue.

According to the statement, the confusion was the result of human error.

The old white shelf label, which stated the original price, had not been removed before adding the clearance price.

'We apologise to our customers at this store for any confusion caused,' the spokesperson concluded.


The blunder coincided with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and their actions against Woolworths and Coles for allegedly misleading shoppers with 'sale prices'.

According to several claims, the supermarkets increase product prices first before promoting them as 'discounted'.

Consumer champion group CHOICE also indicated that these supermarkets also use misleading marketing tactics that have been fooling many Aussie shoppers.

In more recent news, a NSW local confronted Woolworths' current CEO, Amanda Bardwell, over allegations of price gouging amid the cost-of-living crisis.

A Woolworths staff member responded to the customer that prices had been lowered across the store.

Meanwhile, Ms Bardwell stated that the team is doing everything they can to support customers.
Key Takeaways

  • A Woolworths customer shared a photo of a clearance price tag showing an increased price over the original cost.
  • Woolworths explained the situation as a human error, stating that an old price tag of $10 was not removed when the clearance price was updated to $11.
  • The incident occurred amid broader scrutiny of supermarket pricing practices, as both Woolworths and Coles faced legal action from the ACCC.
  • Woolworths apologised for the confusion caused and reminded customers that price tags are often updated manually by employees.
Have you encountered similar pricing errors during your shopping trips? How do you make sure you're getting the best value for your money? We would love to hear your thoughts and shopping tips in the comments section below.
 
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Always check the original price labels at Chemist Warehouse. Whilst waiting for a script one day I noticed a staff member putting up “special“ tickets on shelves over full price labels. The special tickets were a dollar or two higher.
 
IGA use "Price Matched" labels all the time which only match competitors, usually the only other Foodworks or small grocery store in small towns that have prices similar to theirs. They do not price match to Coles or Woolworths
 
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The more that shoppers tell about their shopping experiences online then maybe the stores will stop their deceptive tactics.....here's hoping.
 
Have we all seen the latest Woolies adds on TV, showing how wonderful they are and how community spirited they are. Shows them supporting all sorts of community issues. (Patting themselves on the back)
It is actually their customers that are supporting these issues.
 
I am not backing up Woolworths for any blunder I have witnessed a few mistakes when shopping. However, if you look at the white tag it does state " $10 Per Kg" with a yellow clearance price of $11.00. I believe that this means that the items (bags of chicken) were being sold for a fixed price of $11.00 and not the $10.00 per Kg price. Most bags of chicken are sold as whole chickens or chicken bits and would be more than 1 kg in weight. I think someone jumped in taking pictures, posting them on social media without thinking. This person and others could get themselves into hot water for defamation if they are not careful.
Ooops I got caught out with Woolworths unscrupulous practices. Ignore my post above. I will not delete the above post because I think it is important to show how easy it is to be blinded by Woolworths sales tactics. I did not see the $11.00 per kg in small print under the Sale $11.00 in large print. This is defiantly a deceptive sales practice. Woolworths you have just lost me as a customer.
 
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I am not backing up Woolworths for any blunder I have witnessed a few mistakes when shopping. However, if you look at the white tag it does state " $10 Per Kg" with a yellow clearance price of $11.00. I believe that this means that the items (bags of chicken) were being sold for a fixed price of $11.00 and not the $10.00 per Kg price. Most bags of chicken are sold as whole chickens or chicken bits and would be more than 1 kg in weight. I think someone jumped in taking pictures, posting them on social media without thinking. This person and others could get themselves into hot water for defamation if they are not careful.
Aren't they being sued by the ACCC for doing this
 
Why can't the person putting up the tickets see that the price is incorrect & say something to management so it can be corrected instead of causing problems
You're not implying that people are expected to think about what they are doing aren you? Heaven forbid they should ask the supervisor ... is this right???
 
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Reactions: magpie1
And there is the proof at what supermarkets are doing. Upping the price to then say the price is down although this still needs to come down a bit more
Caught with their pants down! And still bugger-all action taken by ASIC
 
I am not backing up Woolworths for any blunder I have witnessed a few mistakes when shopping. However, if you look at the white tag it does state " $10 Per Kg" with a yellow clearance price of $11.00. I believe that this means that the items (bags of chicken) were being sold for a fixed price of $11.00 and not the $10.00 per Kg price. Most bags of chicken are sold as whole chickens or chicken bits and would be more than 1 kg in weight. I think someone jumped in taking pictures, posting them on social media without thinking. This person and others could get themselves into hot water for defamation if they are not careful.
If you look at the bottom of the yellow ticket it says "$11 per kg". It is just above the bar code.
 
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If you look at the bottom of the yellow ticket it says "$11 per kg". It is just above the bar code.
Yes you are right, my apologies. This defiantly underhanded sale practices. They sucked me In, I was blinded by the large print and did not see the small print of the per Kg price. This is defiantly putting me off Woolworths.
 
Aren't they being sued by the ACCC for doing this
Yep I was blinded by the $11.00 large print and did not see the smaller $11.00 Per Kg price below. sneaky, sly and underhanded. I will not be shopping at Woolworths if these are the practices they employ to trick and con customers.
 
Woolworths you have just lost me as a customer. If these are the deceptive, sly, underhanded tactics you wish to employ to deceive customers, then you have lost me as a customer.
 

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