00:03Supermarket giant Coles is in hot water after the consumer watchdog alleged it disguised price increases on at least 245
00:11products by offering misleading discounts.
00:14With the cost of living going up, you're in for some luck, because these red hands go.
00:21Coles is currently embroiled in a federal court battle with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, or ACCC.
00:28The competition regulator alleges the supermarket breached the law by offering what it described as illusory discounts on everyday items.
00:37In a strategy known as was-slash-is pricing, the ACCC alleges between February 2022 and May 2023,
00:47Coles temporarily inflated prices on everyday items before dropping its prices back to its original cost.
00:54The ACCC is expected to argue that some promoted prices were the same as or higher than previously stated regular
01:02prices.
01:02For example, the court heard on the first day of proceedings the example of Coles pricing on a 1.2kg
01:09can of Nature's Gift wet dog food.
01:12The ACCC alleges Coles sold the dog food for $4 for 296 days between April 2022 and February 2023.
01:23The supermarket then increased the price to $6 for just seven days.
01:28It then lowered the price to $4.50 and labelled the items with its down-down promotional material, claiming the
01:36price had been reduced from $6.
01:39Nature's Gift slow cooked meals.
01:41I can't believe it's for me!
01:42While the claim that the dog food was discounted was technically true, the ACCC argued it was misleading.
01:50The court case is expected to scrutinise pricing practices across major supermarkets and could have broader ramifications,
01:58including for separate ACCC proceedings involving Woolworths.
02:02I think people might find this annoying, do you?
02:05No!
02:07Saving money is never annoying.
02:10He's right, you know.
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