Coles is facing backlash after a customer exposed a sneaky pricing tactic on Vegemite in a viral TikTok.
The customer, posting under the handle amberjade316, shared a video showing that the supermarket giant had placed a discount label on a 350g Vegemite Squeeze product, pricing it at $7.30.
But the original price was actually $7.
The video quickly gained attention and has attracted almost 400,000 views, sparking outrage among Australians in the comment section.
Some viewers described the situation as a potential “crime,” while others suggested that the so-called “specials” were actually price increases.
The discovery came shortly after a report by The Daily Telegraph revealed that Coles had become 6.8 per cent more expensive overall since mid-2022.
The rising cost of living has put pressure on families struggling to afford groceries.
The video came after Coles and its competitor Woolworths saw a significant increase in earnings, collectively making half a billion dollars more than before.
Meanwhile, Aussie customers are increasing the amount of supermarkets, grocers and food sellers they visit in order to capitalise on savings.
Fronting a parliamentary inquiry into economic dynamism, competition and business formation, representatives from major supermarkets Coles and Woolworths said they had noted the change in behaviour.
Coles’ government and industry relations manager Vittoria Bon said customers were now “more selective in terms of where they shop”.
“There’s a move away from (the) once-a-week, large grocery shop,” she told the committee.
“So people might shop around daily or every second day rather than one weekly shop. People do pay attention to when there are specials which are released at different points in time.”