B1331 words2:19News Report American AccentPublished May 17, 2026 · Updated May 17, 2026

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New data analysis has revealed that Coles and Woolworths, Australia's two largest supermarkets, often switch their promotions on and off at almost the same time.

A price tracking website called CW Scanner provided the data to Guardian Australia.

The information covers the past two years and includes products such as electric toothbrushes, frozen pizza, ice-cream bars, and toilet paper.

According to the data, when a product is on promotion at one supermarket, it is usually sold at full price at the other.

For example, an Oral-B electric toothbrush kit was recently advertised at half price in Woolworths for 99 dollars and 50 cents.

At the same time, the same product was sold at full price in Coles for 199 dollars.

However, just one week earlier, the situation had been the opposite.

This pricing strategy is known as "High-Low" pricing in the retail industry.

The supermarket sets a high regular price and then offers temporary promotions to attract shoppers.

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CW Scanner identified at least ten products that followed this pattern, which include frozen pepperoni pizza, fish oil tablets, and ice-cream products.

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These items are just a sample because many more products follow the same pattern.

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This report comes after an Australian court found that Coles had deceived customers with misleading discounts.

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The court ruled that the supermarket's "Down Down" promotional program was not honest about its pricing.

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The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has also been investigating both Coles and Woolworths.

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A consumer rights expert said, "Shoppers deserve to know if a discount is real or if the price has been raised before the promotion."

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Although High-Low pricing is a common retail strategy around the world, the synchronized timing between the two supermarkets has raised concerns.

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Critics believe that this pattern makes it difficult for customers to find genuinely lower prices.

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A spokesperson for the retail sector commented, "We encourage shoppers to compare prices carefully before they decide where to buy their groceries."

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The case has drawn significant public attention in Australia.

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Toothbrushes, ice-cream and frozen pizza: data reveals how Coles and Woolworths switch...

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