Inside the Coles and Woolworths 'fake' discounts case
Feb 22, 2026 •
Coles and Woolworths are now in court.
The case, brought by the consumer watchdog, came on the back of hundreds of angry posts on X, TikTok and Reddit from shoppers archiving the supermarkets giants’ prices – and accusing them of gaming their “Down Down” and “Prices Dropped” promotions.
The ACCC alleges some of those promotions were misleading – with the “discount” price the same as, or higher than, what had been charged just weeks earlier.
Today, economist and journalist Peter Martin on the “illusory” discounts – and how a Cadbury Caramello Koala helped fuel the outrage.
This episode was first published in October, 2024.
Inside the Coles and Woolworths 'fake' discounts case
1827 • Feb 22, 2026
Inside the Coles and Woolworths 'fake' discounts case
Coles and Woolworths are now in court.
The case, brought by the consumer watchdog, came on the back of hundreds of angry posts on X, TikTok and Reddit from shoppers archiving the supermarkets giants’ prices – and accusing them of gaming their “Down Down” and “Prices Dropped” promotions.
The ACCC alleges some of those promotions were misleading – with the “discount” price the same as, or higher than, what had been charged just weeks earlier.
Today, economist and journalist Peter Martin on the “illusory” discounts – and how a Cadbury Caramello Koala helped fuel the outrage.
This episode was first published in October, 2024.
Guest: Economist Peter Martin.
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