Little-known supermarket rule that lands shoppers free products
A Perth woman has shared the “insane” way she managed to nab an expensive $50 item from the supermarket without paying a cent.
Lifestyle
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A Perth woman has stunned social media users by sharing a little-known supermarket policy that allowed her to get a $50 product for free.
Hana Anderson revealed her surprise after she recently left Coles without paying a single cent for an expensive item because it didn’t scan with the correct discount.
She said the beauty product – which was clearance at the time – was originally $50 but had been marked down to $25.
However, at the checkout, it scanned at its full price.
When she pointed out the discrepancy to a staff member, she was told, “If anything ever scans at the incorrect price, then you get that item for free”.
“Am I the only one that didn’t know about this crazy rule at Coles?” Ms Anderson asked her followers in the clip.
“I have never heard of this rule. Has anyone else had this happen to them? Because I was actually stunned. I got this for free!”
Coles said its “Promise on Price Scanning” is available in all supermarkets and was in place to ensure shopper satisfaction.
“At Coles, we take pricing accuracy seriously, and our ‘Promise on Price Scanning’ policy is in place to give our customers confidence at the checkout,” a spokesperson for the supermarket said.
“If a single item scans at a higher price than the advertised or ticketed shelf price for that item, we will give the customer that item free.
“In the case of the customer in this video, we’re grateful that she brought this price discrepancy to our attention of our team member in such a courteous manner, who was happy to apply our policy.”
What is the policy and how does it work?
According to Coles’ website, “A scanning error can happen if an item has been scanned, or the correct Price Lookup (PLU) number entered, and a price higher than the advertised or ticketed price displays at the checkout or on the receipt.”.
The rules for the policy are:
Multiple identical items scanning incorrectly
– If multiple identical items scan at a higher price than the advertised or ticketed shelf price, the first item is free and the remaining items will be sold at the advertised or ticketed shelf price.
Single item scanning incorrectly
– If a single item scans at a higher price than the advertised or ticketed shelf price for that item, Coles will give you that item for free.
Other promotions scanning incorrectly
– If a multi-buy promotion scans incorrectly (for example, a promotion offering two for $3), the first item is free, and the second is at the correct promotional price.
– If a promotion such as Buy one, get one free or Spend $30 and get 15 per cent off, the promotion will be honoured, but no free item will be offered.
The policy excludes the following:
– Items without a barcode or PLU number
– 3rd party gift card products and Telco recharge vouchers
– Tobacco or liquor products
– Items over $50
– When the wrong PLU number is entered
And Coles isn’t the only one with this type of policy. Woolworths follows a similar voluntary code of practice.
News.com.au understands that if a Woolies product scans at a higher price than the ticketed price in store, customers will also receive the item free of charge.
But it’s worth noting, the offer is limited to one item and all further items will be processed as per the correct shelf or ticketed price.
Ms Anderson’s TikTok video quickly went viral, amassing nearly 400k views and over 500 comments from people who were equally shocked by the rule.
“I’ve never heard of it being for free,” one person said. “More TikTok learning, thank you!” praised another.
“Lucky you,” said someone else.
However, some people claimed it was “common knowledge”, remarking it had “been around for a long time”.
“It’s always been a rule,” echoed another.
Meanwhile, others shared instances where the same thing happened to them.
“I was buying some vitamins and on the shelf it said $19.95 or something. I called (a staff member) over and she gave it to me for free. I was happy to pay the $19,” one woman shared.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s voluntary Scanning Code of Practice, which Coles and Woolworths are signed up to, outlines that if the price of an item in-store or online at the checkout does not match the displayed or advertised price, the business must sell the product for the lowest price.
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Originally published as Little-known supermarket rule that lands shoppers free products
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