Internal Coles documents reveal the essentials Australians are cutting back on

Documents from Coles have revealed the essential products we’re buying less of due to cost of living pressures – and the result is gross.

Supermarket chain Coles has admitted that customers are cutting back on scores of essential products including big brands due to cost of living concerns.

Australia’s second biggest grocer made the revelation in internal sales documents that were leaked to The Australian.

It showed that during the last 12 months some key product ranges have seen sales slump by more than a third at Coles.

And it could mean Australians are whiffier as a result.

A category heavily affected by the sales slump is bath soap and body wash which has seen sales fall a massive 33 per cent since May 2022.

Coles has sasid Australaisn are cutting back on cleaning products. Picture: NCA NewsWire

That’s followed by hand sanitisers which are down around 30 per cent, likely as concerns about Covid-19 subside somewhat.

Environmentally aware cleaning products have fallen by around 15 per cent. But in addition the general cleaning and disinfectant category is also down by a similar amount.

Multipurpose cleaner, cleaning wipes and scourers and sponges also saw sales fall but by a lesser amount.

Big brands in these categories include Ajax, Pine O Cleen, Glen 20, Dove and Palmolive.

Mortgage repayment hikes and rental stress along with rising inflation is leading shoppers to pare back their supermarket bill and leave some products on the shelf.

“We know some customers are changing their purchasing behaviour in response to cost of living,” a Coles spokesman told The Australian.

Hand sanitiser sales are also down. Picture: Kevin Farmer

However, the chain said that 12 months ago cases of Covid-19 and flu had led to higher than average sales.

Coles said it has responded to changing shopping habits by promotions on products, highlighting its own brand range and bigger pack sizes which it says can lead to a 70 per cent saving on some cleaning goods.

A survey by rival Aldi, released last month, showed 24 per cent of Australians were tightening their shopping budgets with 26 per cent going to the shops less often.

The research also showed people were buying less fresh fruits and vegetables (16 per cent) and meat (50 per cent).

Aldi had a solution to the shopping bill woes.

Unsurprisingly, it suggested Australians should swap supermarkets to save money – preferably to it.