Shoppers ’disappointed’ as $129 air fryer oven sells out instantly

A limited edition item in Coles caused chaos among shoppers on Friday, with many leaving empty-handed as stock was snapped up.

Coles have left a stream of shoppers disappointed after its limited-edition air fryer deal sold out instantly.

Its 25 litre $129 All-In-One Oven with Air Fryer went on sale at 7am on Friday in 88 stores as part of its Best Buys deals.

Coles said it was “blown away” by the popularity of its air fryer oven, explaining that other items from the 30 deals on offer this week were still available at participating stores while stocks last.

But the popular item sold out quicker than excited shoppers expected, with many airing their “disappointment” online over the situation.

One Sydney woman waited in a queue outside the brand’s Green Valley store before it opened, telling news.com.au that despite being fifth in line she left empty-handed.

“There were about a hundred people at 7am, we were 5th in line,” she said.

Sadly though, pictures taken at 7.04am according to the timestamp, show the Best Buys section inside completely empty.

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Coles Best Buys this week were snapped up by shoppers just minutes after going on sale. Picture: Supplied

A spokesperson for Coles said it had plans to increase stock on its Best Buys after receiving positive feedback from customers.

“Customers are telling us they’re really enjoying the great value offered across more than a hundred new products since launching the Coles Best Buys range last month,” the spokesperson told news.com.au

“We are working hard to increase supplies of the most popular items as part of our upcoming fortnightly events.”

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Coles air fryer oven went on sale on Friday and was ‘gone instantly’. Picture: Supplied

A Coles store with the air fryer ovens before selling out. Picture: Supplied

On Facebook, others shared similar stories of disappointment about missing out on the stainless steel kitchen appliance.

“Thanks Coles, you advertise the air fryer ovens in a big campaign, drive 45 mins to line up in the queue at 5.30am, doors open at 6am, people from the back of the line come running and barging and pushing to grab the measly 10 ovens in stock on the floor so those who waited patiently in line who were there early get beaten by inconsiderates who just get there when the doors open,” one wrote online.

“Dear Coles, pretty unhappy former customer here this morning. Waited in a queue in a South Aussie store (Port Adelaide) today for your special buy air fryer,” another wrote on Facebook, explaining once she got inside there was lots of “shoving”, describing it as “a very intimidating experience”.

Others claimed each store only limited amounts of units on offer, with varying numbers reported varying from one to 10.

“They were gone instantly,” one declared, adding it was a “waste of time”.

Aldi also had an air fryer oven on sale this week for $149. Picture: Supplied

Coles recently launched its fortnightly Best Buys, a selection of items traditionally not sold in supermarkets. The range was designed to rival Aldi’s success with Special Buys.

Both Aldi and Coles announced different deals on the popular appliance earlier this week, sparking excitement.

German supermarket Aldi had a 23 litre Air Fryer Oven on offer for $149 on Wednesday.

Both Aldi and Coles air fryer ovens had a new feature that shoppers were talking about online – the ability to cook pizza.

Both had 10 preset functions and a digital display while Aldi’s version also had a dehydrate function, a feature that has proved popular on previous models.

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