‘I was shocked’: Surprising place Aussies are turning for grocery staples

An increasing number of Aussies are turning away from supermarkets giants and toward the hardware giant when shopping for this staple.

An increasing number of Australians are turning away from supermarket giants and toward Bunnings when shopping for household staples like cleaning and pet supplies in a bid to ease cost of living pressures.

The hardware giant expanded into the $5 billion cleaning market in November, offering the likes of laundry detergent and dishwashing tablets from popular leading brands in bulk at low prices.

“Our customers have told us they are looking for quality brands at great value prices to save them time and money and we’re expecting the category to grow significantly over the next few years,” Bunnings director of merchandise, Jen Tucker, said at the time.

“Customers will no longer need to wait for their favourite cleaning products to go on sale at the supermarket as Bunnings will deliver customers with an even wider cleaning range with bigger quantities and better everyday prices, which is of course backed by our price beat guarantee.”

In recent months, shoppers have taken to TikTok to share price comparisons between Bunnings and the likes of Woolworths and Coles – with one declaring that “if you aren’t buying cleaning products (there), you are throwing away money”.

This week, Lou, who posts under the handle @thatmoneymum, went viral on the social media platform after heading to the retailer herself to “see what all the fuss was about”.

“TikTok has spoken, and has said that Bunnings is the cheapest place to get cleaning supplies,” she said in the video, which has been viewed more than 142,000 times.

“So my husband and I hit up our local Hammerbarn this afternoon to see what all the fuss was about. There is honestly nothing like Bunnings on a weekend or a public holiday, because the vibes are so high, plus the prices are good. I was shocked at how much cheaper these prices are.”

'I was shocked at how much cheaper these prices are.' Picture: TikTok

The cleaning range ‘has been really popular with customers’. Picture: TikTok

Among Lou’s purchases were Cold Power Wash ($28.25 for 5.4L versus $28 for 4L at Woolworths), Morning Fresh Dishwashing Liquid ($14 for 3 bottles versus $9.50 for one bottle), and cat litter ($15 for 5L versus $16 for the same pack at Woolies).

The “only area the big supermarkets are beating” Bunnings, Lou joked, “is (the price of) their sausages”.

Bunnings general manager of home and lifestyle, Adam Cole, told news.com.au the expanded cleaning range “has been really popular with customers who are making the most of our bigger quantities and everyday low prices and saving time and money shopping with us”.

“We love seeing customers like Lou share positive feedback about their shopping experience with us and enjoying our wide range and great value prices on home essentials like cleaning supplies and pet food,” Mr Cole added.

Morning Fresh Dishwashing Liquid, OMO Laundry Powder and Finish Dishwashing Tablets were among the highest purchased cleaning supplies this month, he said.

Bunnings expanded into the $5 billion cleaning market in November. Picture: Supplied

Bunnings boss Michael Schneider. Picture: Peter Mathew

The move followed the launch of the hardware chain’s pets offering – its biggest single-category expansion in two decades – last February.

“What we learned from pets was that really strong value and bulk products are things that are really important for consumers because I think, in categories like cleaning, consumers have a really acute eye for the value of a bulk product right down to the unit of measure,” managing director Michael Schneider told The Australian at the time.

“So consumers are very quick to work out what that equates to ‘X dollars’ a litre or per 100ml or whatever it is, and by bringing a bulk offering into the market, we are increasing our range by over 200 products … and by going in bulk, consumers are really blown away by the value offering that’s there.

“And we’ve established some real credibility and trust in another consumerable category like pets and translating that into a cleaning range has been really well received.”

Mr Schneider said Bunnings was increasingly focused on home improvement and maintenance.

“Really, cleaning is a form of home maintenance, keeping your home clean is as relevant as changing a light bulb or putting mulch in your garden,” he said.

“It adds to when you want to do things around your home, Bunnings is a compelling destination.”

Bunnings rejected a push for its to be subjected to the mandatory food and grocery code of conduct in April. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Max Mason-Hubers

The Wesfarmers-owned retail giant rejected Woolworths’ call in April for it and other food producers with large market power to be brought under a compulsory version of the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct set to be overhauled later this year.

“It’s a supermarket code … Bunnings is just not a supermarket,” Mr Schneider told The Sydney Morning Herald, adding Bunnings has its own code of conduct as well as an independent third-party whistleblower line operated by it and Wesfarmers.

“We are simply not a grocery retailer or a food retailer.”

Given the expansion into pet and cleaning ranges, Mr Schneider said the code should be assessed through an “industry lens” rather than by product – likening it to when supermarkets occasionally sell things like power tools.

“Businesses will dabble in adjacent categories, either periodically or build those out, but that doesn’t make us a supermarket, and that’s a fundamental difference,” he said.