US expat reveals ‘crazy’ issue with Coles and Woolworths

The man has gone viral on TikTok for pointing out one major problem with the major supermarkets – and Aussies agree.

An American man has gone viral after he detailed his “crazy” problem with Woolworths and Coles on TikTok – and he’s even got Aussies agreeing with him.

In a video that’s been viewed 11,000 times @depotadventures explained how he had moved to Australia from the US six years ago but still hadn’t been able to get the hang of supermarkets here.

“I still cannot understand how grocery stores are laid out,” he said. “I just walked down seven aisles to find ground coffee.”

Even after living in Australia for six years @depotadventures said he was still confused by the store layout. Picture: TikTok/@depotadventures

He said that the “categorisations are just crazy here” as each aisle sign will usually list three items.

Standing in one aisle he gestured to the sign and said: “In this case we have chips, cereal and chocolate.

“You just have to know, you have to intuit, all the things that fall under that subcategory.”

Making things harder, @depotadventures argued, was the fact that the supermarkets were “not consistent” in their layouts.

“Coles and Woolies will change where the eggs are,” he said. “Sometimes it’s by the produce, sometimes it’s by the dairy.

“Which one? You’re just going to have to get lost for 20 minutes until you find out. What the heck Australia?”

Plenty of Aussies agreed with his complaint. Picture: TikTok/@depotadventures

The expat’s video got more than 200 comments from Aussie viewers who empathised with his complaint.

“Lived here my whole life and will never get it,” one person wrote. “I was at Coles that had dips spread into two different sections.”

Some claimed the reason for the “confusing” layouts was to “promote impulse buying” or because certain brands had paid to be displayed on eye-level shelves.

“It’s done to keep you in the store longer,” one person said.

Several commenters claimed Coles was the worst culprit for bad layouts, with one person writing: “I always have trouble in Coles … Woolies is laid out way better with better signage.”

Others helpfully pointed out there was info available to help with finding your way around a store.

“Use the apps. It tells you which aisle everything is in,” one wrote.

Using a supermarket app to navigate the shelves was advised to make the shop easier. Picture: Jerad Williams

“There are laminated A4 cards at the ends of some aisles that have a more comprehensive list,” another wrote.

But @depotadventures isn’t the only expat to struggle with Aussie supermarkets. TikTok star Kaymie Wuerfel has also shared some of her most confusing moments in Coles and Woolies.

Ms Wuerfel, who is originally from the US state of Florida, shared in one video the disastrous exchange she had with one supermarket worker while trying to get her hands on a vegetable that goes by a very different name here.

She had been trying to source a capsicum – which is called a pepper in the US – resulting in her being directed to salt and pepper and even chilli before the worker realised she was after capsicum.

Ms Wuerfel also posted a TikTok recounting how she had been stunned to discover Woolies and Coles charge customers for plastic bags.