Coles worker accuses supermarket giant of ‘gaslighting’ its customers

An anonymous Coles worker has accused the supermarket giant of “gaslighting” its customers after a shopper slammed the price of a popular sweet snack.

An anonymous Coles worker has accused the supermarket giant of “gaslighting” its customers into paying more for everyday items as the public continue to battle the cost-of-living crisis.

The woman uploaded a video to TikTok following an awkward encounter with an angry customer while working at her local supermarket.

An anonymous Coles worker has accused the supermarket iant of “gaslighting” its customers into paying more for everyday items.

According to the video, the shopper approached the Coles worker to complain about the increasing price of a packet of Tim Tams.

It was after they spent $7.50 for a big packet of the sweet biscuits, before realising they could have purchased smaller packets for $3, which would have been better value for money.

The customer then reportedly told the woman: “Whoever does the prices at the store should be ashamed of themselves.”

The woman explained that individual supermarkets do not determine the price of an item on the shelf, it’s a job left for the supermarket’s head office.

She has since urged shoppers to do further research into an item before committing to a purchase.

“As a collective, as people, as human beings, we need to start looking at those type of things and looking at grams and seeing what is worth our money,” she said. She added while “$7.50 for Tim Tams is absolutely crazy” and the idea of working for the supermarket “sucks”, the woman explained it wasn’t fair for her to bare the brunt from customers, as she was simply doing her job.

“All I’m doing is earning money so I can pay my bills so I can afford to take my daughter to daycare,” she said.

The ACCC has accused Coles and Woolworths of price gouging. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard

In a follow-up video, which has since been deleted, the anonymous worker accused the supermarket giant of “gaslighting” its customers by raising the cost of two packets of Tim Tams to $8.

“I feel like the supermarkets are now gaslighting us,” she said. As of writing, Tim Tims are on special at Coles, with a 200g packet of Tim Tams setting you back $4.50, a reported saving of $1.50, whereas a larger 365g packet costs $6.

In the comments of the since-deleted second video, some believed her complaints weren’t justified, arguing shoppers shouldn’t reach for a packet of TimTams if “money is an issue”.

The anonymous worker said these comments was “totally valid” but argued that “some people just want that extra treat … for the hard work you’ve been doing”.

A spokesperson for Coles told NewsWire said the supermarket was “committed to providing fair, accurate and clear pricing to our customers.

“As inflation, high interest rates, increased mortgage and rent costs, higher utility bills and an escalation in education, health care and insurance costs contribute to cost-of-living pressures for Australian families, we know that more customers are eating at home and seeking out specials and discounts to help their household budgets stretch further.

“These increased costs also mean that Coles is paying more to suppliers for the cost of goods we sell, and for the cost of running our business. Despite this, we work hard to provide value to customers though promotional mechanisms including Great Value Hands Down, Coles Weekly Specials, and Flybuys.”

Coles has said the business is also facing increased costs, but doing its best to provide value for customers. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard

In September, the government launched an ACCC-led inquiry to determine whether supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths were deceiving shoppers with pricing tactics, by allegedly hiking up the prices on hundreds of products, only to drop them again as part of its “Down Down” and “Prices Dropped” campaigns.

“Australia is dominated by uncompetitive markets. The threat of divestiture would lower prices, better service and more innovation and growth in productivity,” said chief economist at the Australia Institute, Greg Jericho in September.

“We need better monitoring of prices in Australia, especially in industries that lack competition. A prices commission would ensure that Australian consumers are not being ripped off by big business.”

A final report on the ACCC inquiry will be delivered to the government in February 2025.

Originally published as Coles worker accuses supermarket giant of ‘gaslighting’ its customers