Supermarkets Misleading Consumers

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is taking action against Coles and Woolworths for allegedly misleading customers through illusory discounts. Both supermarket giants are accused of raising prices on various items and then advertising them as discounts, creating a deceptive impression of savings. An example highlighted involved Oreo biscuits, which were increased in price before being marketed as having dropped, despite the overall change leading to a higher cost for consumers. The ACCC found evidence of this pricing strategy being applied to over 250 different products during an extensive 15 to 20-month investigation.