The cost of living with Coles and Woolworths | Four Corners
From the farm to supermarket shelves, we uncover why you’re paying more at the checkout exposing the secret tactics being used by supermarkets to keep the prices high - and the competition out.
Coles and Woolworths have reported record profits amid a rise in the cost of living - and while both deny price gouging, there are now six inquiries and reviews targeting the big two Australian supermarkets.
Reporter Angus Grigg interviews the CEOs of Coles and Woolworths, addressing concerns from frustrated customers.
Insiders say shoppers are the “ones that are getting screwed” as prices for basic household goods become higher and the profit margins of grocery stores become larger.
00:00: Intro - The super powers
3:24: The history of supermarkets
5:15: Coles and Woolworths
7:25: What the CEOs say
15:00: Power imbalance
18:10 What is ColesWorth?
19:04: Price matching
20:00: Insiders speak out
22:38: Price gouging?
27:50: The CEO walkout
32:00: Are specials really specials?
34:40: Dark stores
39:20: ‘Two Churches’ wine
41:55: Land banking
Read more about this story here: www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-1...
This episode was originally broadcast as ‘Super Power’ on 19 February 2024 on ABC TV and ABC iview.
Four Corners is Australia’s premier investigations documentary series.
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Note: In most cases, our captions are auto-generated.
If Coles standards are so high, why is so much of the fresh fruit and veg at my local Coles is so shit.
Everyone in Australia needs to watch this because the majority are affected and are suffering.
Facts
Just keep in mind that it's not the lowly worker's fault... so please, don't go into a supermarket tomorrow and abuse the staff. They're being taken advantage of as well. 😢
I saw a "special" on cadbury chocolate blocks 2 for $15. Might as well shop at the servo
Coles woollies servo ?
This is the kind of journalism ABC needs to keep going because no one else will. Hopefully something comes out of all of this.
Love the try hard PR team making the woollies CEO look like a common worker. I can tell you now that CEO hasn't worn a name tag and woollies shirt for years.
Fantastic! Now do the housing market/property developers
Are you familiar with the term Colesworth? "I'm not" *GULP*
Finally this issue is being spoken about, the whole system needs to be revolutionised. It's 20 years overdue, how much longer should consumers, suppliers and farmers be screwed over?
I just hope that the young lady doesn’t suffer any consequences for her voicing her concerns for OH&S.
Remember they had Bi-Lo and Franklins, there were smaller operators they bought into their organisation. They completely replaced them... no competition. Break them up.
thanks for keeping the comments open for this, and for taking the time to do a piece that is very top of mind for society. Leah and Brad are so out of touch. Leah, never heard of the term "Colesworth". Brad, requesting to scrub poor comments instead of owning his mistake straight away. Very telling.
Yeah those two were next level.
Buy fruit & veg from a fruit & veg shop, buy meat from a butcher, & shop at IGA & Aldi
I would if we had any. Not living in a city doesn’t help.
I'm gonna start doing that😅
Not everyone has access to fruit and butchers shops or much choice living in regional areas.
yeah, always buy from Asian supermarket/butchers. They've heaps of butchers selling at low price!
Every time we shop at coles or woolworths it feels like you are being robbed.
don't shop there...shop around small independents, like IGA/local growers/farmers markets/locally owned green grocers etc...is how I shop. I save heaps by spreading my spending around these types of stores and am supporting the local community/families by doing so...I don't spend a single dollar with Coles or Woolworths.
It really does, even a small shop costs an obscene amount of money.
@@tude17 IGA prices are still obscene
@@tude17 Not everyone has that option.
Why don’t the farmers all get together and make their own chain ? They could then cut out coles and Woolworths and turn the tables
'We're not profiteering at the expense of customers' Those massive annual profits prove that aye!
you've got to be kidding me !!!!!!!!!!!!!......10 mins into a 46:53 minute clip, I'm getting an add for Woolworths and their cheap prices..... ffs !
😂
That would have to be one of your best Four Corners shows ever, its juat a shame that the public cannot see that they are getting totally ripped off, please four Corners keep on hounding these miserable bastards, and dont let up.
They have been doing it for years but we're reaching a breaking point now.
each time i get groceries, the price increases. disgustingly greedy
Great effort to the journalist here. Great questions, the story built throughout. Gaslighting is the tactical manoeuvre of all leaders it seems. As much as the Woolworth CEO overstepped the "retired" comment the coles CEO came across as unwilling to listen and unwilling to acknowledge the underlying hatred of their company. Australians know Coles is ripping off suppliers, but to see her dismiss this as a non issue will ultimately stir up the hatred and do their brand a disservice. She is obviously on a tight budget herself and must also sing the tune handed down from the board. What a soulless life...
This is so disgusting. Thank you ABC. They have no shame.
I remember back in the 80s & 90s we had Franklin's, SSW, Tuckerbag, Safeway, Coles New World, BI-LO & Goodfellows & actual competition but now nope
Broke my heart to see those beautiful cherry trees destroyed 🍒💔🍒 Well done 4 Corners!
Has anyone mentioned the price of dishwasher tablets or razors yet? Or how about how Coles and Woolworths have pushed out competing grocery items to replace with their own, yet these lines contain gluten or traces of gluten whereas the original products did not. They have reduced my choice in grocery items by a considerable amount in the last few years.
There should be a law against hiding a so called "special" of say a reduced price when the same product cost less the week before but they raise the price off publication then promote the product as on special based on the new higher price to hide the change.
Everything goes up but my wage...
Memo to the Coles CEO. When you start a sentence with “Sooo…” you sound out of touch and condescending 😒
My local woolies sold oranges for $11/kg I obviously went somewhere else way cheaper and when I returned a few weeks later they all went bad and were on sale for $8 which is still a crazy price
Stop shopping at Colesworth. Vote with your feet.
Love the CEO dressed like he just finished a shift after highschool.
Thank you Four Corners for bringing it to light what Coles and Woolworths are doing to farmers, consumers and even their workers. More people need to watch this
that's absolute bs when the chips are $5 plus and $3.5 on special per bag. They are made by automated production lines with little human involvement and yet their prices inflated almost 100% in a year. Even the fed didn't hike the interest rate that quick.
vote with your dollar. Shop at local fruit and veg markets, butchers, etc. Deprive woolies and coles of customers. Its that simple
This is the tip of the iceberg. They should talk to employees of these companies. They see a lot more than they think. The CEO of Coles and Woolies didn't really put on a good show either.
This is an epic episode from Four Corners well done
I'm so glad you didn't beep out the angry comments!! It's an honest account of us battler's giving them the finger!
Arrogant greedy corporations.
No surprise to Banducci step down the day after this aired!
Did my first shop at IGA last week. It cost maybe $20 more I reckon. Happy to pay it to not go to Woolies again.
Finally some great journalism!! Well done !!👍
Australia needs a Co-op
I actively AVOID both
Thank you ABC for letting us use the comment section, now I can read all the genuine frustrations and responses
We need to be out protesting this
Very well presented- as a young person it feels good to have these concerns being spoken about. Social media has been discussing this for months- its not right.
I feel so sorry for our farmers, they are being robbed.
Bring back the small business
Love your work Angus , at least we got to see them squirm.
I feel sad for that cherry farmer
and those cherry trees!!!!
Yes . Very sad. My sister went through something similar years back with avacados, of which the trees were bulldozed down eventually as it was no longer viable to sell them.
So what I want to know, is how do I buy direct from the farmer? I’ve looked for local farmers market but a lot of the time the sellers seem to be reselling middle men charging a premium for the perception of it being straight from and to the farm.
Four Corners to help Australia fight the good fight if not the most necessary fight.
This is not just Coles and Woolworths. Aussies are being ripped off in every corner because they're willing to pay.
more like there's no choice. It's food after all. Nobody would starve over money.
It's not just groceries, a lot of goods/services are jumping on the bandwagon.
I hope "ethical" supers don't invest in Coles or Woolworths cause there isn't anything "ethical" about them.
I only buy cat food and basics on sale, I’m not brand or store loyal - I go for quality at the lowest price point. I also compare market and aldi’s prices. I use to think my nan was crazy buying weekly grocery’s from 4-5 different stores at a time - now I completely get it (she grew up in the depression) as the saying goes ‘ watch the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves’ 🎉
Great story. I'm afraid that nothing will happen to correct the market. Needing more competition.
As shoppers we need to support our famers who are the fresh food people. I have never seen Woolworth grow any crops or any farms owned by them. People of Australia if they won't change there ways don't shop with these two Coles and Woolworths remember people power will over come.
With rent and power who can afford to eat Everything is so expensive
Jesus, your heart goes out to the farmers, ey?
Here in Canada, our companies are doing the same thing aka loblaws, prices went up during COVID and just never came down
Having recently moved to Tasmania, I really really miss Aldi…
Finally !! some brave people with guts have brought this into light I really appreciate it. There are some good people out there In this world where nobody cares about anybody. Keep up your good work 👍🏻
I miss Franklins and Bi-Lo.
Same in New Zealand! We don’t have Coles but we have Woolworths/Countdown so it applies.
cause they're greedy
From the customers side, the only thing we can do is to boycott them, 😊
..and go where?
Well done to ABC for this piece. You held them to task and did a fine job in the classic spirit of journalism.
Why not cover how woolworths and coles build their own stores so they can now exclude a 3rd party butcher or grocer
Angus Grigg pushes back. Brad Banducci: “I think I’m done now guys” Brad announces he is stepping down today (as of 1 September)
That was a compelling watch! Thanks Four Corners!
I was in the grocery industry 20 years ago. Nothing has changed
This is disgusting, I worry there will be less and less farmers in Australia. Less and less local wonderful farming produce to choose from. I'm going to be more picky about choosing Australian products.
Woolworths and Foodstuffs are doing exactly the same in NZ
Sell the cherries direct to the public. I'd buy them, they are my favourite fruit and in NZ they are anywhere from $26 to $40 a kilo in season. I can't afford that.
all well and good, however these farmers need to sell volume , they aren't hobby farms
Im so relieved this is being talked about the word duopoly needs to enter the aussie lexicon
Finally and bravo ABC.
Anyone notice that prices go up in the dollars not cents?
Greed will kill us all unless we dispose of the greedy.
Aldi is matching prices with woolworths and coles as well. they need to be on this documentary
but why destroy the cherry orchard????! why!???
Chilled neck ties?! 😔
Great journalism! This was such a compelling watch.
Great piece of journalism ABC. More of this please! Do housing next!
One 15 minute break every 5hr shift should be illegal
Try 7 min break 😐
Maybe this is poor management by our government as they do not regulate companies
All governments for decades. Be honest.
Unfortunately when it comes to fresh fruit and vegetables it’s more of a war convince and laziness as all of us could be supporting farmers by purchasing from markets or directly from the farmers, we as a society also need to learn that just bc an apple might not look like it belongs in instagram doesn’t mean it’s not an amazingly tasty apple
remember the days of sub 200 or $100 would get you a trolleys worth of food.. That was not even that long ago like in 2010s. Does help to shop around like on amazon like some products like shampoo can be 1/3 the price at woolworths for the same item. Or take advantage of coupons and discounted gift cards. but shouldn't be a hassle just to get a slightly lower price...
New Zealand is a mirror image. Same same duopoly. Something stinks!
what an absolute banger episode of 4 corners! great work ABC
Tis is the type of reporting the ABC need to do and so display its independence and unbias stance to the public
I hope this is seen by every Australian
Brilliant journalism! Thank you so much ABC.
Best Australian reporter. 👏
i dont shop at either anymore unless no alternatives
Perfect! Can we do a piece on property investors and developers next?
We doing petrol companies next? (hahaha)
There is no way knowing the coles CEO has not heard the term, colesworth.
The big gulp after she said no maybe?? lol
A CHILLED NECKTIE. UHUH. HOW ABOUT AN AIRCON?
I feel for the farmers not long before there all gorn and Coles and woolworths run there own farms