This is because of the discounts they get through points, as well as other member benefits. ĚÇĐÄVlog research confirms the prevalence of these perceptions. In our latest Consumer Pulse surevey*, we asked people about the best way to get value for money when buying groceries; one in two people (54%) told us they believe reward or loyalty programs help them save money.

We’ve previously highlighted concerns about these programs, and those concerns remain. While you may enjoy accruing points for discounts at your supermarket there are definite cons. These include:

• more targeted marketing facilitated by the data collected on you could make you more likely to spend more
• you might be less likely to shop around for better prices
• you’ll be subject to more direct marketing 
• your data will be collected and shared by the companies running these programs. 

All of these can be significant drawbacks for some. 

But despite these concerns, there are still plenty of people using these programs. So will they save you money?

Are loyalty programs worth it?

ĚÇĐÄVlog has been collecting supermarket pricing data for more than two years now, and we’ve done some calculations based on that data to determine whether using an Everyday Rewards or Flybuys membership will actually save you money on your groceries.

We found that it didn’t, and here’s why. 

Our calculations show that even when using your loyalty programs to accrue points and earn discounts at Coles and Woolworths, you’ll still be paying more for your groceries than you would if you shopped at Aldi, or switched between supermarkets to take advantage of specials. Staying loyal to one supermarket over another is almost certainly costing you money. 

How we calculated the costs

Since 2024 we’ve been conducting quarterly basket surveys across the country, checking the prices of a range of items at Aldi, Coles, Woolworths and IGA. Using that data, we’ve calculated how much you would have spent if you shopped for the items in our grocery basket at Aldi (which we’ve found to be the cheapest in all of our grocery basket surveys so far) versus buying comparable baskets at Coles and Woolworths (without specials), over the course of a year.

We then took the value of the points you’d have earned with your loyalty program and calculated how much you could save, according to the terms and conditions of the programs in question. 

Both Flybuys and Everyday Rewards offer $10 off a shop when you accrue 2000 points, and the base offer is one point per dollar spent. In addition, both programs also give users various options to increase the value of the points gained from each purchase. Because these options for boosting points change often and may be different for different users, we’ve not included them in our calculations. 

We’ve also only factored in the points you’d accumulate with your supermarket shopping, but with both Everyday Rewards and Flybuys you can also acquire points by shopping at partner businesses.

Our scenario:

• You buy every item we survey in our quarterly grocery baskets once a week for three months.
• To work out how much you’d spend, we take the average cost of the total basket per quarter per supermarket, multiply it by 13 (the number of weeks in three months), which gives us a total quarterly cost.
• We do the same for each quarter then add the four quarters together to give us a yearly total. 
• We calculate the points value for Flybuys and Everyday Rewards and compare the savings (based on $10 per 2000 points, where $1 equals 1 point) to the savings made if you’d shopped at Aldi, where the totals of our surveyed baskets were lowest in every quarter. Our baskets typically included a mix of fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, dairy and packaged foods. However, we only ever shop for a much smaller basket of items than the typical shopper would buy. 

So how much would you have saved?

Looking at the data for our average costs for the products we surveyed at Coles, Woolworths and Aldi in the four quarters of our 2025 surveys (March, June, September and December), we calculated that the total spend at Aldi would have been $3368.30. At Woolworths, our comparable basket cost $3911.32, while at Coles it was $3962.14. 

Given that each dollar spent earns you one point and that 2000 points gives you a $10 discount, that means you’d earn just $10 across the year for these purchases, which still leaves you paying significantly more than you would at Aldi. 

But what if you earn double the points and get a 10% discount (up to $50 at both Coles and Woolworths) once a month, an offer that’s available to both Coles and Woolworths shoppers who sign up to either Coles Plus Saver or Woolworths Everyday Extra? 

Taking into account those savings and the double points (minus the cost of membership which is $7 a month), across the year you’d save $15.05 at Coles and $13.78 at Woolworths. In other words, you’d still have been far better off buying the cheaper groceries at Aldi. 

More than just points

Of course, this is a hypothetical situation that looks just at the products in our survey, and many fans of the loyalty programs tell us that they make more of their membership by taking advantage of the deals they’re offered. 

Plus, membership of one of these programs doesn’t only earn you some savings on your groceries. There are additional incentives, including discounts on your fuel and insurance, plus alerts and reminders when your regularly purchased products are on sale, possible discounts on grocery deliveries and the ability to use your points for travel. 

All of these can make the programs more attractive and we haven’t factored in any of these savings in our calculations. 

We also know that some shoppers buy their insurance through Coles and Woolworths, taking advantage of the bonus points and ongoing incentives that they earn on their Everyday Rewards and Flybuys membership. 

However, when our insurance experts examined these products they weren’t impressed. While savings on your groceries are great, insufficient insurance coverage or tricky caps or exclusions could leave you regretting your decision if you ever need to claim. 

While it’s difficult to put an accurate number on their value, it’s likely that to make the most of your loyalty program you will need to take advantage of the special offers, because the points accrued from simply shopping at the same store each week have little value. 

Even then, you may need to shop around to get the best deals and take advantage of sales. Remember, ultimately, the supermarkets who run these programs are looking to maximise their profit and keeping you loyal is a way to do that. 

How much do shoppers think they save?

Our research shows that many members of these programs see real value in their membership. In fact, when we asked about their savings in our recent Consumer Pulse survey, they told us that they estimated they were saving around $234 per year, on average, using their Woolworths loyalty Everyday Rewards card and around $214 with Flybuys.

However, if you’re only using your membership for the points and hoping it will add up to enough of a discount to make shopping around for better prices unnecessary, we think you should consider exactly how much those points are worth before deciding to stay loyal to your supermarket. 

It’s also worth remembering that if you’re only sticking to one store because you are focused on building your points balance, you may be missing out on better prices elsewhere. While it can be more work to compare prices at different stores (if that’s even an option for you), finding the best price is probably worth the effort, even if it means you are missing out on points from a more expensive purchase. 

* ĚÇĐÄVlog Consumer Pulse was conducted in March 2026 among 1096 Australian households, representative of the Australian population based on the 2021 ABS Census data. 

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It’s hard to keep track of the many ways the two big supermarkets push us into paying more. The recent court win by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) against Coles for deceptive promo pricing shined a light on just one example. It’s no surprise to many shoppers that the ACCC is pursuing a parallel case against Woolworths for the same sort of conduct.

Fake promotions on certain products trick us into believing we’re bagging a bargain, but grocery pricing manipulation goes much deeper than this. In 2023, we gave Coles and Woolworths a Shonky for pursuing excessive profit margins throughout their stores.

It was all the less palatable that this was happening in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis. The duopoly claimed the higher prices reflected their higher costs, but neither shoppers nor the ACCC bought it.

The federal government has taken notice of our efforts to expose supermarket price gouging in recent years, and in December last year it announced a new excessive grocery pricing prohibition to be enforced by the ACCC.

This ambitious measure comes into effect on 1 July 2026. Will it mean grocery prices will noticeably decrease? It is far too soon to tell, but regulatory intervention in such a highly concentrated sector at least holds the promise of a win for consumers. The prohibition applies to supermarkets with an annual revenue of more than $30 billion, which would currently only include Coles and Woolworths.

“The excessive pricing prohibition provides us with another tool within our broader toolkit to protect consumers and promote competition in the supermarket sector,” says ACCC acting chair Catriona Lowe, adding that the competition watchdog will focus its attention on products “where excessive pricing is likely to cause the most harm to consumers”.

Consumer vigilance has been a big part of unearthing supermarket pricing tactics, and Lowe says the ACCC invites both shoppers and supermarket suppliers to blow the whistle on excessively priced products following the introduction of the ban.

How will pricing monitoring work?

It goes without saying that Coles, Woolworths and other major grocery retailers should be allowed to be profitable like any other business. The question is whether the profits are coming at an unreasonable expense to consumers, given that essential services don’t get much more essential than food.

The prohibition gives the ACCC the power to open the supermarkets’ books to check on the difference between how much they’re paying suppliers for products and how much they’re asking customers to pay.

If the gap is too wide, it could be a case of excessive pricing. Retailers found to be fleecing consumers could be fined $10 million, three times the value of the benefit derived or 10% of their annual turnover during the preceding 12 months, whichever is greater.

“The government has progressed critical reforms on price transparency and unit pricing, but these measures need to be delivered quickly, in tandem with the new excessive pricing regime, in order to adequately restore fairness at the checkout,” says ĚÇĐÄVlog senior policy and campaigns adviser Bea Sherwood.

“Excessive pricing is also not confined to the major supermarkets. Consumers are feeling the pinch across a range of essential services and the government should introduce an economy-wide price gouging regime to stamp out unfair pricing wherever it occurs.”

Price gouging hard to prove

The ACCC has acknowledged that it will be a formidable task to catch supermarkets out, given the innate complexity of product pricing across thousands of products.

Associate Professor Dr Meg Elkins of RMIT University says “the law’s real test won’t be in court, it’ll be in the public’s gut. Shoppers don’t compare prices to a retailer’s costs, they compare them to what they remember paying last time”.

“The law’s test is cost-based, asking whether the price is excessive relative to the cost of supply. But the public’s test is memory-based, asking whether this price is higher than expected,” she explains.

Prices increases due to a bad harvest or rising freight costs “will still feel like gouging at the checkout,” Elkins adds.

“The law doesn’t define what ‘excessive’ means, or what counts as a reasonable margin. That’s not a drafting oversight – it reflects how genuinely hard this is to pin down. Supermarkets sell thousands of products with shared costs, so isolating one item’s true margin is close to impossible.”

But granular analysis appears to be possible. The ACCC’s case against Coles focused on 245 everyday products sold between February 2022 and May 2023, where prices were increased by at least 15% for a short time and then placed on a ‘Down Down’ promotion.

The ACCC was able to determine that promo prices were the same or higher than the previous regular prices. The court case focused on 14 representative promotions. Penalties have yet to be determined.

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As we begin the third year of our quarterly grocery basket survey, we’ve made some more changes to the contents of our baskets. 

As always, we aim to compare like-for-like products across the major supermarkets to help you find the best value. This quarter, our mix of fresh and packaged foods is a snapshot of the sorts of products you might choose on a regular basis, as well as some that might be more likely to make their way into your basket during the colder months.

On this page:

• The cheapest supermarket in our survey
• Base basket prices
• Spotlight: The winter comforts basket
• What’s in our basket?
• How closely matched are Coles and Woolies?
• How does IGA compare
• Does where you live make a difference to grocery prices?
• What our results mean for consumers
• How we survey supermarkets

The cheapest supermarket in our survey

Without including specials, our full basket of 16 items cost $68.80 at Aldi, $77.53 at Woolworths and $78.58 at Coles. At IGA our basket cost $91.65.

We always choose carefully to ensure we’re selecting the most comparable products at each store. For this survey, that means the baskets from Coles and Woolworths contain three name-brand products (Arnott’s Tim Tams, Kleenex tissues and Chicken Tonight cooking sauce) while the Aldi basket only contains one (Tim Tams).

Because its home-brand ranges aren’t as extensive, the IGA basket had five name-brand products (Nanna’s Apple Snack Pies and Birds Eye Golden Crunch Beer Batter Chips, as well as the Tim Tams, tissues and cooking sauce).

Prices with specials

When you take into account the savings from the specials available when we shopped, the cost of our basket at Aldi stayed the same at $68.60. It cost $76.82 at Woolworths, $78.50 at Coles and $86.33 at IGA. 

During our fieldwork, we found there were specials available at some but not all IGA locations. Where the reductions were available, it gave IGA the best deal on Tim Tams, thanks to a $2 reduction. They also had discounts at some of their stores on frozen chips, cooking sauce, tissues, whole chickens and frozen apple pies. 

A special on tissues at Woolworths was responsible for the increased gap between the cost of their basket and the higher price we paid at Coles. 

It’s worth noting that when we conducted this survey in March, it was prior to military action in the Middle East that saw fuel prices soar and created the potential for a knock-on effect on the pricing of nearly all goods that rely on freight distribution. We expect to see the effect of any related increases in our next survey.  

Base basket prices

In our base basket of eight items, which in the third year of our quarterly surveys contains apples, bananas, strawberries, potatoes, avocado, milk, rice and beef mince, and without including specials, Aldi was cheapest at $37.14, followed by Woolworths $40.08, Coles $40.10 and IGA $45.42. 

Looking at our base basket list (with specials), we find that Aldi remains the same, Coles drops by eight cents to $40.02, Woolworths stays the same and IGA falls to $45.34. 

The difference between the IGA and Aldi baskets was primarily driven by four items: mince, potatoes, strawberries and avocado, which accounted for more than 80% of the total gap. The difference in prices was smaller for apples, bananas, milk and rice.

Spotlight: The winter comforts basket

If you’re changing things up a little this winter to include the kinds of items that help get you through the colder months, this survey includes some of those comfort foods and cold-weather staples you might decide to add to your trolley.

Our basket included Tim Tam Original biscuits, snack-sized apple pies, frozen chips, cooking sauce, large tissues and a whole chicken (for that comforting roast), and we rounded it out with a leek (essential for those winter soups) and green beans. 

When looking at the balance of home-brand products vs branded products in our ‘spotlight’ selection of packaged food, it should be noted that we always choose products that are as closely comparable as possible, looking at factors such as their ingredients and pack sizes. In this spotlight, the Aldi basket included one name-brand item (Tim Tams), the Coles and Woolworths baskets included three name-brand products, and the IGA basket included five name-brand products. The full list for each store is given below.

Of the five packaged foods in this selection, we bought one name-brand item at Aldi (Tim Tam biscuits) and the rest were home-brand. At Coles and Woolworths there were three name-brand products, and at IGA we included five name-brand items. Products were chosen based on the similarity of ingredients and pack sizes. The precise list for each store is given below.

Without specials, Aldi proved to be the best value for this selection of items, costing $31.46, Woolworths cost $37.45 and Coles $38.48. IGA was the most expensive at $46.23. 

When we factored in specials, neither the Coles or Aldi baskets changed, Woolworths fell by $0.71 to $36.74, while IGA had the biggest fall from $46.23 to $40.99. 

While most prices at Aldi, Coles and Woolworths were fairly consistent around the country, the variation in pricing at IGA means the average cost of our basket of goods was higher than at the other three stores. While this is an accurate reflection of the data, you may find prices at your local IGA to be closer to what you’ll pay at other supermarkets, such is the significance of the variation between prices at different IGA stores.

What’s in our basket?

In this quarter, our basket included six fresh and 11 packaged items. The products we purchased were:

• Beef mince
• Whole chicken
• Royal Gala apples
• Cavendish bananas
• Strawberries
• Avocado
• Leek
• Green beans
• Potatoes
• Full cream milk
• Basmati rice
• Honey mustard cooking sauce
• Beer-battered frozen chips
• Frozen apple pies
• Tim Tam biscuits
• Large tissues

For all items we chose, we considered a range of factors such as ingredients, country of origin, other product specifications and packaging similarities to ensure we made fair comparisons. 

When items were unavailable, we looked for the closest alternative, just as you would when shopping for your family. Fieldworkers priced groceries at 104 supermarkets in 27 locations across Australia in March 2026.

You can see the full list of the exact items we bought at each store by clicking on the blue arrow below.

Store by store lists

How closely matched are Coles and Woolies?

When comparing our base basket of eight items (apples, strawberries, potatoes, bananas, avocado, milk, basmati rice and mince) very little separates the big two.

Woolworths was just two cents cheaper when comparing prices without specials, but Coles drew ahead to be six cents cheaper than Woolworths, thanks to a special on beef mince. 

The differences were greater when we compared the full basket of 16 items: Woolworths was $1.05 cheaper than Coles (without specials) and $1.68 cheaper with specials. 

Most items at the two stores are identical or very similar in price, and although apples are cheaper on average at Coles, Woolworths had lower prices for potatoes and apple pies, and offered a special on tissues, which tipped the balance in its favour.

How does IGA compare?

IGA stores don’t have the same chain-store model as Aldi, Coles and Woolworths, with individual stores operating as independently owned franchises. That means we see quite a lot of variation between the stores in the IGA network, often due to variation in store sizes and the effect this has on the ranges.

All of this means that while some IGA stores might be more competitive, overall, our basket of 16 items (with specials) cost $17.73 more on average from IGA than the same basket of goods cost us at Aldi. 

Does where you live make a difference to grocery prices?

Our analysis found that the state you live in does make a difference to how much you pay. 

The prices in different states varied very little between Aldi stores, although we do see some differences for fruit and vegetables. Like Aldi, Woolworths prices were fairly consistent nationally, with fruit and vegetables again accounting for most of the differences between the states.

At Coles, we found more variation, with shoppers in the Northern Territory paying slightly higher prices for Tim Tams, cooking sauces and tissues. Again, differences between the states were mostly driven by variation in the cost of fruit and vegetables.

In South Australia, where Coles shoppers paid less than in other states, lower prices for apples, bananas and potatoes were a big driver of the difference.

As we’ve seen in previous surveys, IGA shoppers experienced the greatest variation in prices between states: IGA customers in the Northern Territory paid on average $33.30 more than those shopping in Victoria ($109.69 vs $76.39) for our full basket of 16 items (with specials).

What our results mean for consumers

Our shopping baskets provide a general picture of prices in the different stores and locations we visit, but they can’t reveal the whole picture. 

Smaller ranges, as we saw at some IGA stores, and special pricing can make a big difference to overall costs. We also know that between the time we survey and the time we publish our results, prices will inevitably fluctuate.

What our findings continue to highlight is that small changes add up to significant savings, particularly over the course of the year. 

Changing the store you shop at, if that’s an option for you, is one way to find those savings. But we also recommend you think creatively and carefully about what you choose to put in your shopping trolley. 

There are lots of ways to save money on your weekly shop. Here are our top tips to help you reduce what you’re paying at the checkout. 

1. Check the unit pricing: It can be hard to compare prices of different-sized products from different brands, but unit pricing lets you compare prices based on the price per unit e.g. 100g or 1L. All supermarkets are required by law to include this information in labelling, both online and in-store.
2. Shop around: Switching between stores and shopping at different supermarkets to take advantage of specials can deliver significant savings. 
3. Change your routine: Swap expensive cuts of meat for cheaper alternatives, look at frozen fruit and veg, particularly if shopping for produce out of season, and give the ugly fruit and veg a go. Also, don’t be afraid to try home-brand products. Our expert testing often finds these ranges often outperform more expensive options at all the supermarkets. 

None of these things can change the fact that we are still paying significantly more for our groceries than we were just a few years ago, but making some small changes can add up to significant savings, without compromising quality.

How we survey supermarkets

Supermarkets and locations

We sent undercover shoppers into 104 supermarkets – 27 Woolworths, 27 Coles, 23 Aldi and 27 IGA stores – in 27 locations across Australia in March 2026. 

Supermarket locations were chosen to give good coverage of socio-economic status based on ABS Indexes and geographic spread across the country. We surveyed supermarkets in clusters so that each store has local competition, and we calculate the average price of the basket of goods, both with and without specials. 

A price was deemed to be a special when we had evidence of a temporary price reduction. There were 16 grocery items in each basket (7 fresh and 9 packaged items).

For more details on how we survey, see How we survey supermarket grocery prices.

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Justice Michael O’Bryan upheld allegations from consumer watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), that Coles hiked prices on various goods for short periods before dropping them “Down Down” and claiming they’d been discounted. Consumers began to question it – flipping tags to find some shelf prices that were the same or lower than the new discounted prices. But the issues ran deeper.

Choice previously caught Coles hiking the price of a product it claimed was “locked” well before the retailer said it would. In December 2023, we complained to the ACCC, leading to Coles apologising and agreeing to refund customers who bought 20 “prices locked” products that it had quietly unlocked. The response to the ACCC’s probe into its “Down Down” promotions was less congenial.

In the Federal Court decision, the judge ruled that 13 out of 14 examples of Coles’ “Down Down” promotions misled consumers and that the discounts were not genuine. The goods needed to be sold for 12 weeks at the higher price before the discount could be considered genuine. Most of the products were advertised at the higher price for just four weeks. As a result, he found Coles had misled customers because those products weren’t sold at the previous “was” price for reasonable periods of time.

This outcome is good news for consumers and should lead to more transparent, fairer pricing practices in the future. It probably validates how many consumers felt. It may also make endless price increases less palatable and have a downward impact on price – alongside the impending commencement of the excessive pricing regime that Coles and Woolworths will have to comply with. But the judgment exposed a glaring potential loophole.

The Nature’s Gift dog food “Down Down” promotion the ACCC provided as evidence was found to not be misleading as the tag didn’t include a “was” price, despite having only been sold at a higher price for one week. Are we about to see “was” prices disappear from shelves and similar conduct continue? It’s clear that this issue doesn’t necessarily end here.

The new unfair trading prohibition before parliament may well address this problem in relation to omitting material information in a way that manipulates a consumer’s decision-making, or unreasonably distorts the environment in which they make a decision. But that will need to be tested, and the new prohibition isn’t expected to come into force until halfway through 2027.

The federal government accepted all the recommendations of the ACCC supermarkets inquiry. This included introducing minimum information requirements for price displays and discount promotions. That could well require supermarkets to display the “was” price for all discount promotions going forward, and this judgment makes these reforms even more urgent to protect consumers.

Although the facts of the ACCC’s case against Woolworths are similar, they’re not exactly the same, but this judgment will no doubt have triggered some tense meetings today as they await their fate.

Since consumers wised up to the supermarkets’ tactics, trust has plummeted. You have to wonder if the hit to trust in the brand was worth it, but in a country of highly concentrated markets, companies may not concentrate on that question so closely.

This and has been republished with permission.

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In a groundbreaking case brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), the court found that 13 out of 14 examples of Coles’ ‘Down Down’ pricing misled consumers between February 2022 and May 2023.

Penalties and other orders sought by the ACCC have yet to be determined.

The court ruled that the discounts weren’t genuine because the products in question weren’t sold at the previous ‘was’ price long enough to constitute an actual sale. The supermarket simply inflated prices for a short while and then dropped them back down, though sometimes not as low as the original standard prices.

“While the judgement is good news to hold supermarkets accountable for clear, transparent pricing – it reinforces the need for stronger pricing reforms,” says ĚÇĐÄVlog director of campaigns Andy Kelly.

“At a time when many households are facing cost of living pressures, it’s more important than ever for consumers to be able to trust that promotions reflect genuine discounts. Hiking prices whilst telling consumers that prices are down has allowed Coles to have its cake and eat it too.”

False and misleading discounts

The tactic of temporarily increasing prices by 15% and then reducing them as part of a ‘Down Down’ promotion was applied to 245 everyday products. The court case involved an agreed list of 12 sample products from the total of 245. (Two of the products were included in a ‘Down Down’ promotion twice.)

The ACCC alleged that the discounts “were illusory and that the representations were false or misleading”, in breach of the Australian Consumer Law.

“The ACCC brought this case in the public interest because we considered that Coles’ pricing practices within its ‘Down Down’ program made it harder for customers to identify genuine value for money while shopping for household essentials,” says ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb.

Kelly says the legal win highlights the need for clearer pricing across the supermarket sector.

“We continue to call on the Federal Government to implement the ACCC supermarkets inquiry recommendations in full, by introducing minimum information requirements for price displays and discount promotions, including the previous price of the product, the date range over which that previous price applied, and the percentage of the discount,” Kelly says.

Coles’ ‘Down Down’ promos have been running since 2010. In a parallel case, the ACCC has also taken Woolworths to court for similarly misleading pricing in its ‘Prices Dropped’ promotions. The Woolworths case is ongoing.

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Maybe you’re nailing the grocery budgeting game, effortlessly chasing down the best deals each week, or perhaps you’re stuck in a rut, buying the same products each week without thinking about whether or not they’re good value.

Whatever the case, buying products in bulk is a strategy that could help you save on your grocery bill. But it’s not always the case that buying bigger is better.

On this page:

• Is buying in bulk cheaper?
• The best and worst bulk buy deals
• Things to consider before bulk buying
• Verdict: Is bulk buying worth it?

Is buying in bulk cheaper?

At ĚÇĐÄVlog, we’ve long said that comparing unit prices between similar products is one of the easiest ways to ensure you’re getting the best deal possible. 

We hope most people know by now that if you’re in a store looking at shelf prices, the larger jar of Vegemite is likely (although not guaranteed) to be cheaper per gram than the smaller jar. (If you don’t understand how unit pricing works, check out the section below.)

But is it always a good idea to upsize? And can going one step further to buy products in large multipacks or giant sizes save you even more cash? Before you add that kilo bucket of M&Ms to your cart, we have some advice. 

We analysed prices for 80 packaged products from retailers Costco, Amazon, Officeworks and Woolworths Everyday Market (all of which often offer either larger pack sizes or multipacks) and compared them to prices for the same or comparable products from supermarkets and other retailers.

We found that there are definitely deals to be had, and certain product categories and retailers may offer better value than others when shopping in bulk, but you still need to keep an eye on unit prices.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that there could be other retailers that sell larger pack sizes or multipacks that might have better deals, so if you’re set on buying large, be sure to shop around.

In our price comparison, we found you could save up to 60% when buying some products in bulk from Amazon (as compared to buying the same products at Coles or Woolies). At the same time, for other items, you might pay nearly three times more for a bulk buy from the digital giant, and that’s before you take into account Amazon’s delivery costs.

Read our explainer on unit pricing below to cut down on your supermarket spending.

The best and worst bulk buy deals

In order to find out if we should clear our cupboards and buy in bulk, we turned to retailers that we know sell lots of supersized products. 

Of the 80 products we compared between the bulk shops (Amazon, Officeworks, Woolworths Everyday Market and Costco) and the major supermarkets (Coles and Woolies), we found it was cheaper to buy the bulk option from the non-supermarket retailer 59% of the time.

The discounts we found ranged from as little as 5% all the way up to 60% and the products we found to have the biggest discounts were cleaning products and health, beauty or personal care products such as body wash and baby wipes. 

It’s not all great news, though. In our sample of prices, we found some bulk products that cost significantly more than their standard supermarket counterparts.

For example, if you’re after a sweet treat, 1.3kg bulk bags of Allen’s Red Frogs and Arnotts Cream Favourites biscuits at Officeworks were 17% and 18% more expensive than their respective prices at Woolies and Coles.

And the 100-pack of Chupa Chups at Officeworks will cost you 57 cents per Chupa Chup, whereas you can pick up a 25-pack of Chupa Chups at Woolworths for just 25 cents per Chupa Chup (the same price we saw in 2024).

You’re in luck if you’re a clean freak and also love a bargain, though. In our sample, we found lots of good deals on bulk cleaning products on Amazon. Some examples included a 5L pack of Windex Glass that was 60% cheaper than buying the standard 500ml bottle from Coles.

There were also some good deals on baby products: at Amazon, we saw a deal of just 25c per nappy for Huggies Newborn nappies compared to 36c at Woolworths. Baby wipes were also cheaper: just 3c per wipe for Curash Simply Water wipes versus 6c at Coles, and 2L of Dove Body Wash was 50% cheaper than its standard supermarket counterpart.

But, don’t forget to check those unit prices, because Amazon also sells Tim Tams in a 2kg bulk pack that works out to be more than 85% more expensive than if you’d simply bought a standard pack from Woolies.

Things to consider before bulk buying

While it can be great for people with large families, those who love entertaining or households with lots of storage space, buying in bulk isn’t the best option for everyone, even if it’s cheaper. Here’s what you need to consider.

Do you have enough storage space? 

We don’t all have a spare garage, shed or lots of space available in the cupboard. Don’t make the mistake of purchasing 64 rolls of toilet paper just because it’s cheaper and then having nowhere to stash it.

Will you eat it all before it goes bad?

While some products are fine to eat beyond their best-before dates (read about the difference between best-before dates and use-by dates), be wary of buying products in bulk that won’t keep well.

And store items correctly: if you’re buying large quantities of rice or flour, for example, ensure they’re stored in well-sealed containers in a cool, dry place. 

Will you actually want/need that much? 

It’s not a good deal if you buy bulk quantities of, say, packaged snacks, and they sit uneaten for months. Got kids who are obsessed with a certain cracker one day, then avoid it like the plague the next? We hope you didn’t stock up.

How good is your self-restraint? 

Buying a jar of Nutella as big as your head or a multi-pack of Tim Tams becomes a less economical choice if you’re going to scoff it all in one sitting. Gluttons beware.  

Does Costco offer good value?

Our spot check of 18 bulk items at Costco found that all the products were cheaper than the best unit price available at Coles or Woolworths.

But to shop at Costco, you will probably need to visit one of the 15 stores across Australia and pay an annual membership fee of $65.

Home delivery is now available from Costco through DoorDash, but we haven’t compared prices for Costco products purchased via this platform.

However, our investigation in late 2025 found prices to be as much as 40% higher when comparing what you’d pay in-store at Coles, Woolworths and Aldi to what you’ll be charged when buying through third-party delivery platforms, so be wary of the potential loading you might pay for this convenience

Speaking of delivery, if you’re buying online in bulk, you’ll also have to factor in the delivery fees, which may make your savings less attractive, so be sure to take this into account when doing your calculations.

Verdict: Is bulk buying worth it?

It definitely can be. But our advice about the importance of comparing unit prices still stands – buying more won’t always guarantee you a better price.

In some cases, it can be tricky to compare prices as retailers don’t always display the unit price, so you have to work it out yourself.

Exploring retailers and deals beyond the major supermarkets can still be a good way to save money on your shop. But if you’re adding 2kg of Tim Tams to your cart (no judgement), get your calculator out first.

The post Is it worth buying groceries in bulk from Costco, Amazon, Officeworks or Woolworths Everyday Market? appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

Woolworths, Coles and the owner of both Kmart and Bunnings have all recently signed major deals with AI technology companies, but remain vague about potential changes to the shopping experience. 

How soon the advanced technology, known as agentic AI, will be rolled out is unclear, as is whether personalised pricing or surge pricing will follow. 

While there are more questions than answers about how AI technology will transform the online shopping experience, one thing is clear. It is coming. 

Supermarkets sign big deals

In October 2025, Coles announced a major deal with OpenAI, owner of ChatGPT, with a plan to roll out AI tools across its internal corporate workforce by early this year. The press release announcing the deal says the company will be using the technology for more than just back-of-house purposes. 

“Together with OpenAI, Coles is also exploring how emerging AI capabilities could reshape the shopping experience, helping customers plan, shop and check out in more personalised, convenient and connected ways,” it says. 

“Building on OpenAI’s experience with global retailers, Coles will reimagine how its teams work and how customers shop through the use of advanced AI tools.” 

In January, Woolworths said they were partnering with Google’s AI tool Gemini to upgrade the supermarket’s existing chatbot Olive to become an AI-powered “supermarket companion” capable of planning meals. 

Wesfarmers, the owner of Kmart, Bunnings, Officeworks and Priceline, has signed AI-partnership deals with both Google and Microsoft in recent months.

The transformation of how we shop

Uri Gal, professor of business and information systems at University of Sydney, says these large and complex language models have the capacity to change the way we shop forever. 

“Pretty soon you’ll be able to say ‘I’m hosting a party for eight people, design a menu for me and buy all the relevant ingredients’. The user willingly delegates responsibility from themselves onto the tool,” he says. 

Gal says the supermarkets have purchased foundational models from the major AI companies, but will be “fine tuning” the systems and training it on internal information like loyalty program data for customisation. 

Jeannie Paterson, professor of consumer protection law at the University of Melbourne, who previously sat on the federal government’s AI Expert Group, says if AI bots are allowed to autonomously put items into checkout baskets, consumer risks will increase significantly. 

“With these systems, the more autonomously they act, the more these risks multiply. They could be putting the wrong items in the basket or spending too much money and if it’s on the consumer to catch that out, there could be serious consequences,” she says. 

Coles and Woolworths respond

We sent questions to Woolworths and Coles about whether proposed AI systems could automatically place items in shopping baskets and whether customers would have the option to turn off assisted shopping technologies. 

A Woolworths spokesperson says customers will have “full control over their cart” and “will be able to review and refine any suggestions from Olive before completing their purchase”. 

“Our approach to AI is focused on making the shopping experience easier and more personalised for our customers. We take a customer-led approach to AI, offering problem solving and shortcuts that are genuinely useful to shoppers,” the spokesperson says. 

“Once live, Olive will be able to anticipate customer needs to make life that little bit easier – from helping plan meals and finding specials, to helping them shop for specific occasions like birthday parties.” 

Coles says AI will make shopping more relevant and convenient for customers.  

“For Coles Online customers, this means helping them discover products they are more likely to need or want to buy, based on their shopping behaviour and preferences. These tools are designed to support the customer’s decisions; while ensuring they remain in control of what they choose to add to their basket,” the spokesperson says. 

Neither company responded to questions about whether customers would be able to opt out or turn the systems off. 

Bunnings and Kmart owner Wesfarmers did not respond to requests for comment. 

Competition concerns

For Paterson from the University of Melbourne, the concern is that AI tools may preference certain products or brands with more lucrative commercial relationships with the retailers over others. 

If this were the case, companies may pay a premium to be recommended more often than others, further decreasing competition in an already highly concentrated market. 

“Consumer law still applies that you can’t mislead or deceive a customer, but with these systems it may be hard to prove what’s going on,” she says. 

Geoff Olds is the managing director of Technology 360 Group, which specialises in working with pharmacy retailers, but also counts Woolworths among its clients. 

He says increased access to AI models will allow small and medium retailers to compete with the big players in ways they haven’t been able to before. 

“It’s going to level the playing field among those who adopt the technology. People who don’t adopt technology in this space drop out of the market. That’s the unfortunate part of disruptive technology,” he says. 

Olds expects to see AI technologies also move into the physical retail space in the near future. Electronic price labelling could potentially lead to surge pricing for customers who shop in stores late at night or on public holidays or even personalised pricing based on customer loyalty and other data points. 

He points out that variable pricing already exists in certain physical settings.

“If you go to the local butcher, the price of meat will change four times a day. If you go to a convenience store late at night it’s going to cost you a lot more than if you went to the supermarket.”

“It’s only a matter of time before we accept these things in the supermarket and chemist settings more broadly,” he adds. 

Big data becomes gold 

Neither Coles nor Woolworths responded to questions about how loyalty programs would be integrated with AI models either online or instore in the future, but Paterson says the massive data sets these companies hold give them enormous power. 

“Loyalty programs are a gold mine. They contain so much data on our shopping habits and behaviours over a long period of time.” 

She says while many people may find these incoming technologies convenient and helpful, scepticism and caution are important. 

“While people might not mind being nudged or prompted towards certain behaviours, if the AI is making the decisions for you, the question needs to be asked: ‘what are you really saving by having something do the shopping for you, and what is it costing?’.”

The post AI is about to do your grocery shopping. Is that good for consumers? appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

Whether you love, hate, or feel indifferent towards the Anko brand, its popularity shows no sign of waning. But are Anko products any good? Yes and no.

Anko products keep surprising us, often rivalling – or even outperforming – the big brands in our tests.

But while some Anko buys deliver premium performance at low prices, others aren’t really worth the (admittedly small) price.

ĚÇĐÄVlog experts have put dozens of Anko products through their paces in our labs over the past year. Here are some of the best and worst performers from our tests.

On this page:

• Laundry and cleaning
• Kitchen
• Babies and children
• Luggage

Cheap appliances may not last as long

While some of the appliances listed below performed well in our testing, it’s important to consider the lifespan of cheap appliances. They may be made with cheaper parts and have shorter warranties than more expensive products. 

It can also be harder to find replacement parts (if they’re available at all), and the design can make them difficult to repair (either by yourself or a professional), so they could end up in landfill sooner.

If things go wrong with your cheap appliance, you might have better luck with customer service from an established brand rather than a discount retailer.

A cheap appliance might save you money at the checkout, but if you have to replace it sooner because it breaks, it’ll cost you more in the long run. 

Laundry and cleaning

Vacuum cleaners

Worth buying? – No

Kmart and Target sell a range of different Anko-branded stick and barrel vacuum cleaners, priced from about $30 up to $250.

Although we do love it when we find a bargain appliance that really shines, in the case of Anko vacuum cleaners, it’s sadly not so.

All of the Anko vacuums we’ve recently tested were among the lowest scoring overall. The best (or rather, the best of the worst) model scored a mediocre ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating of just 63%. 

In fact, Anko vacs regularly make our lists of stick vacuums to avoid and barrel vacuums to avoid. 

If you’re on a budget, you’re better off checking out our recommendations for the best stick vacuums under $250.

Robot vac

Worth buying? – No

If you’ve been longing for a robot vac but can’t justify the high price, seeing the bargain $169 Kmart Anko Robotic Vacuum hit the shelves in Kmart or Target probably set your heart a-flutter.

But we suggest you swipe left on this cheap date: it’ll only leave you heartbroken.

Considering that the best robot vacs in our tests cost more than $1500 at a minimum, our expectations of a bot this cheap were low, but wow – it really disappointed.

Our experts rated it just 36% overall, and were hard pressed to find anything positive to say about it: when asked about the bot’s good points, they said “none to mention”.

Avoid this dud date and use the cash to take yourself out for a nice dinner instead.

Steam mop

Worth buying? – Yes

This is one appliance that Anko gets right! Our experts found the Anko 1300W Steam Mop easy to use, and it didn’t leave much water behind after cleaning the floor. 

At $52, it held its own against far more expensive products – even some costing more than $500. 

Before you buy, though, ask yourself: Is a steam mop worth it?

Irons

Worth buying? – Yes

Ironing is one household task that many of us loathe. And if you’re ironing-averse, you probably don’t want to fork out a fortune to buy a decent iron. 

Fortunately, Anko does come to the rescue in this situation. 

Its irons are inexpensive and the $29 Kmart Anko 2400W steam iron performed well in our irons test. 

But the highest scoring iron from the brand is a $7.50 Anko cheapie that outclassed irons costing many times more. 

So, if picking up an absolute steal will help beat those ironing blues, hot-foot it to Kmart or Target for the Kmart Anko 2000W Steam Iron.

Or if you’d like to invest in an iron with more features and even better performance, check our expert iron reviews. 

Garment steamers

Worth buying? – Yes

While they didn’t quite earn a recommendation from our experts, Anko’s $40 handheld garment steamer and $55 garment steamer performed solidly in our tests. 

They do have some wrinkles to iron out, however: the handheld model struggled to steam away creases in cotton, linen and poly-cotton, while the full-size model bombed out on linen. 

The handheld version doesn’t have an auto shut-off and its small tank means you’ll be running back and forth to the sink to fill it up if you have a large pile of clothes to steam.

Since our tests, a $29 Anko compact garment steamer has been released. Stay tuned for our next garment steamers review to see how it performs.

Kitchen

Air fryers

Worth buying? – Maybe

Anko air fryers have won many fans, most notably because they’re significantly cheaper than air fryers from many of the leading brands. 

Prices range from just $39 for a mini version through to $129 for a 24L air fryer oven. (Although at the time of writing some products were out of stock online so they may have been discontinued – it’s hard to say, considering how rapidly Kmart brings out new products.)

Our experts have had mixed feelings when testing them in our labs: there have been some dazzlers and some real duds. 

A now-discontinued Kmart Anko 9L twin air fryer fell into the latter camp.

“Not only did it receive a low score in our testing, but the Kmart Anko twin air fryer was also fairly large and heavy, and not very easy to use due to its controls, which were rated as only OK,” says ĚÇĐÄVlog kitchen expert Fiona Mair.

There are a few new Anko air fryers on the block that we haven’t tested yet, but keep an eye out for our next air fryer review to see which ones are the best.

Other Anko air fryers have fared better in our testing in the past, with one even scoring highly enough to be recommended by our experts. Unfortunately it’s since been discontinued, but its results go to show that some Anko models could be worth considering.

Check our detailed air fryer reviews to find out which one to grab off the shelf and which to avoid.

Coffee machine

Worth buying? – No

While a previous Kmart coffee machine we tested made pretty tasty coffee, the most recent machine we tested – the $79 Kmart Anko Compact Espresso – failed to impress.

It scored just 55% on our taste test and 40% for milk frothing. Overall, our experts gave it a ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating of 57%.

If you’re looking for a cheap coffee machine, a pod machine might be a better bet for your money.

Cookware

Worth buying? – Yes and no

Kmart’s cast iron casserole pot ($25) compared fairly well with big-name brands such as Le Creuset, Chasseur and Staub when we tested casserole pots and Dutch ovens – and at a tiny fraction of the cost.

In a previous test, a $20 Anko 24cm frypan scored top marks, performing as well as – and even better than – more expensive brands including Tefal, Scanpan, Chasseur and Essteele.

Unfortunately it’s been discontinued, and the currently available Anko frypans we’ve tested have been somewhat half-baked.

A $19 stone-blast frypan scored 71%, which isn’t bad, but isn’t comparable to the top performing frypans in our review, which score 85% and above.

In terms of saucepans, a 20cm Anko stainless steel saucepan ($20) received top marks in our tests, ranking higher than products costing hundreds of dollars.

Premium performance at a bargain-basement price? That’s definitely a winner in our book!

But don’t just pick up any old Anko pan: the 20cm Stainless Steel Saucepan with Lid ($14) was half-baked, scoring just 66%.

The Anko 24cm Aluminium 4 Layer Non-Stick Frypan ($15) failed to sizzle in our tests, scoring a ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating of just 54%, while an Anko 28cm ceramic non-stick frypan ($22) only managed a lukewarm 57%.

Food processors

Worth buying? – Yes

If you’re after a cheap and cheerful food processor that’ll do the job, you can’t go wrong with the $79 Kmart Anko food processor. 

“This food processor is a very good performer that’s great for chopping, slicing, mixing and emulsifying,” says Fiona. 

“It is a compact unit so it’s easy to store, and all blades are stored in the unit. It is quite noisy though.”

We’ve also tested a smaller Kmart Anko 1.2L food processor, which was the cheapest product in our test. Our experts weren’t as impressed by this one, finding some functions frustrating to use, but at $52, it’s a decent low-cost option if you’re looking for a smaller unit.  

Rice cookers

Worth buying? – Maybe

With prices for rice cookers running as high as $350, there’s a lot to like about affordable Anko models.

One of the cheapest is the petite 1.5 cup Kmart Anko mini rice cooker that costs just $15.

Sure it’s basic, but that’s to be expected for the price. And it definitely delivers: it scored a solid 80% overall in our tests, emphatically beating models costing many times more. 

If you want to size up, the $69 Anko 10-cup version could also be a winner, with similar scores across the board in our tests. It’s relatively expensive for an Anko appliance, but it also scored well in our testing.

While our experts were impressed with the Anko rice cookers we’ve tested, we suggest you check our rice cooker reviews for other brands before you shop. 

Or you could always cook your rice in a different appliance altogether: Is a multifunction air fryer the kitchen appliance you never knew you needed?

Microwaves

Worth buying? – Yes

At $99, the 28L Kmart Anko microwave certainly delivers bang for your buck. 

Our experts recommend it, giving it excellent scores for defrosting mince and a whole chicken, plus very good scores for cooking vegetables, melting chocolate and overall cooking performance. 

“If you’re looking for an affordable microwave that cooks well and is great for defrosting, then the Anko 28-litre model is a good buy,” says Fiona. 

Our experts also recommend the Kmart Anko 25L microwave ($89).

The larger Kmart Anko 34L microwave ($119) scored well overall but was marked down on its ease of use so can’t be recommended by our experts.

At these prices, some Anko microwaves are worth considering for your kitchen, especially if you’re on a budget, but make sure you’re buying one that scores well across all our tests.

Kettles

Worth buying? – Maybe

Anko kettles aren’t always impressive, but they’re not a bad purchase either. 

While only one Anko kettle we’ve ever tested has been recommended by our experts and none of the others scored higher than 74%, they’re always among the cheapest, so they’re not bad value for money. 

If you’re after something cheap and cheerful to make a simple cup of tea, you could do a lot worse than an Anko kettle. 

However, if you’re after something with fancier features or sleek aesthetics, you’ll probably need to spend a bit more.

There were more than 30 kettles on the Kmart and Target websites at the time of writing, with new models added to the range so often that we can’t always keep up with them in our testing! 

To see which Anko kettles are the best we’ve tested and find other hot buys, check our expert kettle reviews.

Bench mixer

Worth buying? – No

Competition in the benchtop mixer market is stiffer than the egg whites for your meringue, with the likes of Kitchenaid, Breville, Kenwood, Smeg and more jostling for shoppers’ attention. 

But big-name mixers come with big price tags. 

If you’re thinking of nipping down to Kmart or Target to pick up a cheap bench mixer, you’re probably better off waiting a little longer to save up for a model that performs better. Your patience could also pay off in the longer term since a cheaper appliance may not last as long.

The Anko white bench mixer is only $79 but you do get what you pay for with this one.

There’s a $69 Anko retro bench mixer now available, but we haven’t tested it so we can’t say whether or not it’s a good buy. However, we can say that the Anko mixers we’ve tested in the past haven’t always wowed our experts. 

Unfortunately, the mixers that scored the best in our testing tend to be at the upper end of the market, but you can pick up a stand mixer recommended by our experts for less than $450 – just check our review first to make sure you’re buying the best benchtop mixer for your money. 

Slow cookers

Worth buying? – Yes

When our experts put Anko slow cookers to the test they were impressed with the results.

They may lack the features of some more expensive brands like Sunbeam, Breville and Cuisinart, but these budget slow cookers perform quite well. 

And at $29 for the Anko 3L slow cooker and $47 for the Anko 6.5L digital slow cooker, those prices are hard to beat.

There are two other Anko slow cookers on the market but we haven’t tested them yet. Stay tuned for our next review.

Our slow cooker reviews are available exclusively for ĚÇĐÄVlog members. 

Babies and children

Bicycles

Worth buying? – No

Kids seem to grow out of things almost as soon as you’ve bought them, and bikes are no exception – so it’s understandable that you might not want to spend a fortune on a new bike that’ll be too small for them in no time. 

When we compared cheap Kmart bikes with similar ones from bike shops in 2024, the Kmart bikes just didn’t pass muster. 

They were poorly assembled, rusted quickly, had faulty parts, needed more replacement parts more quickly, and had to be serviced more frequently. 

When you add up the maintenance costs of a cheap Kmart bike, it quickly becomes a much more expensive ride. And some bicycle mechanics won’t even touch cheap bikes from big-box stores like Kmart, so you might struggle to get it repaired or serviced. 

We suggest you save up to buy a better-quality bike or look for a decent second-hand model rather than going for a cheap product from Kmart if you want to have a more enjoyable riding experience. 

Strollers

Worth buying? – Yes and no

The Kmart Anko Layback Umbrella Stroller may not have the looks or the street cred of a Bugaboo or Stokke, but what it lacks in aesthetics it more than makes up for in value for money. 

It’s just $65 but scored better than strollers costing hundreds (and even thousands) of dollars more. Importantly, it passes all our safety and durability tests, and it’s light and compact, weighing in at just 5.8kg. 

It’s cheap, easy to use and safe – what’s not to like about that?

However, when we tested a $179 Anko Compact Stroller it failed our safety tests and scored just 33% overall. It’s no longer available on the Kmart and Target websites.

A full explanation of the safety failures and Kmart’s full response are both detailed in the Kmart Anko Compact Stroller review. (See below for Kmart’s responses to our safety test results.)

Since we tested the compact stroller, several more Anko strollers have been released, but we can’t comment on their safety as we haven’t yet tested them.

Bassinet

Worth buying? – No

A cheap bassinet can be a tempting buy, but our expert testing reveals that many bassinets fail on basic safety features and can pose serious risks to little ones. 

Until recently, there hasn’t been an Australian safety standard for bassinets that manufacturers must adhere to, so our expert testers had to create ĚÇĐÄVlog safety tests based on established Australian standards for cots and portacots. These tests are what our current results are based on.

Thankfully, a new mandatory standard that covers bassinets has been released. It came into effect in January 2026.

Unfortunately the $149 Kmart Anko Bassinet with Canopy didn’t impressive our testers from a safety perspective – it scored a ĚÇĐÄVlog Expert Rating of just 49% due to the lack of continuous breathable zones around the edge of the bassinet, which could be a suffocation risk, and the mattress thickness not matching with safety recommendations. 

There are more newly released Anko bassinet and co-sleeper products on the market, but we’re yet to test them for safety.

See our full bassinet reviews for all the risks we found in our testing.

Cots

Worth buying? – Yes

We’ve tested the $139 Anko White Wooden cot and the $259 Anko 2-in-1 wooden cot, which both passed our safety tests and are recommended by our experts, so you can save money and be confident that your baby is safe in one of these cots. 

If you’re considering another brand, check our expert cot reviews before you shop to make sure you’re buying a safe product for your baby.

Cot mattress

Worth buying? – Yes

If you’re thinking of buying the $89 Anko cot spring mattress from Kmart or Target, you can rest easy knowing that it’s safe and firm, and recommended by our experts.

Since our tests, an Anko pocket spring mattress has come on the market, but we haven’t yet had a chance to put it through our rigorous testing.

A new mandatory standard for cot mattresses and other infant sleeping surfaces was introduced in July 2024, and from January 2026 all products such as cot mattresses must comply with this standard.

We’ve assessed 50+ cot mattresses in our labs to make sure they pass our stringent safety testing. See the full results of our cot mattress tests for all the details. 

High chairs

Worth buying? – Yes

The $29 Anko Prandium High Low Chair and $149 2-in-1 Wooden Highchair passed our key safety tests with flying colours and are recommended by our experts. 

The $45 Flat Fold High Chair also passed key safety tests, but didn’t score quite well enough for our experts to recommend it, as it’s a bit difficult to clean. 

To find the safest high chairs that are easiest to use and clean, check our detailed high chair reviews. 

Playpen

Worth buying? – Yes and no

Almost a third of the 25 playpens we tested failed key safety requirements – but all the Anko playpens we’ve ever tested have passed.

There’s no Australian standard for playpens, but we test to international standards and use in-house methods based on existing Australian standards for other baby products.

The $145 Anko playpen is the pick of the bunch, with our experts saying it’s easy to use as well as being safe. It’s easy to set up and pack down, and comes with a latched gate so you won’t hurt your back when reaching over the fence to pick up a heavy toddler.

The $99 Anko playpen with base passed our key safety requirements, but is only rated 60% overall as it’s hard to assemble and disassemble.

See our full playpen reviews.

Luggage

Worth buying? – Yes

There are only two Anko carry-on suitcases in our current review, but they’re both pretty good buys for the money. 

At just $39, the Anko Carry-on Hard Case 4 Wheels ranked alongside premium brands such as Samsonite, American Tourister and Antler, some of which cost hundreds of dollars.

“You could buy the $39 Anko carry-on plus return flights from Sydney to Melbourne, and you still wouldn’t have spent as much as if you’d bought the most expensive suitcases in our test,” says ĚÇĐÄVlog luggage tester Matthew Tung. 

Carrying too much for carry-on? The $99 Anko Premium Hard Case 72cm 8 Wheels is a decent option for check-in luggage. It didn’t score quite as well as its smaller sibling, but for the price it’s a durable suitcase that performed as well as other suitcases costing nearly 10 times as much. 

The Anko suitcase range has expanded and we haven’t had the chance to test them all yet, but they’ve typically performed well in our previous tests, with more hits than misses. 

Learn more about cheap vs expensive carry-on suitcases. 

The post Kmart Anko: Best buys and what to avoid appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

A similar court case is on the cards against Woolworths. In both cases, filed by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), the allegation is that the supermarkets artificially inflated prices for a short time and then dropped them down to the regular price and called it a sale.

It means the discounts would have been fictional, and shoppers would have been deceived into thinking they were getting a special deal. Coles’ “Down Down” and Woolworths’ “Prices Dropped” promotions were allegedly just a return to prices as usual – or, in some cases, prices higher than usual.

“ĚÇĐÄVlog welcomes the ACCC’s legal proceedings against Coles and Woolworths and we’re optimistic that it will bring some much needed clarity to the confusing pricing practices used in the major supermarkets,” says ĚÇĐÄVlog senior policy and campaigns adviser Beatrice Sherwood.

“The case against Coles is significant as it will help to clarify the law around price representations – particularly in determining where the line is drawn when referring to previous prices.”

These cases are about whether we can trust the grocery duopoly – which has a combined market share of around 65% – to play fair with pricing and not take advantage of customers through tricky promotional tactics.

At the moment the collective trust quotient is low. ĚÇĐÄVlog recently lodged a submission to the federal Treasury’s consultation on improving price transparency in the supermarkets industry. We’re calling for an end to the tactics we’ve called out in several investigations.

In our submission to government, we’re asking for several improvements in the way supermarkets display and manage pricing. Here’s what they are.

Showing the price upfront

It’s the simplest of things, but first and foremost, supermarkets need to make sure they are actually displaying prices in the first place. All too often, shoppers don’t find out how much a product costs until they go to pay for it, at which point they’re likely to pay whatever it costs. Had they known the price in the first place, they may have considered other options.

It’s a particular issue in remote communities, where the Code of Practice for Remote Store Operations commendably requires “stores to have clearly displayed and accurate prices”. The problem is that the code is strictly voluntary.

Expanding the Grocery Unit Pricing Code

Unit pricing – which shows the cost per unit of measurement (such as grams or litres) – is the great leveller. It puts the truth to how much you’re actually paying for what you get. The alternative is to allow shoppers to be fooled into paying more through fancy packaging tricks.

Currently, the code only applies to stores with a floorspace of 1000 square metres or more, which means a lot of stores are bypassing it. We’re calling for a reduction of the floor-size threshold to 300 square metres, which would expand the code to many regional and remote stores, where shoppers could really use some fair play with pricing.

Making sure online and in-store prices are the same

Many shoppers use digital tools to compare supermarket prices before heading to the store to shop. But the online prices they see don’t always align with in-stores prices, pulling the rug out from under such proactive budgeting efforts.

In our submission to government, we’re calling for online price displays in large supermarkets to accurately reflect in-store prices – at all times.

Promotions and discounts should have context

As it stands, we’re forced to trust the supermarket when it tells us a product is on sale. But as the ACCC case against Coles and Woolworths shows, the supermarket may have just raised the price and then lowered it. Shoppers have told us they’re confused about promotions and discounts, mainly due to the lack of contextual information. If it’s on sale now, what did it cost before, and for how long?

Supermarkets use promotional colours such as red or yellow, or terms such as “new”, “while stocks last”, “super savers” or “everyday” indiscriminately. We’re calling for the introduction of new minimum information requirements so that “was/now” pricing is clear and accurate.

Loyalty schemes and more

The above is the short list of what we’re recommending in our submission to policymakers. It also includes a call to put supermarket loyalty schemes under the microscope to determine whether they’re really benefitting consumers; to compel large supermarkets to allow third-party price-scraping technologies to access prices so consumers can easily compare; and to align fruit and vegetable pricing across large supermarkets.

“Supermarket promotions are confusing consumers and can really influence how shoppers spend their money. Our research in 2024 found that on average one in four people found it difficult to identify if certain supermarket promotions represented a true discount or not,” Sherwood says.

“Clear pricing information is essential to any consumer’s economic decision making. Consumers need fair and transparent pricing on their food and groceries.”

The post ĚÇĐÄVlog calls for an end to grocery pricing tricks appeared first on ĚÇĐÄVlog.

This is even higher than the findings we recorded in January and June 2025, when we found 84% and 86% respectively were troubled by the amount they were spending on these essentials.

So we’ve made it our business to find out where you can buy the cheapest groceries. Here’s how we do it.

On this page:

• How we choose supermarket locations
• How we select brands and products
• How we compile our shopping list
• Data collection and analysis
• Other considerations when shopping for groceries
• The ĚÇĐÄVlog shopping list

How we choose supermarket locations

We choose supermarkets from a range of socio-economic areas, from low to very high, in capital cities and regional centres. We use the Australian Bureau of Statistics Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) product, which ranks areas in Australia according to relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage, to inform our selection.  

We also ensure a spread of locations across the country, and at each location we survey, we make sure the supermarkets we are comparing are close enough to each other to ensure that any variations in prices between stores are not due to them being in different locations.

All up our mystery shoppers visit 104 supermarkets – Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and IGA stores – in 27 locations across Australia.

How we compile our shopping list

In compiling our grocery list, we include items regularly purchased by average Australians. The intent is to compare the prices of commonly bought items, rather than creating a basket that’s representative of an average weekly shop. 

In response to feedback, we’re continuing to include more fresh foods in our basket, while still ensuring the products we compare are as closely matched as possible by pack size, ingredients and country of origin.

For each item on our list, the mystery shoppers visit the supermarkets in their location and buy the products, noting when items are on special and recording the regular price.

Our full shopping list tells you which 16 items we compared in our latest survey.

How we select brands and products

To make the most accurate comparisons, we look at product descriptions, pack sizes, ingredients and country of origin, and instruct our shoppers on which items they should buy. This doesn’t always mean we choose the cheapest option for each type of product, as we’re looking for comparable items.

As a shopper, you might be happy with a smaller pack size and different ingredients if it’s the cheapest at your favourite store. For our survey, we want to compare products that are as similar as possible, which means we look very closely at the items we include.

For example, in our most recent survey, we stipulated that shoppers should look at Cavendish bananas, not Lady Finger or other varieties; that they should buy Royal Gala apples and prepacked potatoes; and that the frozen chips should be a 750g pack of the beer-battered variety. We also provide suggestions for alternatives, should the preferred options not be available.

When we compare packaged goods, if we can’t find identical products, we look for the most similar options available. For this basket, we included a selection of fresh, frozen and pantry products from Aldi, Woolworths, Coles and IGA. Where a national brand product is not available at Aldi, the nearest comparable home-brand product was bought. The data we collect is used to calculate the average basket cost across all the stores we survey.

Data collection and analysis

ĚÇĐÄVlog engages with a qualified partner accredited with the to undertake the fieldwork. Undercover shoppers visit the nominated supermarkets in a single week between Thursday and the following Tuesday to avoid the price changes that generally occur on a Wednesday. 

For each item, we provide shoppers with a photo and specify the quantity, weight or pack size to ensure they’re collecting prices for the correct product. 

Shoppers are required to buy the items in our basket so that we have receipts for each purchase, which we use to verify the recorded prices. 

When products are on special, our shoppers photograph shelf labels showing the regular price. A price is deemed to be a “special” when we have evidence of a temporary price reduction. Getting clear evidence of temporary price reductions on fruit and vegetables can be difficult because the labelling often makes it hard to tell if something is reduced or simply lower in price due to market price fluctuations. This is why we don’t include fresh produce in our comparisons that exclude specials.

The data is collected via an online survey platform that requires shoppers to enter prices in a consistent format for each item. Every shopper’s price list is validated for accuracy and completeness for quality assurance.

Other considerations when shopping for groceries

Supermarkets are an enormous source of research fodder, and the focus of this research is price. 

But we understand that many other factors are often considered when choosing where to shop or which products to buy, including convenience, nutrition, quality, the choice to support smaller and/or local producers and country of origin. And for some people, some of these other factors may be a higher priority than price.

Rest assured, our work on supermarkets isn’t focused only on prices. Here is some of our other recent work on supermarket tactics and products.

• We’ve been on supermarket specials, after a ĚÇĐÄVlog survey found 4 in 5 respondents think labelling makes it hard to tell if you’re getting a genuine discount.
• In 2025 we conducted research into how Australians use unit pricing and found that many report issues with the way stores display this information.
• We regularly review quality by comparing performance, nutrition or taste of products (including national and supermarket brands) within individual product categories. Our more recent grocery item reviews include:
  • Supermarket beef burger patties
  • Hot cross buns
  • Meal delivery services
  • Christmas ham
  • Vanilla ice-cream
  • Tinned tomatoes
  • Supermarket sausages
  • Chocolate chip cookies

If there’s a product category you’d like to see us test, you can request a test.

The ĚÇĐÄVlog shopping list

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