CIRCLE WITH A DOT

@jakecoppinger Ah, makes sense

It's not looking too good for #Coles after their first day in court.."Barrister Garry Rich SC, acting for the ACCC, gave the court the example of Coles’ pricing of 1.2kg cans of Nature’s Gift wet dog food.Coles had sold the dog food for $4 for 296 days between April 2022 and February 2023, Rich told the court.The supermarket then increased the price of that product by a “whopping 50%” to $6 and sold it at the higher retail price for just seven days.After a week, Coles changed the price of the dog food to $4.50 and told customers it was on sale as part of the “Down Down” promotion, claiming that price “was” $6."I've personally seen them do this on McVitties Chocolate Biscuits, Heritage Mill Cereal, Deodorants, and various other products..#Supermarket #Corruption #News #HumanRights #Consumer #Law #Australia

From a small Guardian update this morning:"A highly anticipated federal court battle between the competition regulator and supermarket giant Coles begins today, testing allegations the retailer offered “illusory” discounts on hundreds of everyday products.The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is seeking large penalties and community service orders against Coles, which, along with Woolworths, controls two-thirds of the Australian grocery market.A similar case against Woolworths is expected to be heard at a later date.The 10-day hearing in Melbourne will scrutinise pricing practices involving hundreds of products, from instant coffee to chocolate biscuits, over an extended period.The regulator alleges that Coles temporarily inflated prices before marking the items as discounted under promotions like “Down Down,” in a practice known as “was/is” pricing.Coles is defending the claims, arguing pricing was a response to increased costs from suppliers.The case starts during a period of reigniting inflation, with groceries and other household costs rising strongly again."#Coles #Shopping #News #Consumers #ACCC #PriceFixing #Corruption #Law #Supermarkets #Australia