CHOICE has today released the results of the second wave of its quarterly, government-funded report on supermarket prices across Australia.
In June, the consumer group visited 104 supermarkets across the country, including Aldi, Coles, Woolworths, and IGA, and again recorded the prices of 14 common grocery items.
The data is a reminder that genuine specials can make a difference when it comes to saving money at the supermarket.
The cost of both Aldi and Coles baskets including specials have dropped since our first survey, while the price of the Woolworths basket with specials has increased.
"When looking at prices with specials, Woolworths has slipped from second to third place in this wave of research. The Woolworths basket cost $68.37, compared to $64.93 in March. Coles, however, came down in price with our basket of 14 items costing $66.22, compared to $68.52 in March," says CHOICE CEO, Ashley de Silva.
"Aldi's basket came in at $50.79, compared to $51.51 in March, and was once again the clear winner when it came to value for money," says de Silva.
IGA's basket with specials lagged behind the other supermarkets, coming in at $78.95. This average, based on prices we recorded at the 27 locations we visited across the country, reflects large variations in pricing between stores of different sizes in our survey.
"Buying items on special can make a difference to overall grocery costs, and reinforces the benefits of shopping around where possible. A discount on tea bags at Coles during our survey period was a major influence on the results of this survey," says de Silva.
"Unfortunately, CHOICE has previously found supermarket labels are often confusing, making it difficult to tell if there is a true discount on offer or not. Our second quarterly supermarket survey highlights the importance of clear, simple labelling, that leaves the customer in no doubt about whether a product is actually on special," says de Silva.
If you're looking to save money on your grocery shop, these are CHOICE's top tips based on our research:
1. Use unit pricing: Comparing prices of different-sized products from different brands can be difficult, so check the unit pricing for each product. Unit pricing allows you to compare prices based on the price per unit, such as 100g or 1L.
2. Shop around: If you can, switch between stores and shop at different supermarkets to take advantage of specials.
3. Change your routine: Swap expensive cuts of meat for cheaper alternatives, consider frozen fruit and veg, and don't be afraid to try house-brand products. We often find these ranges outperform more expensive options at all supermarkets.
Editor's notes:
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 June 2024. 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.
What's in our basket?
Our full grocery basket consisted of 14 items, 12 of which were packaged products, either national brand or comparable supermarket brand/budget brand options (including beef mince and milk), with two fresh fruit and vegetable items (apples and carrots) completing the list.
Our basket included a mix of both house-brand and national-brand items. This was true for Aldi as well as Coles, Woolworths and IGA. To ensure a fair comparison, like-for-like items were chosen based on factors such as ingredient lists, country of origin, and packaging similarities.
Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
