AUSTRALIA | CHOICE has released the results of the fourth wave of its quarterly, government-funded report on supermarket prices across Australia.
In December, the consumer group visited 104 supermarkets across the country, including Aldi, Woolworths, Coles and IGA, and recorded the prices of 14 common grocery items.
Based on prices both with and without specials, the cost of baskets at Aldi and Coles have dropped since the first quarterly survey, while the Woolworths basket price has increased.
“From March 2024 to December 2024, Aldi’s basket price with specials remained almost unchanged, decreasing by just 0.3 percent. In March, Aldi’s basket was AUD 51.51, compared to AUD 51.36 in December,” said CHOICE CEO, Ashley de Silva.
“The Coles basket with specials cost on average AUD 68.52 in March, compared to AUD 66.84 in December - a 2.5 percent decrease. The Woolworths basket with specials increased by 3.7 percent, with the price going from AUD 64.93 in the first quarter to AUD 67.34 in the latest quarter.”
IGA stores weren’t included in the March survey, but CHOICE found the price of their basket has dropped since the June survey, costing AUD 78.95 in June compared to AUD 74.90 in December.
When excluding specials, the Aldi basket once again decreased in price by 0.3 percent, from AUD 51.51 in March 2024 to AUD 51.36 in December 2024.
At Coles, the basket without specials decreased from AUD 69.33 in March to AUD 67.84 in December. At Woolworths, the price without specials increased slightly from AUD 68.58 in March to AUD 69.63 in December.
The first quarter of the grocery basket survey saw Coles and Woolworths prices were closely matched, with only 75 cents between them for a basket without specials. This has increased slightly to a AUD 1.79 difference between the baskets without specials in December.
While the difference doesn’t seem that much, over a year of weekly shopping, the difference would add up to more than AUD 90.
“Over the past year, our supermarket basket surveys have shown there are simple ways to save money on your weekly shop. Using unit pricing to compare prices and find the cheapest option, shopping across multiple stores to take advantage of specials, and trying house brand products can all help you reduce grocery bills in the long run.”
