Coles and Woolworths are now in court.

The case, brought by the consumer watchdog, came on the back of hundreds of angry posts on X, TikTok and Reddit from shoppers archiving the supermarkets giants’ prices – and accusing them of gaming their “Down Down” and “Prices Dropped” promotions.

The ACCC alleges some of those promotions were misleading –  with the “discount” price the same as, or higher than, what had been charged just weeks earlier.

Today, economist and journalist Peter Martin on the “illusory” discounts – and how a Cadbury Caramello Koala helped fuel the outrage.

This episode was first published in October, 2024.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram

Guest: Economist Peter Martin.

Photo: The New Daily

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.