Bulk buy warning as Coles launches more than 40 super-sized products
Coles is launching more than 40 bulk buy products as food price inflation strains household budgets.
The super-sized range includes 1.32 kilogram tins of Milo, two kilo tubs of Bega peanut butter, 1.1kg packets of The Natural Confectionery Co party mix, kilogram tubs of Vegeta gourmet vegetable stock and 18 serve packets of Maggi 2 Minute Noodles.
Some of the bulk buys deliver savings of up to 60 per cent compared to regular sizes.
The Costco-like offers come as shoppers struggle with cost of living pressures.
And prices are expected to continue to rise sharply.
Professor of marketing and consumer behaviour at the Queensland University of Technology, Gary Mortimer, says the bulk servings are a smart move from Coles.
“I think this is really the start of retailers looking at ‘What can we do with our existing product ranges in order to sort of reduce that unit price and therefore reduce the cost of living for customers despite the fact those input costs … are constantly driving those prices up?’,” he told Dee Dee.
“We all know when you buy in bulk you tend to save in the long run.”
Press PLAY below to hear more about saving buy purchasing in bulk
But dietitian Karen Inge warned there are pitfalls involved with bulk buys.
“There’s some really good research … showing that buying in large amounts is actually a saboteur as far as trying to manage your weight,” she said.
She also cautioned shoppers to check how long products last before buying in bulk.
“You need to make sure that when you are going to buy in bulk to save money it’s not going to come back to bite you in the sense that you might not use all of that … by the use by date and then you’ll throw it out.”
Press PLAY below to hear Karen’s warning about bulk shopping
Image: Coles