The ‘price creep’ ruining the last reliable way to save on groceries
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For years, supermarket home brands were the ultimate budget survival strategy. They were the reliable, no-frills grocery items we could switch to when name brands became too expensive.
But even they have fallen victim to price creep, according to recent data from Compare the Market.
Home brand ‘price creep’ is eating away at shopper savings. Jo Abi
Compare the Market’s Chris Ford said while we’re still seeing savings between generic and brand names, the gap is closing, particularly for everyday items we buy regularly.
“Some common generic branded items have jumped in price compared to last year, while their brand-name counterparts have remained stagnant,” he said.
Compare the Market has uncovered a number of mark-ups on individual products, starting with generic brand milk, which has increased by 55 cents – an 18.33 per cent increase over the past 12 months – while name brands remained the same.
‘We’re still seeing savings between generic and brand names, the gap is closing.’ Jo Abi
Coles, Woolworths, and Aldi, increased the price of their home brand milk in April after a plea from Australian dairy farmers struggling with increased costs of production.
A Dairy Farmers brand 2L milk sells for $4.95 and home brand is now $3.55, a saving of $1.40 compared to earlier this year when a home brand 2L milk cost $3.20 and customers saved $1.75.
Generic brand white bread at Coles and Woolworths has also increased by 10c, a 2.94 per cent rise.
The two supermarkets’ home brand sliced bread costs $3.30 per 680g loaf; Woolworths sells Tip Top Sunblest 350g loaves for $3.90.
Home brand ‘wheat biscuit’ cereal is up 60 cents, or 11.99 per cent. Jo Abi
A box of home brand wheat biscuits (cereal) is up 60 cents or 11.99 per cent. In this example, the brand name option has also jumped $1 year-on-year, reflecting a 16.66 per cent price increase.
Coles’ 1.12kg Wheat Biscuits pack costs $5.60 compared to a 1.2kg packet of name brand Weet-Bix at $7.
“These aren’t massive savings. Supermarkets like to remind us that we’re getting a good deal, and while any decrease is better than paying more, these discounts aren’t really going to move the needle,” Ford said.
It isn’t all bad news. Generic bread eggs at Coles and Woolworths decreased by 10c year-on-year and generic brand multipurpose cleansers are down by 5c.
Where you can still find savings
Still, despite this home brand price creep, there are still savings to be found, with data showing shoppers can still save more than $3,400 a year by switching from name brands to home brands.
A Dairy Farmers brand 2L milk sells for $4.95 and home brand is now $3.55, a saving of $1.40 compared to earlier this year. Jo Abi
Ford also warned of an increase in “shrinkflation”, which sees the size of items shrinking while prices stay the same.
At the time they collected their data, a 24-pack of toilet paper available last year for $13 is no longer available, but the same brand is available in 2026 as a 16-pack for $14, leaving customers paying $1 more for eight fewer toilet rolls.
“Sometimes there’s genuinely limited or low stock available, but time and time again we’re seeing popular items shrink in size but grow in price,” Ford said.
“Where you can, look at the unit price when shopping, as this will give you a better indication of a saving and whether you’re getting your money’s worth.”
Generic brand white bread at Coles and Woolworths has also increased by 10c, a 2.94 per cent rise. Jo Abi
While shoppers can save still save at Coles and Woolworths by switching to home brands, consumer group Choice found there are even more savings to be had by shopping at Aldi in its latest quarterly supermarket basket survey.
Choice compared the prices of 16 popular grocery items at Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and IGA.
They were: beef mince, a whole chicken, Royal Gala apples, Cavendish bananas, strawberries, avocado, leek, green beans, potatoes, full cream milk, basmati rice, honey mustard cooking sauce, beer-battered frozen chips, frozen apple pies, Tim Tam biscuits, and a large box of tissues.
Choice compared the prices of 16 popular grocery items at Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and IGA. Choice
Without including specials, Aldi proved the cheapest with a total of $68.80, followed by Woolworths at $77.53, then Coles with a total of $78.58, and IGA proving to be the most expensive at $91.65.
When specials were factored in, the places remained the same.
Aldi remained the most affordable supermarket with an unchanged total of $68.60, Woolworths in second place with a slightly lower total of $76.82, then Coles in third spot and a fraction lower at $78.50, and IGA in fourth spot at the lowered total of $86.33.
