Supermarket Sleuths: 'Is this a joke?' Aussie shoppers fuming as John West Tuna hits $3 price tag at major supermarket

A Sydney shopper has been left shocked by the price of their favourite tinned tuna product during a recent trip to their local supermarket.

Their preferred tinned tuna is John West Chunk Style Tuna in Springwater 95g hit an alarming new price point, marked at $3 at Woolworths Metro in North Sydney.

That same tinned tuna usually sells for $2.90 at most Woolworths and Coles supermarkets, having steadily increased in price over recent years.

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"I couldn't believe my eyes," they told nine.com.au. "Normally, Sirena tuna has always been more expensive, but even this was cheaper in this instance."

The shopper commented that they had been seeing steady price increases in their favourite tuna brand of late, but seeing at $3 proved to be a tipping point for them and had them seriously considering a different brand.

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Upon investigation, it appears the $3 price isn't the typical price for John West Tuna in Springwater 95g. On the Coles and Woolworths websites, this same tuna product is $2.90.

We have since been told that the Woolworths Metro stores can differ from regular Woolworths stores.

A more recent trip to Woolworths Metro in North Sydney has shown the price of the John West product has been reduced to $2.90, which is in line with the product price at Woolworths nationally.

Still, the price of the popular tuna product has risen steadily over the past several years, much to the alarm of Aussie shoppers.

That same tin of tuna cost $2-$2.30 in 2021, $2.40-$2.50 in 2022, and then $2.70-$2.80 in 2023.

It first increased to $2.90 in 2024 and some independent grocery retailers regularly sell it for $3.

While this most recent price increase from $2.90 to $3 is only another 10c, there is a reason it has provoked such a strong reaction, according to Consumer Psychologist Gavin Northey.

"In the current economic climate, any price rise has the potential to have a significant impact on some segment of the population. But when it comes to the price of tinned tuna moving above $3, there are three big things that stand out," he told nine.com.au.

"Obviously, the cost-of-living crisis many Australians are experiencing means anything that increases the cost of our groceries will be unpopular. But crossing the $3 threshold introduces an 'anchoring effect'.

"Even if it is priced at $2.99, research shows consumers anchor their concept of price on the left digit, so it appears as $2 and some change.

"Ultimately, people aren't rational and they don't necessarily process price changes in a linear fashion. So, once the price is over $3, it triggers a whole different neurological response, and the price looks like it has jumped a full dollar."

This explains our Sydney shopper's strong reaction to the cost which is surely being felt by others faced with paying $3 for their favourite tinned tuna.

Thankfully, tinned tuna is also regularly discounted by the major supermarkets, including John West, which this week has been discounted to half price at Coles, selling for $1.45 each.

While Woolworths isn't currently discounting John West products, they are selling Greenseas tuna from $2.90 to $1.70.

However customers tend to want to stick to their preferred brand of tuna and are unlikely to choose Greenseas over John West if John West is their choice.

"For many consumers, tuna is a 'budget staple' in that it's literally a product consumers buy because they're trying to be careful with their money," Northey explains.

This motivates shoppers to seek out the best possible prices for their preferred brand, he said, which explains the recent uptake of cross shopping across multiple retailers, reducing Coles and Woolworths loyalty.

However as cost of living pressures increase, Northey predicts more Aussie shoppers will consider changing to lower cost options on many beloved staples, including tinned tuna, albeit reluctantly.

"For those budget-minded consumers who chose tuna for that reason, a price increase above that $3 threshold might impact the perceived 'budget' value tuna offers.

"The question is, would this push those same consumers away from John West and into the arms of store brand tuna?"

John West is currently Australia's best selling tuna brand, however supermarket own brands are becoming increasingly popular alongside other "budget staples" such as own pasta which has seen a 40 per cent increase in sales, rice, cheese, coffee, snack bars, and frozen food products.

And with supermarket own brands there is the added benefit of not having to chase the sales and being able to pay significant lower prices every time, without having to visit a second store, which could be an important factor for time-poor Aussie shoppers trying to balance their budgets as well as their time.

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