Supermarket Sleuths: New fruit and vegetable pricing system being trialed at Coles and Woolworths

Coles is trialling a new pricing system in what could mark a major shift in how fresh produce is sold in supermarkets.

As part of the trial some varieties of Coles apples have been priced per unit instead of per kilo.

One Coles shopper spotted the change at their local store, with a price tag for bravo apples showing they are on sale for $1.50 instead of at a per kilo price.

They shared a photo of the new price tag on Reddit, saying they'd be "waiting for three for $4" rather than paying $1.50 each.

Coles has attached a 'Good to Know' customer notice next to the new price tag explaining the change.

It reads: "We're trialling a new way of how we express the price of our apples, which is aimed at giving you clarity on exactly what you will pay at the checkout.

"The price of apples will be shown for the unit, where previously it had been per kilo.

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"We hope this change will make it easier for you to shop. We would love to get your feedback on the trial."

A QR code is then provided for customer feedback.

Some Redditors aren't impressed with the change and expressed their thoughts online.

"Since when are apples priced as 'each' and not per kg?" one customer said.

"I would not be buying an apple for $1.50 each," another added.

One supermarket shopper said: "I'm going to the market instead."

While per unit pricing for fruits and vegetables is new for Coles, this type of pricing has been seen at Woolworths supermarkets previously, particularly on their online store.

Larger fruit items such as mangoes and melons as well as pre-packaged fruits and vegetables are also typically sold per unit. Coles has also previously priced their fresh corn per cob.

Consumer expert Nadja Dollisson from RMIT explained to nine.com.au Coles' shift from per-kilo to per-unit pricing could make it harder for Aussie shoppers to compare prices.

"It becomes harder to compare prices across retailers when one uses '$1.50 per apple' and another lists '$4.90 per kilo'," she said.

Dollisson also explained it is no accident that Coles has chosen to roll out this trial using apples.

"Shoppers hold a mental benchmark for staples like bananas and apples, a sense of what 'about $X per kilo' should be. That anchor helps them recognise when something feels overpriced.

"Per-unit pricing disrupts these internal norms because few people have a strong sense of what '$1.20 per banana' or '$1.80 per apple' ought to be.

"Neat per-item numbers look tidy and reasonable, even when the implied per-kilo rate is significantly higher than what customers would normally tolerate."

She said this framing matters even more "now that fruit and vegetables increasingly compete with packaged snack foods, muffins, muesli bars, chocolate bars, which are already priced per item and therefore feel psychologically comparable".

It is also a particularly effective pricing strategy in light of the volatility in the fruit and vegetable prices and availability in 2025.

"When wholesale prices are volatile or fruit sizes vary dramatically, selling 'three for $4' protects retailer margins and prevents customers from selecting the very largest pieces at a low per-kilo rate.

"When supply stabilises and prices fall, retailers revert to per-kilo pricing to appear aggressively competitive.

"This flexibility gives Coles and Woolworths significant control.

"They can spotlight 'value' when it suits them and emphasise stability and margin when the market becomes unstable."

A spokesperson for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has told nine.com.au there are no requirements constraining supermarkets from varying their unit pricing display between 'per kilogram' and 'per item' for fruits and vegetables within the code.

"Supermarkets are able to make these changes at their discretion," they said. "Whilst the code determines which types of unit pricing certain product categories should display, for certain product categories supermarkets may be complying with the code while using inconsistent units of measurement.

"The code contains general rules to ensure that unit pricing is accurate, clear, easy to locate and easy to understand.

"The unit price for a grocery item must be prominent, proximate, legible, and unambiguous.

"The units of measurement a retailer uses for fruit and vegetables must also comply with any other applicable legislation, including the National Trade Measurement Regulations 2009."

They added that a review of the code is currently underway,

A Coles spokesperson has told nine.com.au the new pricing policy aims to "make shopping easier" for customers.

"We're always looking for ways to improve our customers' shopping experience," they said.

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"This trial is about testing a different way of pricing apples per unit rather than by weight, like how we price other loose items like lemons and limes.

"We want to understand whether per-unit pricing makes shopping easier and we welcome feedback from our customers."

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