Coles and Woolworths offer budget-friendly measures as cost of living rises including FREE vouchers

Australia’s biggest supermarket chains, Woolworths and Coles, have announced new measures to help tackle the cost of living crisis, with hundreds of dollars to be saved.

With the price of a weekly shop getting higher by the week, Woolworths is freezing the prices of essential homebrand products such as flour, sugar, canned tomatoes, frozen peas, chicken tenders, laundry powder and dishwashing liquid. 

Coles is offering customers 10 per cent off the total transaction price for $100 and $250 gift cards, though there is an added purchase fee and a limit on how many cards you can buy.

Coles customers will have to act quickly as the offer is temporary and finishes next Tuesday, but the Woolworths measure will last until the end of the year. 

A $250 Coles Mastercard gift card, with a $7 purchase fee, will cost $231.30, meaning a saving of $18.70, while the $100 card, with a $5 fee, will cost $94.50. 

There is a limit of five cards per customer, so shoppers would save $93.50 if they bought five $250 gift cards.

The price inflation initially mostly affected meat and imported products, but almost every food product has now increased.

Vegetables have particularly been affected, with some Australian supermarkets charging up to $12 for a head of iceberg lettuce due to a shortage caused by floods.

The average Australian family spends more than $200 on groceries and essentials every week, according to Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci.

‘We know this is a significant portion of weekly household budgets.

‘As we all lean into the challenges of inflation, rest assured the whole team at Woolworths is committed to making sure you can always get your Woolies worth.’

Mr Banducci advised shoppers to look for seasonal products, the homebrand logo on packaging and to use the fuel discount when filling up their car. 

Woolworths (pictured) has frozen the cost of many staple items until the end of the year as a measure of tackling the cost of living crisis

The Coles gift card offer lasts from Wednesday until Tuesday June 21. The company said most – 58 per cent – of people use the cards on their weekly grocery shop, followed by utilities and service bills.

Coles manager Jonathan Torr said the company wants to help people deal with the increasing cost of living.

‘We understand many Australians are feeling the pinch with rising cost of living pressures and we’re always looking at ways we can provide the very best value at Coles to help make a difference,’ he said.

The average Australian family spends more than $200 on groceries and essentials every week, according to Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci. Pictured is lettuce in a Woolworths shop

‘The 10 per cent off selected Coles Mastercards will provide some temporary relief on everyday expenses, as the gift cards can be used on anything from the weekly shop to paying the household bills – it can even be used to maximise savings at other retailers during end-of-financial-year sales.’

This offer is available while stocks last at Coles supermarkets.

Earlier this month, Coles said it would keep many essential items at or below $1, including pasta, soups and tinned tomatoes. 

As with Woolworths, it has also encouraged shoppers to buy homebrand goods. 

To view the full list of Low Price Freeze products visit the Woolworths website.