Coles slashes prices for meat to less than $1 in wake of coronavirus panic buying

What goes up: Mince for $1 and sausages for 50c – supermarkets slash meat prices as demand plummets due to customers’ large stockpiles from panic buying

• Prices of meat at some Coles stores have fallen to as little as 50c amid pandemic
• Some stores were experiencing an oversupply of products due to panic buying 
• Shoppers across NSW shared photos of beef sausages at 50c and chicken at 70c
• Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19

By Eliza Mcphee For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 05:03 BST, 23 April 2020 | Updated: 05:04 BST, 23 April 2020

Coles shoppers can snatch up half a kilo of mince for a dollar and a packet of eight sausages for as little as 75 cents as supermarkets try to clear an excess of stock that arose in the wake of the coronavirus panic buying.

As many customers work their way through large stockpiles of meat they bought in the early part of the virus panic, buying has dried up and left supermarkets with large amounts of surplus supply. 

Customers in New South Wales shared photos online of mince priced at 75c, packets of beef sausages for 50c and two chicken breasts for 70c.    

‘We saw demand for meat increase astronomically in March as customers started to self-isolate and cook at home more often,’ a Coles spokesperson said.

‘As demand begins to normalise some stores have extra stock to clear, some have a lot and some have a little.’

One Coles shopper shared her haul which includes chicken breast for 70c and pork sausages for 75c

Another shopper snatched a pack of beef sausages from just $1.13

Customers shared their ‘hauls’ online with many admitting they had never seen prices so low. 

‘Never seen stuff marked down this low,’ one Coles customer said. 

‘These are the moments I live for,’ another said.

‘Heaps of cheap meats like crazy prices I’ve never seen before like really they literally started at $1,’ said a shopper. 

Coles said the coronavirus buying habits have moved through several phases. 

‘Last month as people prepared for an extended period of isolation, we saw great demand for pantry staples, such as flour, pasta and tinned vegetables,’ the spokesperson said.

Beef mince has been marked down to just 99c in some Coles stores

Chicken breast, beef mince and beef sausages are seen on sale for less than $1

‘We are now seeing customers move towards products that they can use at home including hair colourants, baking mixes, gift cards for online entertainment, stationery and coffee capsules.

‘As customers increasingly work from home we are seeing less demand for packaged salads, while social distancing has led to a downturn in sales of gums and mints, as well as for cinema and restaurant gift cards.’

Similar markdowns have been made at Woolworths with some stores selling packets of beef patties and sausages for $1.60. 

Other stores have been selling beef mince for $4.50 as prices are marked down due to oversupply

 

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