How to save money at the supermarket: You can get your bread sliced for free at Woolworths and Coles

A customer has shared a lesser-known way to save money on groceries at Coles and Woolworths supermarkets. 

Sharing images on Facebook, Anita revealed customers can request to have fresh bread loaves sliced by employees at the bakery.   

The additional service comes with no extra cost and anyone can ask to have the gourmet bread – such as sourdough – sliced. 

‘I realised if the bakery in the supermarket is manned, you can ask them to slice whole loaves of bread as a free service,’ Anita wrote. 

‘I tried it at Coles and it was a plastic fail as they put my sliced sourdough in a whole new plastic bag.

‘Next I tried Woolworths, they used the same bag and just put a new sticker on it.’ 

The additional service comes with no extra cost and anyone can ask to have the gourmet bread – such as sourdough – sliced.

‘I don’t know if it was company policy or just the preference of the staff member who served me. I made sure to thank the man in Woolworths for using the same bag and he was grateful for my gratitude,’ Anita continued. 

A Coles spokesperson told FEMAIL workers will happily slice bread for shoppers. 

‘To provide customers with greater convenience while they shop, we will happily slice Coles bakery loaves of bread on site where there is a bread slicer available,’ the spokesperson said. 

‘While our first option is to place a loaf back in its original bag, we will replace the bag if it is damaged when opened for slicing, to maintain its freshness.’

Daily Mail Australia understands that at Woolworths the vast majority of bakery bread available in-store is already sliced, but customers are more than welcome to ask a team member at the bakery to slice bread for them as required, including sourdough.

Unfortunately, there are instances where this service may not be possible, including if there’s no trained team member available to slice (it is a requirement that team members need to be trained to use the slicer) or if there’s no slicer available. 

Some varieties of bread may not be suitable for the slicer. Additionally, Woolworths is unable to slice vendor-branded bread. 

Social media users thanked Anita for sharing the tip, and other environmentally-conscious shoppers revealed their own tips

Social media users thanked Anita for sharing the tip, and other environmentally-conscious shoppers revealed their own tips. 

‘I usually keep the bag in which they put the sliced bread and take it with me the next time to be reused,’ one person wrote. 

‘If I buy meat from the deli in either store I ask them to just put it on the paper and that depends on the staff member serving me,’ another said. 

A third added: ‘If you go to a bakery you can take your own bag to use and do away with the single use plastic bag. Which is better again.’