Coles vs Woolworths prices: unit price and specials truth from a real list

What this Coles vs Woolworths prices check is actually for

This post walks three real Discount Trolley screens for Coles vs Woolworths prices: one Woolworths Metro product with a clear unit price and a stock miss, one Coles toothbrush special shouting 86% off, and one mixed list that pairs a loud savings badge with an out of stock Woolworths line.

We make Discount Trolley, so the bias is obvious. Free covers current prices, search, product pages, ordinary unit prices, Today's deals, community browsing and one shopping list. Premium adds live cross-store comparison, barcode and QR scanning, price history, comparative unit-price insight, Smart Swap, spending insights, seasonal context, dark theme and online-shopping links. Coverage is Woolworths, Coles, ALDI and Priceline where data is available. Chemist Warehouse is not covered. We are not affiliated with those retailers, and no app should promise the shelf always matches the screen.

If you want a full basket compare rather than these named product checks, read Woolworths vs Coles for your basket. If you want the unit-price habit without this week's screens, read how to use unit prices to find the cheapest groceries.

• You care about Coles vs Woolworths prices on products you actually buy.
• You want unit price and stock notes, not vibes about which chain is cheapest.
• You treat loud specials as claims to check, not as receipts.

Observation table from Discount Trolley screens

These rows are named products from Discount Trolley screens in mid September 2026. They are not a suburb-wide survey. Prices and stock move. Re-check in the app and on the shelf before you buy.

• Pantene Pro-V Smooth & Sleek Shampoo 375mL | Woolworths Sydney Metcentre Metro | $10.00 | $2.67 per 100mL | Not stocked at that Metro; app notes 35 other Woolworths have it; Metro price may be higher than standard Woolworths.
• Beach Road Naturals Paw Paw Extract Natural Hand Wash | Coles on My List | $1.00 (was $10.00) | list line on a My List total of $15.25 with a $57.00 savings badge across the list | Paired on the same list with a Woolworths Minions Fleece Throw Rug at $6.25 marked Unavailable / Out of stock.
• Oral B Pro100 Cross Action Electric Toothbrush Black 1 Pack | Coles product page with Compare Stores | $8.00 (was $56.00), SAVE $48.00, 86% OFF | $8.00 ea | Limited availability; not available at ALDI or Priceline in that compare row; no Coles store selected on that screen.

Woolworths Metro: unit price is useful even when the store misses

On the Pantene 375mL product page, Discount Trolley showed $10.00 at Woolworths and $2.67 per 100mL. That unit price is Free. It is the first honest check when pack sizes differ across Coles vs Woolworths prices.

The same screen also told the hard part: the selected Woolworths Sydney Metcentre Metro did not stock it, while 35 other Woolworths stores did. There is also an in-app note that prices may increase at Woolworths Metro stores compared with standard Woolworths stores. That is not a Coles win by default. It is a reminder that store type and stock change the maths before you leave home.

If your weekly shop runs through a Metro, treat the unit price as the size check and the stock note as the trip check. Free gets you both on the product page. Premium adds live cross-store comparison when you want the same SKU checked across Woolworths, Coles, ALDI and Priceline where data is available.

• Read $ per 100mL before you trust a shelf ticket.
• Read Metro versus standard Woolworths notes when the selected store is a Metro.
• If it is not stocked, the unit price still helps you size-shop elsewhere.

An 86% Coles special still needs a stock and compare pass

The Oral B Pro100 Cross Action Electric Toothbrush Black showed $8.00 was $56.00 at Coles, with SAVE $48.00 and 86% OFF on the product image. That is a loud special. It is also the exact moment shoppers skip the boring checks.

On that same product screen, Compare Stores showed the line not available at ALDI or Priceline, with limited availability and no Coles store selected yet. A percentage that big can still be the wrong trip if your store does not have it, or if a different size or brand is cheaper per clean on unit price.

Discount Trolley Free shows ordinary unit prices on product pages. Premium is where live cross-store comparison and price history sit when you want to pressure-test whether the was-price theatre matches recent reality. We are not inventing a household saving from this screenshot. Your suburb and your store decide the number.

• Read was-price and current price together.
• Check limited availability before you detour.
• Use Premium compare and history when the badge looks theatrical.

A list total can look brilliant while one line is already dead

My List on that screen showed a $15.25 total and a $57.00 savings badge. Coles carried Beach Road Naturals Paw Paw Extract Natural Hand Wash at $1.00 was $10.00. Woolworths carried a Minions Fleece Throw Rug at $6.25 marked Unavailable and Out of stock, with the same Metro price note.

That is the Coles vs Woolworths prices trap in list form. A savings badge can be real on the specials that landed, while another line quietly fails the trip. Build the list on Free. Use Premium live cross-store comparison when you need store totals for the same basket across Woolworths, Coles, ALDI and Priceline where data is available.

Skip a demo list for your weekly shop. Put in the brands and sizes you actually buy, then decide whether one store wins or a split shop is worth the second stop. For the split decision, see whether you should split your grocery shop across two stores. For fake-special habits, see how to spot a fake supermarket special.

• Check Unavailable and Out of stock before you trust the total.
• Keep Free useful for unit prices and one list.
• Turn on Premium compare when the basket needs live store totals.

How to run this check before your next shop

Write eight to fifteen staples you actually buy. On Discount Trolley Free, open each product page and read the ordinary unit price first. Note Metro warnings and stock misses. If you have Premium, run live cross-store comparison on the list, then open price history on any line that only looks cheap because a catalogue shouted.

When Coles vs Woolworths prices disagree, decide with the total and the trip cost, not with a vibes ranking. Confirm in store. Screens are a check, not a receipt.

1. List the real basket.
2. Read unit prices before pack size theatre wins.
3. Read stock and Metro notes before you drive.
4. Confirm on the shelf.

What this looks like in Discount Trolley

Questions shoppers still ask