The price gouging law starts July 1. Here's what you can do right now.

A new law targets supermarket pricing from July 1

From July 1, a new federal law gives the ACCC power to act on excessive pricing by Australia's biggest supermarkets. It applies to Coles and Woolworths, the only two retailers with annual revenue above $30 billion, and adds enforcement provisions to the existing Food and Grocery Code. If you searched for the supermarket price gouging law Australia shoppers are talking about, this is the practical bit: it matters, but it will not do your weekly shop for you.

That sounds like good news. And it is. But if you're hoping it'll change the price of butter by next Tuesday, you'll want a backup plan.

Why the law won't fix your grocery bill overnight

The law targets prices deemed significantly excessive compared to the cost of supply plus a reasonable margin. That sounds clear enough until someone has to define reasonable margin on a tin of tuna or a bag of frozen peas. Regulators will need to assess costs, supply chains, and margins on individual products. That kind of work takes time.

There's already momentum. Coles was recently found to have misled shoppers with its Down Down campaign, and a similar ACCC case against Woolworths is awaiting judgment. Legal accountability is building, but it moves at legal speed, not shopping speed.

What you can do before the regulators catch up

The law puts supermarkets on notice. But the most useful thing a shopper can do right now is the same thing it's always been: check the price, and know whether the special is actually special.

The tricky part is that most of us don't walk into a supermarket with a plan. We see a yellow ticket or a low price tag and assume it's a deal. Sometimes it is. Sometimes the price was bumped up recently so this week's drop looks more impressive than it feels. Price history cuts through that.

You don't need a law degree to start checking. You need a small habit before the item lands in the trolley.

• Look up regular items and compare current prices across stores before you shop.
• Check recent price history on anything marked as a special.
• Ask whether the current price is genuinely low, or just back to where it was a few weeks ago.
• Set up a watchlist for products you buy often, so real drops are easier to spot.
• If you shop across multiple stores, check whether splitting your list saves enough to justify the extra stop.

How Discount Trolley helps you check

Discount Trolley is built for this kind of price-checking habit. You can search for a product and compare current prices across Coles, Woolworths, and ALDI where data is available. You can check recent price history to see whether a promotion is a genuine drop or just a noisy shelf tag wearing a costume.

You can also add regular buys to a watchlist and get alerts when prices fall. If you're already in the store, scan a barcode to pull up available price information on the spot. For bigger shops, Smart Split can show when splitting your list across stores might be worth considering.

To be upfront: Discount Trolley doesn't prove that any product is legally excessive. It doesn't cover every product in every store, and it can't guarantee a specific saving. What it does is put price information in your hands so you can compare, spot patterns, and make your own call.

What this means for your next shop

The new law is a genuine step forward. It puts the biggest supermarkets under more scrutiny, and over time, that pressure matters. But legal enforcement plays out over years, and your grocery bill shows up every week.

While the system catches up, the best tool you've got is information. Check prices. Compare stores. Watch your regular items. If something looks off, you'll have the numbers to back up that gut feeling.

You don't need to wait for a court ruling to shop smarter. You can start with the next yellow tag.

Questions shoppers still ask