ALDI vs Coles prices: Special Buys vs everyday unit price

What ALDI vs Coles prices actually asks

Comparing ALDI and Coles usually means weighing two different habits. ALDI Special Buys are short runs that rotate hard. Coles specials can shout huge percentage badges on branded lines. Everyday unit price is how you size the staples you buy every week when pack sizes differ.

We make Discount Trolley, so the bias is obvious. Search current prices, read the unit price, check Today's deals and keep your list, then compare stores live, scan barcodes, check price history and let Smart Swap suggest a cheaper comparable pack. Woolworths, Coles, ALDI, IGA, Harris Farm, Priceline and Chemist Warehouse where data is available. Not affiliated with those stores. The shelf can differ from the screen. Live prices need a connection.

This post is not a national cheapest-chain crown. It walks named Discount Trolley screens: loud Coles deals on Today's Best Deals, a Compare Stores row that shows when a Coles special is missing at ALDI, and a unit-price read on a staple pack. For a Coles versus Woolworths walkthrough, read the Coles vs Woolworths prices post. For a Woolworths versus Coles basket angle, read Woolworths vs Coles for your basket.

• You mix ALDI Special Buys with Coles staples some weeks.
• You want unit price on everyday sizes, not vibes about which chain wins.
• You treat a percentage badge as a claim to check, including whether ALDI even stocks that SKU.

Coles specials can shout. That is not the same as an ALDI win.

On Today's Best Deals in mid September 2026, Discount Trolley showed two Coles lines with loud badges. Beach Road Naturals Paw Paw Extract sat at $1.00 was $10.00 with a $9.00 saving badge and 90% OFF. Oral B Pro100 Cross Action Electric Toothbrush sat at $8.00 was $56.00 with a $48.00 saving badge and 86% OFF.

Those are real Coles specials from that screen. They are not proof that Coles beat ALDI on your basket, and they are not a household saving promise. Special Buys and Coles catalogue shout both reward the shopper who asks a boring second question: is this the same product, the same size, and is it even stocked where I shop?

Start with Today's deals and unit prices. When a Coles badge needs an ALDI check, live cross-store comparison puts the same product side by side across stores, where data is available.

• Read current price and was-price together.
• Do not crown a chain from two Coles deal cards.
• Ask whether ALDI even carries that SKU before you detour.

When Compare Stores says not available at ALDI

On the Oral B Pro100 Cross Action Electric Toothbrush Black product page, Discount Trolley showed Coles at $8.00 was $56.00 with a $48.00 saving badge and 86% OFF, plus unit price $8.00 per ea. The Compare Stores row said not available at ALDI or Priceline, with limited availability and no Coles store selected yet.

That is the same-SKU trap. A Coles special can look unbeatable while ALDI simply does not stock that line. Special Buys will not magically fill a missing SKU either. Live cross-store comparison is where you see the miss without opening three retailer apps.

We are not inventing a saving from that screenshot. Your suburb and your store decide the number. Confirm on the shelf before you buy.

• Use Compare Stores when a Coles special needs an ALDI check.
• Read limited availability before you drive for a percentage badge.
• If ALDI does not stock it, judge a different size or brand on unit price instead.

Everyday unit price still sizes the staples Special Buys leave behind

Special Buys are great when the limited run matches something you need. They are a weak plan for the milk, shampoo and pantry lines you buy most weeks. Everyday unit price is the habit that still works when ALDI and Coles pack sizes disagree.

On a Pantene Pro-V Smooth & Sleek Shampoo for Frizzy Hair 375mL product page, Discount Trolley showed Woolworths at $10.00 and unit price $2.67 per 100mL. The same screen also showed Woolworths Sydney Metcentre Metro did not stock it, while 35 other Woolworths stores did, plus a note that Metro prices may increase versus standard Woolworths.

Use that same $ per 100mL read when you size an ALDI private-label bottle against a Coles branded pack. For the whole basket, comparative unit-price insight and Compare Stores show where each line sits across stores.

• Read $ per 100mL or $ per 100g before pack size theatre wins.
• Treat Special Buys as optional extras, not the whole weekly plan.
• Check stock notes before you trust a ticket from any chain.

How to run an ALDI vs Coles prices check before you shop

Put the staples you actually buy into Discount Trolley. Read ordinary unit prices. Open Today's deals for loud Coles specials. Run Compare Stores on anything that looks theatrical and note when ALDI is missing.

On one My List screen in mid September 2026, Discount Trolley showed a $15.25 total and a $57.00 savings badge with Woolworths (1), Coles (2) and ALDI (0). 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. ALDI (0) on that list means those lines did not land at ALDI for that trolley. That is useful data, not a national ranking.

When store totals disagree, decide with trip cost. For a wider ALDI, Coles and Woolworths overview, read Woolworths vs Coles vs ALDI. For the split-shop decision, see whether you should split your grocery shop across two stores.

1. List the real staples you buy.
2. Read unit prices before Special Buys or Coles badges win the week.
3. Use Compare Stores when ALDI availability is the question.
4. Confirm on the shelf.

Questions shoppers still ask