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. 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.

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 the first honest check when pack sizes differ between Coles and Woolworths.

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. The product page gives you both, and Compare Stores shows whether the same product is stocked at other stores.

• 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 shows ordinary unit prices on product pages, and live cross-store comparison and price history help you 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.
• Check price history and Compare Stores before a big badge wins you over.

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 same 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 first, then use live cross-store comparison to see how the same basket looks at other stores.

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 unit prices and one list as your first pass.
• Turn on live compare when the basket needs store totals.

How to run this check before your next shop

Write eight to fifteen staples you actually buy. In Discount Trolley, open each product page and read the ordinary unit price first. Note Metro warnings and stock misses. Then run live cross-store comparison on the list, and 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.

Questions shoppers still ask