Scanned Icecream at Woolworths That Was Purchased at Coles

LBilalwentwild on 13/01/2025 - 01:43
Last edited 13/01/2025 - 10:26 by 1 other user

Hi OzBargainers, earlier this month, my wife was doing our monthly grocery shopping at Woolworths, while I watched our 3-year-old daughter at the mall. It was a warm day, and my daughter asked for ice cream. So, I went to Coles in the same mall and bought a 4-pack of Peter's drumsticks, enjoying 2 cones myself.

I then received a call from my wife asking me to come to Woolworths to help with the scanning. When I arrived, I realized she had forgotten to pick up my Up&Go drink. I left the half-eaten box of drumsticks in the trolley and grabbed my flavoured milk from the store.

Later that day, after we got home, I found out that my wife had scanned the ice cream box at Woolworths as well. The price at Coles was $4.50, while Woolworths charged $9.50. I decided I would return to the store on my next trip to rectify this.

Today, I spoke with the in-store manager and explained our mistake. She informed me that they couldn’t issue a refund because Coles and Woolworths sell many similar products, and she could have assisted me if I had contacted them on the same day. I was curious, though—since Woolworths is a large retailer, shouldn’t their inventory be recorded via the barcodes of product batches? Wouldn't this allow them to distinguish their products from those sold by other retailers?

Food & Grocery Ice Cream Peters

Related Stores

Woolworths
Woolworths

Comments

    • Bilalwentwild on 13/01/2025 - 14:10
      +1

      This! I know my shortcomings, and no matter how much my introverted mind tries to speak out loud, I am failing at this skill. I e-spoke to so many bargainers today but face to face with my spouse, I am always short of words!
      We are going off topic now

  • redfox1200 on 13/01/2025 - 14:08
    +7

    just go buy more at coles and return them to woolies

    • Bilalwentwild on 13/01/2025 - 17:32

      Sounds like a Plan!

    • jv on 13/01/2025 - 23:23

      Thanks for SPOILING it for the rest of us… 😠

  • BewareOfThe Dog on 13/01/2025 - 15:41
    +2

    As stated, barcodes do not have to be batch specific. They are only for that item. So an epson ink cartridge is the same at hn, dm, jb, gg, ow etc, if it is the same size, volume etc. Even new packaging, can have the same barcode. Barcodes starting with 93 usually have Australia as the country, where they are sold. The next 5? Usually indicate the supplier, and the next 5 is the product number. Last digit is a check digit. All codes are registered, so they don't double up. Items like meat, have batch barcodes, so they can monitor expiry dates, sizes, (i heard) but they allocate to a product item. Ie rump steak .

    When i first started at hn, back in the 90s, we had to create our own 8 digit barcodes, which were store specific (and not registered). We then would have companies, where when a new version was released had a new barcode, which made inventory management a nightmare.

  • noz on 13/01/2025 - 15:45

    The amount of time spent on fussing about $9.50.

  • snappy1234 on 13/01/2025 - 15:54
    -2

    Is the expiry different on the Woolworths ones compared to Coles ?

    Just a thought.

    • BewareOfThe Dog on 13/01/2025 - 16:18

      95% chance it will be different, but barcode should still remain the same, unless it's a different size, or exclusive.

  • wetsandwich on 13/01/2025 - 16:20
    +2

    Cmon man, you have to write this one off and stop looking for anyone else to blame.

    While your reason is legit to you, as someone who has worked at one of these stores, I can tell you that people come back every day with dodgy shoplifting exchange/refund stories like this all the time. Like they shoplift the thing when it's on sale, then try to return it when it's not on sale, essentially doubling their money on an item they stole. You didn't do this - but it LOOKS exactly like that.

    • ronnknee on 14/01/2025 - 09:22

      Like they shoplift the thing when it's on sale, then try to return it when it's not on sale, essentially doubling their money on an item they stole

      Feels like the first part is irrelevant. Whether they shoplift when the item is on sale or not, as long as they return the item when it's not on sale, they'll get the same amount (normal price) back.

  • netjock on 13/01/2025 - 16:26

    I then received a call from my wife asking me to come to Woolworths to help with the scanning

    Should tell her to take her time and you'll scan the next shop. That is also equality. You find out what could go wrong when there is duplication.

  • Schildkrote on 13/01/2025 - 19:12
    -2

    OP (family member) paid for something.
    Didn’t actually take said item from store (because what was scanned was already theirs)

    Open and shut case, take that thing and don’t scan when next at Woolworths, it’s already yours you merely paid in advance.

    • Bilalwentwild on 14/01/2025 - 08:49

      Emm, 2wrongs will not make 1right. But appreciate your thought process. Their stock stake will be spot on, too!

  • RealUltimatePapo on 13/01/2025 - 19:24
    +4

    I found out that my wife had scanned the ice cream box at Woolworths

    There's your answer. Sell the wife, get that $9.50 back ASAP

    • Bilalwentwild on 14/01/2025 - 06:18

      You are confusing the price of ice cream with Price of wife!😋

  • AndyC1 on 13/01/2025 - 19:39
    +1

    OP needs to wait until everything goes to the QR type codes that should have allot more info.

    Live and learn…..

  • joka on 13/01/2025 - 20:19

    The barcode you scan at the check out is a retail barcode assigned by Peter’s for that product. It’s the same product they sell to Cole’s and woolies and other retailers. Part of the barcode is assigned by GS1, a governing body that assigns numbers worldwide. It prevents duplicate barcodes.

    The inventory code does not change by the retailer ordering the product for many reasons unless it’s retailer specific.

    A lot/ batch number is assigned to the product typically at the time of manufacturer. It’s not a serialised item, not each item has a unique number. The batch number is typically associated to the manufacture date/ pallet. That’s usually a seperate barcode or it could be a concatenated barcode applied at the pallet level.

  • THICKnSLOW on 13/01/2025 - 20:38

    This must be the first ' I got self scammed at Colesworth' post, well done OP. 😁

  • jv on 13/01/2025 - 23:22

    shouldn’t their inventory be recorded via the barcodes of product batches?

    no

  • AustriaBargain on 14/01/2025 - 00:00
    +1

    Store managers must see all kinds of scams. I'm sure if you had the box on you and the manager compared to the boxes in the freezer, the batch numbers would be exactly the same because they probably come from the exact same distribution line.

  • snirodha on 14/01/2025 - 09:36

    1.
    So from what i know if the weight of the product is not correct woolworths warn you.
    2.
    And your wife didnt notice you bought ice cream from coles when you join her ?
    3.
    And she didn't notice box was opened.
    4.
    And you waited few days to rectify the issue with woolworths ?

    You need professional help !

    • Bilalwentwild on 14/01/2025 - 17:26
      -1

      Nice detective work. Let me answer these:
      1. She might have used skip bagging or other stuff to counter weight issue, I was not with her at that time.
      2. She noticed ice cream box in my hand and cone in daughter's hand, and assumed we picked them from Woolies.
      3. Open box doesn't warranted it was paid off, hence she scanned
      4. After doing monthly groceries there was no need to return to that mall for any shopping. I waited till I needed to actually buy something again. Mall is not at walking distance. Getting in and out of carpark is time consuming too.

  • Daabido on 14/01/2025 - 11:08
    +2

    We call that a diet Fanta moment, after a time when someone bought diet Fanta when they meant to buy regular. So any time something like this happens, we laugh, call it a diet Fanta movement, and move on with our lives. Seems to work.

  • Protractor on 14/01/2025 - 12:12
    +2

    Shop Aldi
    All those so called perks at Woolies cost you balls in a noose and money in the long run.You are spending more to fish for points etc.

  • duluxe2000 on 14/01/2025 - 14:22

    We should make a competition to demand grocery stores work like banks. At the end of the day they should count all their stocks.

    I remember last time an ATM didn't dispense cash but deduct my account. I complained to my bank (the ATM belong to another bank) and it took 2 months to return the money for me. Hmm

  • AnotherRedLight on 14/01/2025 - 16:18

    You would have been better off using the lines of product dissatisfaction.
    e.g. maybe there was a weird taste to them, or they were all melted when you go home, but you were home in less than 10 minutes.

    They would likely refund this, and i don't believe this is fraud, because there is no financial loss to woolworths, e.g. they didn't lose any product.

  • curtturtle on 14/01/2025 - 16:35
    +1

    Barcodes are registered with GS1 and for a company that may mean thousands of registered barcodes they have to sort out. If you then were to try and register based on retailer skus that would exponentially mean more work. For my previous company it would eat up most of a person's role for weeks dealing with barcodes for a small clothesline manufacturer for a company this size, what you are expectring would require soooo much work.

    As well as manufacturing lines be changed based on orders from retailers. Currently they can produce as many ice creams as they want and split them after based on orders. If they had different orders they would have to constantly stop the lines to swap our packaging based on estimates of what retailer is going to order what. That is a nightmare again.

  • mrkorrupt on 14/01/2025 - 17:22
    -1

    how about taking responsibility for your actions.
    Do you disagree with this statement of facts

    a responsible adult went to shop A
    and made purchases from shop A
    the responsible adult either knows what they purchased from shop A and / or head a record of their purchases
    that same responsible adult went to a shop B with the items from shop A
    that same responsible adult made selections from shop B
    while that same responsible adult was making a purchase from shop B, a child who is not responsible but under the care of that same responsible adult scanned an item which was from shop A, and that same responsible adult did not immediately notice this behaviour?

    Should we declare that the responsible adult shouldn't be responsible for the actions of the child
    or Should we declare that the responsible adult shouldn't be declared a responsible adult and have her be taken care by another responsible adult

    Furthermore what lesson is this teaching your child, it seems not taking responsibility is a trait you wish to instil in both your wife and child.

    • Bilalwentwild on 14/01/2025 - 17:31
      -1

      Either you didn't read main post or didn't understand. But that's ok

  • EvoQuattro on 14/01/2025 - 17:26
    +1

    Coles and Woolies most likely source from similar distributors. The amount of effort it would take for distributors to have company specific batches and inventory would be a nightmare…

    Coles and Woolies already have their own justification for price gouging and price inflation. Don't give them another one..

  • lunchbox99 on 14/01/2025 - 20:52

    Frankly this whole story sounds like BS.

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