Coles digital platforms go offline after viral post exposes 80% alcohol pricing error
A technical glitch on Coles’ website and app offered steep discounts on 24-packs of beer and premixed drinks, prompting a site-wide outage and refund process for affected customers.
The Coles website and app experienced multiple outages on Saturday following a viral Reddit post that highlighted a significant pricing error on alcoholic beverages. The glitch, which reduced the cost of 24-packs of premixed drinks and beer by nearly 80%, caused the digital platforms to display an offline message for several hours before being restored in the afternoon.
The error was first identified by the operators of price tracking website CW Scanner, who noted that 24-packs of Jack Daniel’s & Cola 330ml bottles, sold via Coles’ subsidiary Liquorland, were marked down from $130 to $27. This represented a saving of $103, or just under 80 percent. The Reddit post, which attracted more than 180,000 views, prompted other users to place online orders at the discounted rates, with some reporting that local liquor stores matched the prices.
Coles confirmed the issue in a statement, attributing it to a technical error that incorrectly priced select 24-pack beer and ready-to-drink products. The company stated that the error had been corrected and that impacted customers were being notified. Coles added that any customers charged for the affected items would be refunded in accordance with its normal refund process.
CW Scanner identified at least 20 cartons of beer and 46 cases of premixed drinks affected by the discounts. The average discount on beer was approximately $49, while premixed drinks saw an average reduction of $111. The largest single discount applied to 24-packs of Smirnoff Crush Mango & Peach Zero Sugar cans, which fell from $202 to $29, a saving of $173.
The operators of CW Scanner suggested the error may be linked to AI integrated into Coles’ platforms, potentially due to a wildcard search term that captured 24-packs when searching for smaller formats. They noted that if the AI was deeply integrated into the system, it might explain why the entire site had to be taken offline to resolve the issue.
This incident follows previous reports that promotional prices at Coles and Woolworths have switched on and off in sync over the past two years. Earlier this year, a court also found that Coles’ “Down Down” promotions in some cases falsely led customers to believe they were enjoying a true price reduction.
