Coles Supermarkets Australia
Reviews and Complaints

This product's expiry date was March 2014 and it was the 95gms size. You could tell from the minute you opened it
that it did not look right and whereas it usually has a liquid/oily consistency with the tuna, this was more of a solid consistency. It also had a very metallic taste to it when I tested a tiny piece, it was not right. The marking on the tin was UT1342 L170311 - C2234 BBE: 17 03 2014. My son and I eat a lot of this product and this is the first time that I have had a problem.

Coles fresh orange juice is fizzy, ever since the packaging has changed. Even though it says no added preservatives?
Orange juice should not be fizzy...

Last week I went to Aldi for the first time in about 2 years. I've been to Aldi stores less than half a dozen times since they arrived on the Gold Coast. I usually shop at Coles and occasionally at Woolies.

As I live only 2 miles from Miami One, the Coles there is the supermarket I prefer to shop at and I visit several times a week, having done so since it opened. I have always had very good service there, and have sent a couple of emails mentioning exceptional service when I've received it.

I'm not familiar with the Aldi "routine" so while there I had to buy 4 plastic shopping bags to take my groceries home. Yesterday I took the 4 Aldi shopping bags to Coles with me. I thought it would be useful to "recycle" them, and the green bags I keep in my car are getting a bit tacky with beach sand and dog hairs on them. I had no idea that the Aldi bags would cause a problem in Coles.

I had $160 worth of groceries and went to the checkout, with Cheryl an older lady serving as checkout "girl". Cheryl grabbed my Aldi bags and shoved them down to the end of the checkout and said, "I won't be using THOSE bags. If you want to use them, you'll need to put your own groceries in them." I wasn't sure I'd heard correctly, so I said, "Sorry?" and Cheryl said again, "I won't use those bags, you can put your own groceries in them if you want to."

It was quite busy at the time, and there was a queue behind me, I don't like confrontation either, so I just quietly said, "Is this company policy?" and Cheryl said, "It's at our personal discretion." She didn't look me in the eye, and had an expression of distaste, making me feel as though I was being punished for doing something disgusting.

I watched while Cheryl used the Coles regulation issue grey plastic bags, and slunk home feeling like a leper. By the time I got home though, I decided to give Coles Miami a phone call, and I was put through to "Malcolm" who was the manager. I told him what had happened, and he denied that use of other stores' bags was at "personal discretion" and that he would be having a word with Cheryl. Our phone call was brief, he seemed to be in a hurry, and I didn't feel as though Malcolm had heard me out or taken me seriously.

I am still feeling very unhappy with the treatment I received from Cheryl, humiliated in front of a queue of other customers, and I am annoyed that she felt the need to lie to me about the "personal discretion".

I am a homewares distributor, with a "territory" of 2, 500 homes from Miami to Burleigh, and I have lived in Miami for 12 years. I know EVERYONE and have a very large number of friends and acquaintances, many of whom will be told the story of the cranky checkout woman in Coles who refused to use my Aldi bags and treated me disdainfully.

Shopping at coles on saturday 10:03 am just got some fruit tarts and lebanese bread, dry biscuits, tea.
Total of sale $12.06 lady said cash out I said no, then pin and go gave me receipt and I went home.
Sunday afternoon just checking my bank on line and see coles $72.06 cash out $60.00 and $12.06 perches.
Well I saw red what the hell is going on I never get cash out at supermarket.
So you people out there now always check your dockets when they say cash out.
Because it might go out and you don't know it has, I am going to coles to day and will let you know how I got on. shoppers beware.

I got called over to a register from a woman, who was clearly rude, she told me to put back the closed sign, then had the nerve to ask if everything was ok, i said "fine" and i asked how she was? and are you sure.

i just find her whole agreesive manner rude and her behavior showed she was clearly not well.
I wish to let others know that if someone is rude no matter how small, to report it

Her name from my memory was hanna from surry hills

kind regards people

I have just had another bad experience with the Manager and staff at Coles in Bluff Rd, Hampton. I saw a couple of bunches of flowers that had been marked down offered for sale in the flower section out of the front of the store. I put them in my basket and continued shopping. When I arrived at the checkout the girl said she couldnt sell them to me as they were past the useby date. I queried this and the Manager of the Store ( Acting Dry Goods manager Ahkmed) came over and said he was sorry he couldnt sell them to me. What was I going to do, eat them and get sick! they were still in good nick. I argued the point and said that I had bought them fairly and expected the sale as they had been offered for sale which constitutes a contract. They rudely took them off me and I was called an idiot, me? Dont get that. What is going on here? No offers of something else, just take them off me and abuse me. And deliberately embarrassed me in front of other customers. Last time I will shop there. This is the second time I have had problems with that store. I saw the item I wanted, I took it into my possession, and went to pay for it but they failed to deliver on the contract, breach of contract, no question.

When grocery shopping on 6 / 10 / 2011 noticed what i thought was a great special on the vanish napisan oxyaction 3kg with 50% free which mean i am paying for one and half kg at the price of $18. 06 special on my husbands closer inspection he found that it was cheaper to purchase 3 of the 1kg container and still save 6 cents so can coles answer my question what happened to the 50% free on the 3kg container, should i contact consumer affairs as this is blatent misleading advertising

I work for a Coles store in a very busy tourist township in WA, and I try to do my best to make our customers experience a pleasant one while visiting our store. However, due to new "Company Policies" feel that this will no longer be possible. We are NOT allowed to move from our registers to assist a customer if they are searching for an item in the store, but to point and send them in the right direction, we are NOT allowed to feel comfortable in our workplace either by being able to chose a register/co worker to work at or with, we are now made to feel more like robots than human beings, and due to Coles/Wesfarmers wanting to reach their profits every year they cut back on store wages but still want excellence in service. Those that are at the top, need to come and work on their feet for 7.6 hours a day, 5 days a week and keep on smiling while they do it under great duress, especially at peak times. One Power Ball and I am out of there.

On a Sunday morning while shopping with my partner.
We were near The meat section.
There were meat cutters behind the counter and one man said "I'd f*** her", and The other man said " f***ing slapper, I'd rather f*** the fat old cow over there".
And then called me a "f***ing monkey".
My partner who is of Greek heritage was furious, he asked the men for their names they tried to cover their name tags one was Loyd and the other he could not see.
They told him to piss off and held there knives up as a warning. We hZve not been back since.
This should not be allowed to happen.

rotten food in the fruit and veg department. and when you point it out to staff they roll there eyes at you.
and why are the bananas still 14.99 a kilo when they are $7 or $8 a kilo everywhere else?

Went to the checkout to pay for my groceries as the lady was packing my items, I mentioned to her that could I please not have the grocery bags overpacked as they split, only to have this ignored as she kept doing it, I mentioned it again stating that I have had these bags split once I have left coles because they are too heavy, only to be met with the response it only has 6 items in it, I said thats fine but coles wont cover my groceries when they split all over the pavement, she said who told you that, I said one of the ladies that works here, she said thats not true, so I said well keep overloading them then, to that she replied we will only cover the items if it is deemed that they have not been packed properly, and I said exactly. I really dont think that it is that unreasonable a request not to put up to 5kg of groceries in a flimsy grocery bag, only to be met with hostility when asked not to make them so heavy especially when I have had the bags split on me for this very reason.

Recently bought a jar of coles Sun- Dried Tomato strips.(new recipe).
Whilst eating the sundried tomato strips i suddenly found myself choking on something that felt sharp..As i managed to cough it up, i then picked the pieces out from my mouth and discovered that it was three little pieces of wood.About the size of broken down popsticle sticks.
So i then decided to take a further look into the jar and managed to find another piece of wood stuffed into the sundried tomato strips..whether it was from the way they process these tomato's im not sure but i do know is that it shouldnt contain any form of wood product..

Funny colour - do not taste right

My elderly mother was insulted by the 'manager' Teena after she accidentally knocked products from the shelf with her gofer, my mother made a comment about the isles being to narrow for her gofer. 'Teena' snarled at my elderly mother stating she wasnt the owner so take it up with them, my mother then asked her to reach something too high for her to which she humffed about and snatched it off the shelf and shoved it at my mother. This is your store manager?! no wonder the other staff aren't much better if this is their example to learn from. my mother left terrified and shaken. now I have to pick her up and take her to a store some distance away as she is loyal to Coles but will not return to the Collins parade Store at Hackham SA whilst such a nasty person runs it. So so verry dissappointing, surely there are decent people you could employ Coles, dropping your standards along with the prices?

I was shopping in Coles located in World Square. Prior to this, I had been to Aldi in North Sydney after a job trial. I had bought 3 cans of spaghetti of the brand "Corale", a brand exclusive to Aldi stores. Because Aldi don't supply bags and I didn't realize until i had already paid for my goods, I had my items in my hand bag. Before entering Coles World Square, I showed my items to a man at the check out and asked him for a plastic bag to place my 3 cans of spaghetti in with my receipt in fear of looking like I had stolen the goods. That was fine with him. Upon shopping, I noticed a security guard staring at me awkwardly a couple of times and got quite cranky about that as I was so careful prior to entering. I went through the register and payed for my goods, only to have this security guard that couldn't speak great English start yelling abuse at me that he saw me steal cans of spaghetti! I was there for a good half an hour trying to just get him to stop yelling and look at the receipts, as I had a receipt from Aldi and one from that moment listing everything I had on me. When I finally got him to look at the receipt, he demanded I find the date for him, which I did. This still wasn't good enough for him and he kept yelling and threatening to call the police. I eventually yelled back and told him to shut his mouth and go find a can of spaghetti of the brand "Corale" in the Coles store if a RECEIPT stating all the goods in my bag was not good enough, as "Corale" is a brand EXCLUSIVE to Aldi! Which he refused to do as he was so confident he had caught a thief! He kept yelling and I responded with "I will call the police myself for harassment if you do not do your job and look at these receipts properly! You didn't see me steal anything because i didn't, and I have the proof. I don't want either of us wasting the time of the police! And who do you think they will believe, your word or my physical proof!" I took each item out one at a time pointing to everything I had bought on my receipts [for the 4th or 5th time!] and asked him if he thought he may have made a mistake. Rudely he said, "Next time you report to me with your goods" which I may have done had I have noticed a security guard before I entered the store, instead I showed a Coles employee thinking this would suffice! Does this warrant me to be abused in public?! My brother is a security guard and he tells me I should certainly report him for harassment and this is what I am thinking of doing. I would like some kind of explanation, or information on the security company Coles employs as this incident may have ruined any chances I have of working for Coles or anywhere in world square after trying for a position so many times. Not a single Coles employee offered assistance. I can assure you if I was lucky enough to be employed with Coles I would be a model employee and could not stand by while I watched a customer telling a SECURITY GUARD to calm down and please read their receipt, claiming they didn't even stock the products the individual was being accused of. Especially while being hurled abuse by the guard ignoring proof.

Yesterday I shopped at both Coles and Kmart and the amounts were under $35. I submitted my credit card and the machine processed it without needing a signature or pin. The checkout girl told me that this is a new system. I would like to voice my complaint about this as I don't view it as customer service. Obviously this new system is meant to speed things up at the checkout but at the customer's expense as credit card fraud can be executed with no checks in place. I realise that $35 is not a large amount but with all the scams and frauds currently happening with credit facilities this leaves a very big hole in the security of my card.

How is this legal?
Brenda Williamson

I worked a day as a commercial cleaner at Coles Donvale, Victoria From Jun 13 through Jun 14 from 11 pm(night)-7 am(early morning.)

The cleaning subcontractor did not hand me cash of $167.68
(20.96/h(night shift)*8 hours.) Please let him immediately pay me the money to my accounts.

I kept calling the naturalized Australian guy that hired me yesterday, he was bald and wearing glass Korean speaking Australian. I will provide his phone number upon request.

I messaged him to pay me in cash to my bank account, and he does not pay me or message me, or answer my call, of whateversort.

Further on he was cooking the records. For three months just one cleaner was hired and he has worked for the last three months in a row without even having a day off, and without a substitue cleaner.

Also, they were making him check in as if two cleaners are working there, when in reality one person was working there. He was checking out as if one person finishing work at 3 am, and the other at 7 pm.

So I called Coles Donvale through the telephone number of [protected], and the staff named Ken Khew there was showing his temper to me, keep repeating that I need to only contact David, the subcontractor, and repeatedly said "Coles Donvale has nothing to do with it."

I recorded and captured lots of evidences that I can submit to the related department of the State of Victoria. I want this to be resolved peacefully.

I was a cleaner yesterday, but I'm also a customer who's entitled to have good customer service.

This is not a pleasant topic to talk on the phone, but he should have talked calm and nice, and his phone manner was absolutely inappropriate as a customer representive working as an employee.

I requested the staff to let me talk to Coles Donvale Administration office. And he was again showing temper and repeating that "Coles Donvale has nothing to do with it. and he only provided me the cleaning subcontractor's first name, David, whose name I never heard of, and didn't give me his phone number.

Coles Donvale was apparently aware that the subcontractor was cooking the book. Everyone working at night shift there was aware of that fact.

Having Only one guy clean the whole Coles Donvale which is way big big supermarket for three months already without even a day's off. I have plenty of evidences with regard to this.Cooking the records are really ugly business.That needs correction immediately.

I also heard the cleaning subcontractor maintain contracts with a few Coles in his area. Please contact me ASAP. This is really ugly Business and poor customer service.

I want this problem to be resolved immediately.

My son works for Coles and has been an employee for over 3 years. He recently purchased us a gold class gift card for our anniversary ($100 value), but during his break he left it on the table in the lunch room. It was in the bag with the receipt. When he realized and went back it was gone. He works the evening shift and no option but to wait til the next day to see if it had been handed in. Needless to say, it hadnt! He inquired from management about the video surveillance to see if this might assist but otherwise he has gotten no where with his appeals, nor does he know they even checked! We are outraged at the lack of concern Coles Management has expressed concerning this matter. If it was Coles that had been affected by this theft, they would not think twice about attempting to discover who was responsible and holding them accountable! I have made my concerns known to the Head Office. I do not intend to let this matter rest. Will be interesting to see the outcome.

We are NOT happy with the recent purchase of Coles Natural Spring water packaging! I went to grab it out of the fridge and my thumb went straight through the bottle lid and it really hurt. The water also went everywhere!

We would like something done about this...