By Makayla Muscat for Daily Mail Australia
02:59 21 Jul 2024, Updated 03:12 21 Jul 2024
A small red mark appears in Coles Self-checkout systems that may help save customers money.
The label is attached to scanning machines and advises shoppers to remove loose fruit and vegetables from non-supermarket bags before weighing them.
“Do you use your own bags that do not contain fresh produce from Coles?” the message says.
‘Make sure to remove your fresh produce before weighing it at checkout so you only pay for what you buy.’
The company said this only applies to products sold in bulk, such as potatoes, onions, apples and tomatoes.
As is the case Cost of living Australians are looking to cut back on unnecessary spending.
According to the latest research from Finder, 42 per cent of Australians admit their grocery bill is one of the biggest financial stressors they face.
The average household spends nearly $10,000 a year on groceries, or $258 a week for a family of four.
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With so many struggling to afford basic necessities, it’s no surprise that people don’t want to pay more for a product than they get.
Depending on the weight of the product bags, which can be 10 grams or more, shoppers may be subject to additional fees if they ignore the label.
However, Coles said shoppers need not worry about removing fresh produce from the mesh bags they buy at the supermarket.
Shoppers have also been told they can continue to weigh their fresh food in plastic produce bags provided in stores across the country.
“For our customers’ convenience, we have lightweight bags available for use when shopping for fresh produce,” a Coles spokeswoman said.
“In addition, we have reusable mesh bags from Coles available to purchase, both of which are designed to work with our scales.
“However, we also know that some of our customers like to bring their own bags when shopping with us – and this sign is there as a friendly reminder to those customers to remove their products before weighing them so that the scales only calculate the weight and price of their products (not the weight of the bag).”
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