I found a loophole at the grocery store that qualifies me for discount laundry powder almost every time I shop, and anyone can do it.
- Woolworths customer scored washing powder at a discounted price
- Linda made an online delivery but the product was out of stock
- Instead, they gave him a 4kg tub of washing powder for less
A mother has shared how she manages to get brand name cleaning products at a cheaper price.
Linda regularly orders groceries online and makes sure the ‘use substitute’ box is always checked. This means that if a product she wants is out of stock, the next best option will be included in the order.
The savvy shopper has used this tactic to their advantage by choosing the cheapest item while it was on clearance and hoping it will be substituted for a more expensive item if it’s not available.
This trick has worked several times, and on one occasion, while using the Woolworths app, Linda got a 4kg box of Fab laundry detergent, priced at $14.50, for a fraction of the cost.
Sharing the advice with a popular Facebook group, he wrote: ‘I was hoping this would happen. I ordered five Essential Washing Powders, $2 each on clearance. Out of stock, so I bought two boxes of Fab and three detergents for $10.’
When ordering groceries online, Linda always makes sure the ‘use substitute’ box is always checked. This means that if a product she wants is out of stock, the next best option will be included in the order. Linda states that if an unavailable item is replaced with one that is more expensive, the cheapest rate applies
If you had paid full price, all the items would have been $35, which means you saved $25.
Linda says that if an unavailable item is replaced with one that is more expensive, the cheaper rate applies. Although this may not apply to all supermarkets and delivery platforms.
Screenshots of the process show how the 4kg boxes of $2 Essential Top & Front Loader detergent were not available, so alternatives were packed instead.
‘Don’t you say two supplied $29, which means you paid full price?’ one asked in the comments of the post.
Linda said, ‘No, they always put the value of the price of the replaced item, but they don’t charge extra.’
Another joined the conversation and said, “They pay the $10, you don’t pay the difference in replacement values because it’s the fault of the stores that were essentially out of stock.”
Sharing the advice with a popular Facebook group, he wrote: ‘I was hoping this would happen. I ordered five Essential Washing Powders, $2 each on clearance. Out of stock, so I bought two boxes of Fab and three detergents for $10’ (file image)
The Woolworths website states that if an item is out of stock, the staff do their best to try to find a suitable alternative of equal or greater value. This is at no additional cost and buyers are only charged the price of the original item.
If a suitable substitute is not available, the customer will be reimbursed.
Similarly, on the Coles website, if a product is out of stock, an alternative will be listed if possible.
A Coles spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that customers can opt-in or out of purchase substitutions, and a lower charge is always applied if a product is out of stock.
“If a customer is happy to receive a replacement product that is out of stock, our fantastic personal shoppers will choose a similar item that is a different size of the same product or a different brand,” the spokesperson said.
‘A customer will only be charged the lowest price (between the product ordered and the replacement) and if a product is out of stock, the customer will not be charged for that item.
‘There are some products that we cannot substitute, such as baby formula. This is because products like this are specifically chosen by customers based on their personal tastes and preferences, and it would not be appropriate for us to replace them.”
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Woolworths for comment.
Previously, Linda received Handee ultra-white paper towels ($3.85) instead of the Coles paper towels ($1.90) she ordered.
Others say they’ve also been pleasantly surprised by the substitutions they’ve found in their Woolworths and Coles orders.
I had an amazing substitute on my last order. I bought Coles cereal ($2.90) but got Kellogg’s ($9.50)’, wrote one woman.
Another said: ‘I picked up my purchases yesterday and got this nice surprise from Woolies.
‘I ordered 1 pack of 65 dishwashing tablets (on sale for $32) and must have been out of stock because they substituted 2 packs of 50 ($56 each at full price)
A third said: ‘I was quite happy with my replacement last week. A $3.50 box of chicken tenders was exchanged for a $13 bag of tenders. It lasted me almost a week and a half instead of three days.
