Coles has raised the price of its standard paper shopping bags from 25 cents to 30 cents, a 20% increase, Yahoo Finance reported. Larger chiller bags also rose in price, from $4 to $4.20. The move drew criticism from some shoppers on social media, with one describing it as an un-Australian act.
The price rises came after Coles Group reported a $1.09 billion after-tax profit for FY26. Woolworths and Aldi paper shopping bags remain priced at 25 cents, and neither has announced plans to raise bag prices.
A Coles spokesperson said the retailer had recently adjusted the price of selected bags. The spokesperson said value matters to customers and the company had tried to keep the increases as small as possible. Individual product prices sometimes need to rise because of changes in costs including materials and transport, the spokesperson said.
Coles defended the price rise on the basis of rising operating costs and stated it had worked to limit the impact on customers. The spokesperson said customers can bring their own reusable bags and are encouraged to do so wherever possible.
Some shoppers questioned why bag costs kept rising after free single-use plastic bags were removed. Other shoppers said the price change was not significant and suggested customers simply bring their own bags. In 2018, both Coles and Woolworths ended the practice of giving away free single-use plastic bags, with environmental concerns cited as the reason, and paper bags that customers pay for were introduced in their place.
Coles' flat bag fee for online orders currently sits at $2, regardless of the number of bags needed to pack an order. The retailer raised its online flat bag fee from $1.50 to $2 in May, notifying shoppers during checkout before orders were finalised. Woolworths charges a similar $2 flat bag fee for online orders.
Coles customers buying paper bags at the checkout will now pay 30 cents per standard bag and $4.20 for a larger chiller bag. Online shoppers continue to pay a $2 flat bag fee per order.
Reporting: Yahoo Finance, 7NEWS
Written by Pick & Scroll News from the reporting and documents linked above.
