Coles, Woolworths speak out after Aussies notice steep price increase

Australians have lashed out at grocers over the skyrocketing price of a once affordable vegetable.

One customer was shocked to see the price of half a head of cabbage at Tugun Market Co. in Tugun, south-east Queensland.

They captioned a photo of the price tag: “13 bucks for half a cabbage…I’ll have to pass.”

Another shopper shared a photo of a whole head of cabbage that cost $9.80 in Woolworths.

“Woolworths has gone too far,” they wrote.

Commenters were surprised by the ‘crazy’ prices, with one claiming she had recently seen a full cabbage in Brisbane for $18.

“I wonder how much waste is created with these kinds of prices,” said one.

‘We’re not supposed to slowly starve to death on cabbage soup? I can’t even afford Great Depression meals in this economy,” wrote another.

“Cabbage used to be dirt cheap,” adds a third.

Woolworths currently charges $7.90 for a full Chinese Wombok cabbage, compared to $9.90 at Coles.

A Coles spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that this season’s cabbage harvest had been affected by recent weather changes.

“Due to challenging climate conditions across multiple states in Australia over the summer period, our cabbage supply has been impacted,” a spokesperson said.

‘We are working closely with our growers and expect cabbage availability to recover in the coming weeks.

‘Customers can still get great value for money on other vegetables at the moment, such as cauliflower, pumpkin and brush potatoes.’

Woolworths also blamed higher prices for reduced availability.

“We are currently experiencing a sector-wide cabbage shortage due to excessive heat and rainfall in the growing areas,” a spokesperson said.

‘We are working closely with our growers to support them during this time and are working to get supplies back to normal quickly.’

Other consumers shared the rise in coal prices at Woolworths (pictured) and Coles, with grocers blaming the jump on a stock shortage due to weather.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Tugun Market Co. for comment.

Meanwhile, a series of old catalogs have revealed the true extent of food price increases.

A 2014 archive catalog shows a 24-pack of Kleenex toilet paper costing just $10, while the same product costs $13.50 at Woolworths today.

Meanwhile, a 600g block of tasty cheese cost shoppers $6 a decade ago, with the product now doubling in price and worth $12.

In the same 2014 Woolworths catalogue, a 30-pack of soft drinks is on sale for $19, meaning the cans cost just 64 cents each.

In 2024, the same number of cans will cost Aussies more than double: $47.20.

Shoppers will be shocked to see that the price of chips has risen exponentially, with a 175 gram bag of Thins costing just $2 in 2014.

Right now, chip fans can get the same product for double $4, on sale from the usual price of $5.

In 2015, Cadbury chocolate bars cost just $3.50 each, while 750ml of olive oil set shoppers back just $8.50.

Now the chocolate costs $6, while the same amount of olive oil is now worth $20.

Another 2015 catalog from Woolworths shows TimTams costing $2 per pack, with shoppers paying double that in 2024.

Meanwhile, a series of old catalogs (including one pictured) have revealed the true extent of food price increases

Coles catalogs from 2014 show much of the same: a loaf of bread from Helga’s cost just $3 a decade ago and the same loaf now costs $4.90.

A block of Bega cheese used to set shoppers back just $4 at Coles, while the same product now costs $7.50.

Shockingly, the price of biscuits at Coles hasn’t changed much: Arnott’s whiskey fingers cost $2 in 2014 and are now available for $2.50.