Coles website down after viral Reddit post sees customers buy cases of alcoholic drinks at nearly 80% discount
Coles supermarket's website and app went offline after a viral Reddit post led to a surge in traffic from customers seeking an 80% discount on alcoholic drinks. The price error, which originated from a price-tracking website, resulted in many orders being cancelled by the retailer.
Why it matters
Highlights the vulnerability of major retail e-commerce platforms to viral social media trends and the operational challenges of managing automated pricing errors.
The operators of price tracking website CW Scanner alerted Reddit users to heavily discounted 24-packs of alcoholic drinks on Coles online store. Composite: Reuters/Supplied The operators of price tracking website CW Scanner alerted Reddit users to heavily discounted 24-packs of alcoholic drinks on Coles online store. Composite: Reuters/Supplied Consumer affairs Coles website down after viral Reddit post sees customers buy cases of alcoholic drinks at nearly 80% discount Supermarket’s website and app go offline as customers save more than $100 on some 24-packs
Prefer the Guardian on Google The Coles website and app have gone offline hours after a viral Reddit post highlighted a nearly 80% discount on 24-packs of premixed alcoholic drinks.
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