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Coles and Woolworths are being urged to scrap member-only prices for customers who have joined membership programs. A parliamentary hearing into supermarket prices will take place in Melbourne on Wednesday, with consumer advocates to push for fairer prices at the check-out. The inquiry was launched in response to allegations of major supermarkets price gouging customers, ripping off suppliers and strangling competitors.
“Member-only pricing is an unfair pricing practice, as it pushes consumers to sign up to rewards programs — providing their personal information and detailed purchasing behaviour in exchange for cheaper products,” its submission said. “This is particularly inappropriate when applied to essential products like groceries, as everyone should be able to access affordable groceries without joining a membership program.