The competition regulator has taken Coles and Woolworths to court over what is commonly known as “was/is” comparative pricing.
竞争监管机构已将 Coles 和 Woolworths 告上法庭，理由是通常所说的“过去/现在”比较定价。
The allegations, which Coles said it would defend and Woolworths said it would review, could result in large fines and unravel the supermarkets’ well-known “Down Down” and “Prices Dropped” promotions, which are at the heart of their marketing campaigns.
Coles 表示将为其辩护，Woolworths 表示将审查这些指控，这可能会导致巨额罚款，并揭露超市著名的“Down Down”和“Prices Dropped”促销活动，这些促销活动是其营销活动的核心。
This is how the promotions worked, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), and why they allegedly breach consumer laws.
根据澳大利亚竞争和消费者委员会 （ACCC） 的说法，这就是促销活动的运作方式，以及它们涉嫌违反消费者法的原因。
In court documents, the ACCC cited the example of a 16-pack of Strepsils honey and lemon throat lozenges sold at Coles.
在法庭文件中，ACCC 引用了 Coles 出售的 16 包 Strepsils 蜂蜜和柠檬喉锭剂的例子。
It said that Coles offered the pack for $5.50 for all of 2021 and most of 2022 in its “Down Down” category, marked with a red sticker.
它表示，Coles 在 2021 年全年和 2022 年的大部分时间里以 5.50 美元的价格在其“Down Down”类别中提供该包，并标有红色贴纸。
The supermarket increased the price to $7 for 28 days, which the regulator described as a “price spike”.
超市将价格提高到 7 美元，为期 28 天，监管机构将其描述为“价格飙升”。
The Strepsils pack then went into another “Down Down” promotion at $6, advertising a “was” price of $7, when it was actually 9% higher than the long-term price of $5.50.
然后，Strepsils 包装以 6 美元的价格进行了另一次“Down Down”促销活动，宣传“原来”价格为 7 美元，而实际上它比 9 美元的长期价格高出 5.50%。
The ACCC claims that Coles had planned the temporary price spike to establish a new higher “was” price for the subsequent promotion after receiving a request from the supplier for a price increase.
ACCC 声称，在收到供应商的涨价请求后，Coles 计划了临时价格飙升，以便为后续促销活动建立新的更高的“原价”价格。
This helped Coles, at a minimum, maintain its profit margin on a grocery item while keeping the products in its promotional category, according to the regulator.
监管机构表示，这至少帮助 Coles 保持了杂货的利润率，同时将产品保持在促销类别中。
在法庭文件中，ACCC 引用了 Coles 出售的 16 包 Strepsils 蜂蜜和柠檬喉锭剂的例子。
A similar practice occurred on 245 products sold at Coles monitored by the ACCC, with the new promotional price almost always higher than the price charged before the spike.
在 ACCC 监测的 Coles 销售的 245 件商品上也出现了类似的做法，新的促销价格几乎总是高于峰值之前收取的价格。
This constitutes “misleading representations” according to the regulator and may have enticed consumers to purchase products based on false information.
根据监管机构的说法，这构成了“误导性陈述”，并可能根据虚假信息诱使消费者购买产品。
“The false or misleading representations concerned the price of household staples at a time of increasing cost of living pressures, and were made in the context of a program which Coles specifically promoted as being designed to help consumers make long-term savings on the cost of their groceries,” the ACCC said.
“在生活成本压力不断增加的时候，这些虚假或误导性的陈述涉及家庭必需品的价格，并且是在 Coles 专门推广的一项计划的背景下做出的，旨在帮助消费者长期节省杂货成本，”ACCC 说。
The affected products at Coles included well-known brands like Arnott’s Shapes, Band-Aids, Bega cheese, Cadbury chocolates, Coca-Cola, Colgate toothpaste and Whiskas cat food.
Coles 受影响的产品包括 Arnott's Shapes、Band-Aids、Bega 奶酪、吉百利巧克力、可口可乐、高露洁牙膏和 Whiskas 猫粮等知名品牌。
The separate proceedings against Woolworths include nearly identical allegations affecting 266 products featured in its “Prices Dropped” promotion, including Arnott’s Tim Tams, Palmolive dishwashing liquid, Raid insect spray and Oreo cookies.
针对 Woolworths 的单独诉讼包括几乎相同的指控，影响其“降价”促销活动中的 266 种产品，包括 Arnott 的 Tim Tams、Palmolive 洗碗液、Raid 杀虫剂和奥利奥饼干。
法庭文件称，从 2021 年 1 月到 2022 年 11 月，Woolworths 将其 370 克奥利奥家庭装定价为 3.50 美元，然后在 22 天内价格飙升至 5 美元。
The court documents allege that Woolworths priced its 370g Oreo family pack at $3.50 from January 2021 to November 2022, before the price spiked to $5 for 22 days.
法庭文件称，从 2021 年 1 月到 2022 年 11 月，Woolworths 将其 370 克奥利奥家庭装定价为 3.50 美元，然后在 22 天内价格飙升至 5 美元。
It was then returned to the “Prices Dropped” promotion for $4.50, which was 29% higher than its long-term regular price.
然后，它以 4.50 美元的价格返回到“降价”促销活动中，这比其长期正常价格高出 29%。
