Coles Website Crashes After Pricing Error Causes Shopping Frenzy
The Coles supermarket website and mobile application went offline on Tuesday following a technical error that offered massive discounts on alcoholic beverages. The issue began after a post on the social media platform Reddit alerted thousands of users to a mistake that reduced the price of 24-packs of premixed drinks by nearly 80 percent.
As news of the bargain spread quickly across the internet, a large number of shoppers rushed to the Coles website to place orders. The sudden surge in web traffic overwhelmed the company’s digital systems, causing both the website and the app to crash and become inaccessible to the public.
Coles confirmed that they were aware of the technical problem and took their online platforms offline to fix the issue. A spokesperson for the supermarket chain stated that the company is currently working to resolve the error and restore normal service for all customers as soon as possible.
This incident highlights how quickly information can travel on social media and the impact it can have on major retailers. While many shoppers were eager to take advantage of the accidental discounts, it remains unclear how Coles will handle the orders that were placed while the incorrect prices were live on the site.