Why Supermarkets Are Changing Roast-Chicken Portions and Shopping Baskets
Coles and Woolworths are making two quiet but noticeable changes in their stores. One involves the roast chicken. The other involves the shopping basket. Both point to the same shift: Australians are buying groceries more often and in smaller amounts.
A Roast Chicken, Cut to Order
Coles and Woolworths have started selling half and quarter roast chickens in select stores. A whole bird costs $13 at either chain. At Coles, a half chicken is priced at $7, which is a 50-cent premium over buying the whole chicken and portioning it yourself.
Woolworths has confirmed similar half and quarter pieces for its Country Style Hot Roast Chicken and its Macro Free Range Hot Roast Chicken, though only at selected locations. The smaller cuts are aimed at single shoppers, small households, and anyone who wants a ready meal without carving an entire bird.
The convenience is real, but so is the premium. For an extra 50 cents, the supermarket does the cutting. That tradeoff appears to be part of a broader trend: pre-peeled vegetables and pre-cut produce are also taking up more shelf space in the same aisles.
A Basket Built for the Hip
Coles has also introduced a new shopping basket in its Coles Local metro stores. The black, single-handled basket has curved sides designed to sit comfortably against the shopper's hip. Coles says the shape offers greater capacity and ergonomic benefits compared with standard rectangular baskets.
The new baskets are not available everywhere. That is deliberate. Coles Local stores serve shoppers who tend to visit more frequently for smaller shops, which means they are more likely to carry a basket than push a trolley.
A curved basket may sound like a minor design detail, but it solves a familiar problem. Ordinary baskets dig into the arm when full. A basket that rests on the hip shifts the weight and makes one-handed carrying far easier.
What Is Driving the Change
The common thread is how often people now shop. Finder research cited by Nine.com.au found that 33 per cent of Australian shoppers visit supermarkets more than once a week, with a lower average spend each time. That changes what supermarkets need to design for.
A weekly mega-shop calls for trolleys, bulk packs, and whole birds. Frequent small trips call for baskets that are comfortable to carry, prepared food that can be eaten quickly, and portions that do not require planning around leftovers.
Neither change is revolutionary on its own. Taken together, they show that supermarkets are adjusting their physical equipment and their fresh-food offerings to a shopping habit that looks very different from the one that defined Australian grocery retail for decades.
Shoppers will still find whole roast chickens in most stores. They will still find standard baskets at many checkouts. But the fact that chains are testing portioned poultry and hip-friendly baskets suggests they expect the smaller, faster shopping trip to stick around.