Coles Supermarket

A little further out of my way than my closest shopping centres (which only have Woolworths), this Coles offers a nice change with some different products. Not familiar with the layout, I found the signage very useful. There were no baskets available but plenty of trolleys, and the self-​serve checkouts were intuitive and easy to use. A very enjoyable shopping experience.

It’s a little bit tough to get excited about a Coles Supermarket. For most of us, places like this are a necessity rather than something we seek out.
For me, however, returning to a Coles after five years of living in the United States was something of an adventure. I was immediately struck by how much slicker and more modern this store, and Coles’ in general has become in my absence. The check-​out system is of the appropriate technology, mixing old-​school checkouts with the new self checkout option. The ailses are nice and wide, fresh produce, meats, bakery sections are all well presented and easy to navigate, and there’s a wide variety of products available, including all the well-​known brands.
Coles and Woolworths can suffer a little from homogenisation and this Coles location is no exception. The big players tend to have a very rigid list of suppliers they will buy from and products they will carry with it only being possible to stock things that Coles as a whole views to be worthwhile to carry. As a result, excitingly different finds are few and far between and one Coles store is pretty much the same as any other.
Coles Southlands may well be my Supermarket of choice now that I am back in Perth. For very specific items I will travel for what I want, but for stocking up on the basic needs of day-​to-​day life, this is an efficient, painless place to shop with all the modern conveniences.