How Pinch tracks grocery prices

What we track

Pinch monitors 74,000+ grocery products across four Australian retailers. For each product, we record:

• Current price (as shown online or in-store)
• Product name and brand
• Package size (weight, volume, or unit count)
• Category (produce, dairy, pantry, beverages, etc.)
• Availability status (in stock or delisted)

This gives you a complete picture of what grocery prices look like across the major Australian retailers.

How often we collect data

We collect prices weekly. This frequency captures price changes, special promotions, and long-term trends without overwhelming you with noise. Weekly collection is standard across price monitoring services because it balances responsiveness with data stability.

Each product in Pinch can have up to 52 weeks of history. That full year of data lets you see seasonal patterns (berries cheaper in summer, root vegetables cheaper in winter), price cycles (promotional weeks followed by regular price), and genuine permanent price changes.

What you see in Pinch

When you look up a product in Pinch, you're seeing the price you'd pay if you walked into the store or visited the retailer's website right now. This includes any current specials, multi-buy deals, or promotional pricing that's advertised nationally or online.

Your price history shows how that product has been priced over the past year. You can use this to decide whether today's price is genuinely competitive or if the product goes on sale regularly at a lower price.

What we don't show

Pinch tracks listed shelf prices only. We don't capture:

• Member-only discounts: Everyday Rewards boosts at Coles or Flybuys offers at Woolworths don't appear in our data because these vary by customer and change frequently.
• In-store markdowns: Reductions on near-expiry items or regional markdowns that happen at individual stores are not included.
• Regional price variations: Some fresh produce and regionally sourced products may vary between locations. Our data reflects national online pricing at each retailer.

This keeps our data consistent and comparable across all users. Member discounts are real savings, but they're specific to you and your membership status.

Data coverage and accuracy

Pinch covers online and national pricing across the four major retailers. Local stores may have slight differences in fresh produce pricing due to availability and supply logistics.

We cross-check prices against retailer websites and flag anomalies like sudden large price jumps, missing products, or duplicate listings. Our deduplication process uses product name and size to ensure you're comparing like-for-like.

If you notice a price that seems wrong, let us know via the app. Data accuracy is essential to our mission.

Why this matters

Price transparency helps Australian families make informed decisions at the supermarket. When you see 52 weeks of data, you can tell the difference between a genuine sale and a normal price cycle. You'll spot which products are regularly discounted, when to expect seasonal price drops, and whether a multi-buy deal is actually good value.

For a typical Australian family, understanding price patterns can mean saving hundreds of dollars per year on groceries.

Our commitment

Pinch is free, has no ads, and doesn't sell your data or shopping history. We're funded by Prices with Pinch Pty Ltd (ACN 692 824 463), an Australian company committed to helping families save on groceries.

This page is our transparency commitment. You deserve to know where grocery price data comes from and how it's collected.