Woolworths Review Australia: What Customers Really Think

Woolworths has a rating of 1.7 out of 5 stars on ProductReview.com.au. Over 6,000 people left that rating. That's a low score for sure. But it's not the whole picture, so let's find what shoppers are actually saying, using real numbers from review sites and independent research.

Woolworths Reviews:

These come straight from the platforms. ProductReview.com.au is Australia's biggest review site, so that 6,000+ number actually means something — most brands don't get anywhere near that many reviews.

Shoppers researching Woolworths reviews Australia-wide first on one of these three sites, plus Google reviews, where complaints about delivery and pricing show up just as often as they do here. The pattern repeats no matter where you look.

Here's the thing about review sites though: people mostly show up to complain. Someone who had a normal, boring shop doesn't usually log on to write five stars about it. So this 1.7 rating is probably worse than what the average weekly shopper experiences. It's not fake, but it's skewed.

What Customers Actually Like

Even with a low score overall, a few things keep coming up in the good reviews.

People also like the app. Specifically the saved list feature, which a few reviewers say genuinely speeds up the weekly shop, even when other parts of the order go sideways.

And Click and Collect, when it works, gets solid feedback. Reviewers mention staff loading groceries straight into the car and not making a fuss about it.

One more thing worth a mention: shoppers who stack a Woolworths promo code with their order tend to leave more forgiving reviews overall, even when delivery hiccups happen. Saving a bit of money seems to soften the blow.

Woolworths Reviews Complaints: What Customers Are Frustrated About

No point pretending the complaints aren't there. Here's what shows up most.

Substitutions nobody asked for:

This is the big one. People tick "no substitutions," write it in the notes, and still get a different item. One reviewer ordered 13 of a discounted product and got something else entirely, no warning given.

Stuff just not turning up:

Cold meats, dairy, produce — gone missing from delivery orders. Sometimes the driver swears it was packed. The customer still opens an empty bag.

Cancelled orders, no explanation:

This one shows up a lot on Trustpilot too. An order gets cancelled hours before it's due, and the only thing the customer gets is a vague email.

Bad produce:

Rotten lettuce, mouldy grapes, soft tomatoes. Comes up constantly for online orders, which makes sense — you can't squeeze a tomato through a screen.

Prices are creeping up:

A few reviewers tracked specific items, like bread or home brand milk, going up more than once in a matter of months.

Search "Woolworths Google reviews complaints" and you'll find the same five issues repeating across different store locations, which tells you these aren't one-off bad days. They're patterns.

Has Woolworths' Reputation Actually Changed?

This is where it gets interesting, and where the data goes beyond just star ratings.

Roy Morgan has tracked brand trust in Australia since 2017. They're not a small outfit either, over 80 years in the business. And their numbers tell a wild story: Woolworths was Australia's Most Trusted Brand in 2023. By the 12 months to March 2026, it had slid to the fourth most distrusted brand in the country, right next to Coles in fifth.

That's not a small dip. Roy Morgan's own data shows Woolworths dropped 231 places between December 2023 and December 2024 alone, which the firm called the steepest trust decline it had ever tracked.

There's a bit of good news in the most recent numbers. Woolworths and Coles both climbed slightly in the latest quarter. Optus took over the title of most distrusted brand after the fatal Triple Zero outage in September 2025. So Woolworths isn't at rock bottom anymore. But it's still nowhere near where it used to be.

What's driving it? Pricing frustration seems to be a big piece, and that lines up with what's showing up in the individual reviews too.

Is Woolworths Reliable for Online Orders Specifically?

Online shopping pulls in a much bigger share of complaints than walking into a store. The pattern is pretty consistent:

1. Substitutions happen even when you've said no.

2. Items get marked as packed but never show up.

3. Orders get cancelled last minute with no real reason.

4. Produce quality drops when you can't pick it yourself.

If you do shop online with Woolworths, a few habits help. Write clear, specific delivery notes. Take a screenshot of your order before checking out. And check everything the moment it arrives so you can flag missing items the same day, not three days later. Applying a Woolworths promo code at checkout won't fix delivery issues, but it does take some of the sting out if something does go wrong. For the full breakdown of delivery windows, fees, and free delivery thresholds, check our Woolworths Shipping Guide.

So, Should You Trust Woolworths?

Millions of Australians shop there every single week without a hitch. That's worth keeping in mind next to the review numbers. The data paints a real, mixed picture: genuinely good staff, a useful app, but real weak spots in online delivery and pricing trust.

If you're picking between in-store and online, the reviews suggest in-store has fewer headaches overall. If online is your only option, the habits above go a long way toward dodging the most common problems people complain about.

And if you're comparing deals across multiple countries, Coupondopa AU also tracks verified discount codes for international brands, which can help offset some of those rising prices.

FAQs

What are the customer reviews of Woolworths?

Woolworths sits at 1.7 out of 5 stars from over 6,035 reviews on ProductReview.com.au, Australia's biggest review platform. Staff get praised a lot by name, and the app's saved list feature gets good feedback. Most complaints centre on delivery substitutions, missing items, and cancelled orders.

What are the most common Woolworths reviews complaints?

Mostly delivery-related: substitutions happening even after customers said no, missing items in delivered orders, and last-minute cancellations with no real explanation. Produce quality and rising prices come up a lot too, whether you check ProductReview.com.au, Trustpilot, or Woolworths Google reviews complaints directly.

Is Woolworths still a trusted brand in Australia?

Roy Morgan named Woolworths Australia's most trusted brand in 2023. By the 12 months to March 2026, it had dropped to the fourth most distrusted brand nationally. There's been a bit of recovery lately, alongside Coles, but both are still near the bottom.

Are Woolworths online reviews worse than in-store reviews?

Yes, pretty clearly. Online orders get hit with more complaints, mostly around substitutions, missing items, and cancellations. In-store visits get more mixed feedback, and staff often get praised even when other parts of the trip go badly.

Does using a Woolworths promo code improve the shopping experience?

It won't fix delivery problems directly, but reviewers who use a Woolworths promo code tend to report higher overall satisfaction, likely because the savings offset frustration when something does go wrong.