My Experience with Woolworths
I got this app because I was sick of forgetting things on my grocery list. Every Sunday, I’d sit down to plan meals for the week and always miss something, like the sour cream for tacos. My partner suggested I try the Woolworths app to keep it all in one place. I’ve been using it on my Pixel 7 for about three days now, mostly to build my list at home. It’s pretty good for that. I can type in “spaghetti bolognese” and it suggests all the ingredients, which I can just tap to add. That part feels smart. But the real test was yesterday when I actually went to the store. That’s where the shine wore off a bit. I tried to use the scanner on a bottle of sauce to check the price, and I just stood there like a statue waiting for it to register. It felt like ages, and I could feel the person behind me with their trolley getting impatient. Later, at the self-checkout, the app completely froze when I went to open my rewards card. I had to close it and reopen it, which was annoying with a line forming.
Features Worth Noting
The best thing is definitely the list builder. I love that it sorts everything into categories like Fruit & Veg and Dairy. It actually matches the layout of my local Woolies, so I’m not running from one end of the store to the other. Having all my past receipts in one spot is handy too, for when I need to remember what brand of coffee I bought last time. The weekly specials tab showed me my usual yoghurt was on sale, which was a nice surprise. I also had to contact support because I couldn’t find an old receipt. They got back to me after a couple of days—not super fast, but the person was helpful and sorted it out, which I appreciated.
What Needs Work
The speed, or lack of it, is the main issue. It’s not just the scanner. Sometimes when I tap on a product image, it takes a second or two to load fully. In the store, that delay adds up and makes the whole experience feel clunky. The search can be weird sometimes. I looked for “plain flour” yesterday and the first few results were for cake mixes and sponsored items. I had to scroll to find the actual flour. The interface has a lot going on, with promotions and banners everywhere. It doesn’t feel clean, it feels like I’m being advertised to constantly, which is a bit overwhelming.
Pricing
It’s a free app, so you can’t complain about the price. You’re not paying money for it. What you are doing is giving Woolworths all your shopping data, which they use to show you those personalised specials. For a free tool that holds my list and my rewards card, it’s fine. I’m not going to pay for a grocery app, so this does the job without costing me anything upfront. It just encourages me to shop there more, which is obviously their goal.
Developer Notes
The app is made by the Woolworths Group itself. It gets updated fairly often, I saw one just before I downloaded it. The updates seem to be for small fixes mostly. It feels like a big corporate app, designed by committee. It has every feature you could possibly want for shopping, but that might be part of the problem—it feels heavy. I wish they’d focus an update just on making the in-store bits, like the scanner and the rewards card, load instantly. That would make a huge difference.
Security & Privacy
It asks for a lot of permissions, like location, which I granted so it could find my local store. It has my payment info saved for click-and-collect orders, which makes me a little nervous, but it’s the same as having it saved on their website. They have a privacy policy that’s miles long, which I skimmed. Basically, they track what I buy to show me ads and offers. It’s a trade-off for using the app for free. I’m not super worried, but I know they’re collecting a lot about my habits.
How does the Woolworths app help with building a grocery list?
The app’s list builder is its standout feature. You can type in a meal name like 'spaghetti bolognese' and it suggests all the ingredients for you to tap and add. It also sorts items into store-matching categories like Fruit & Veg and Dairy, so you can shop efficiently.
Can I use the Woolworths app to scan items and check prices in-store?
Yes, there is a barcode scanner for checking prices, but it can be slow. Users have reported that it takes a while to register a scan, which can be frustrating when you’re in a hurry or have people waiting behind you.
Why does the Woolworths app freeze or run slowly sometimes?
Performance issues like freezing or slow loading are common, especially when opening the rewards card at self-checkout or tapping on product images. These delays can make the app feel clunky in-store. Closing and reopening the app usually fixes a freeze temporarily.
How do I find a specific item in the Woolworths app when search results are messy?
The search can show sponsored items and cake mixes before plain flour, so you may need to scroll past promotional results. To improve accuracy, try using more specific terms or filtering by category. It’s not perfect, but you’ll usually find what you need after a bit of scrolling.
How does the Woolworths app compare to Coles’ app for grocery shopping?
Both apps are free and offer similar list-building features, but Woolworths’ list builder is praised for its ingredient suggestions and store-matched categories. However, Coles’ app is often reported to have smoother in-store scanning and a cleaner interface with fewer ads, while Woolworths can feel cluttered with promotions.
