Everyone loves a bargain, but Coles has been on the end of some curly questions about whether its “sales” are really saving shoppers any money.

It’s been dubbed the “consumer case of the century” and on Monday all eyes were on the Federal Court, as the supermarket giant faced off against the competition watchdog about allegations of price gouging.

Coles is defending claims it misled and deceived millions of shoppers with fake discounts.

The stakes are high for both sides in this case.

If Coles loses, it could face a fine of hundreds of millions of dollars, with the potential for a class action lawsuit to follow.

Then, of course, there’s the reputational damage – repairing and rebuilding the trust of shoppers is arguably a far greater challenge.

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