Coles supermarket’s online platforms, including its website and mobile application, were taken offline on Saturday following a surge in traffic triggered by a viral Reddit post. The post, which appeared on Friday, highlighted a pricing error that allowed customers to purchase 24-packs of premixed alcoholic drinks, specifically Jack Daniel’s & Cola, at a discount of nearly 80% off the standard retail price.

As news of the pricing discrepancy spread across social media, the sudden influx of users attempting to capitalize on the deal appears to have overwhelmed the retailer's digital infrastructure. Throughout Saturday, users attempting to access the site were met with a maintenance message stating, “we’re currently offline – but not for long.” While the site briefly returned to service, it subsequently went down again, remaining inaccessible as of 3:30pm AEST.

Coles has not yet issued a detailed public statement regarding whether orders placed at the discounted price will be honored or canceled, nor have they confirmed if the outage was a deliberate measure to prevent further exploitation of the pricing error. The incident highlights the speed at which social media trends can impact corporate digital operations, particularly when financial incentives are involved. The situation remains ongoing, with customers awaiting clarification on the status of their transactions.