First Saturday of the spring school holidays for Queensland families, with Victoria one sleep behind and New South Wales one week behind that. The Coles Nintendo eShop 20% window and the Woolworths Mastercard 10x Everyday Rewards window both close in 48 hours. Myer Mid Season, Myer Toy Sale and David Jones Mid Season stay live across the break. Here is the shopper read for Saturday 19 September.
Queensland Holidays Begin Today, Victoria and New South Wales Behind
Per the Victorian Government schools calendar, Term 3 finished for Victorian government schools yesterday, meaning today is the first weekend day of the break. Per Tourism Australia’s school holidays page, Queensland’s break runs Saturday 19 September to Monday 5 October, and Victorian government school holidays run Monday 21 September to Friday 2 October. New South Wales children stay in class until Friday 26 September before the eastern division break starts Monday 28 September.
Practical read for parents this morning: activity providers fill fast on the first weekend of the break, so lock the second week rather than trying to book Monday. For eligible NSW families, per the Service NSW voucher hub, two $50 Active and Creative Kids vouchers are available in 2026, potentially $100 combined at a single registered provider. Voucher 1 must be applied for and used by 31 December 2026, and Voucher 2 by 14 July 2027. Vouchers cover eligible sport, dance, music, art and craft activities and are single use per provider. Eligibility requires NSW residency, ages 4.5 to 18, and a parent, guardian or carer receiving Family Tax Benefit Part A or Part B in the current or previous financial year. Two of today’s Top 5 picks below map to the school holiday need list: Home & Living (House at 81% off for indoor activity days) and Books, Media & Hobbies (Booktopia at 60% off for a set of holiday reads).
48 Hours Left on the Week 38 Gift Card Windows
Per jimwhon’s OzBargain thread, Coles is running 20% off $30, $60 and $100 Nintendo eShop gift cards in store from Tuesday 16 September to Monday 22 September. That prices the three denominations at $24, $48 and $80 respectively. Per Vooks, there is a five card per customer limit, the offer is in store only, no rainchecks, and it excludes Coles Online, giftcards.com.au and Scan Shop Pay. A Coles gift card cannot be used to buy another gift card.
Per Tom Goward’s Flight Hacks weekly wrap, Woolworths has 10x Everyday Rewards points on fixed value $50 and $100 Mastercard “A Gift For You” cards in store from 16 to 22 September, capped at five per member with no activation required. A $100 Mastercard earns 1,000 Everyday Rewards points, worth roughly $5 in Rewards Dollars. The catch: each card carries a $5.95 purchase fee. Flight Hacks calls it a net loss for savings led shoppers, and it is only interesting if you already run Everyday Rewards to Qantas transfers at scale.
Practical shopper read: the Coles Nintendo 20% discount is the honest deal of the week. If a Switch is in the family and school holiday screen time is on the agenda anyway, this is the last full weekend to lock the discount. Buy only what will be redeemed inside the 12 month code window, and take the printed receipt home in case the code needs reissue. Check the gift card packaging for signs of tampering before you pay, and confirm expiry and usage restrictions on both offers before you commit.
Myer and David Jones Keep the Holiday Fashion and Toy Windows Open
Per Myer’s latest news page, the Myer Mid Season Sale runs 9 to 28 September and the Myer Toy Sale runs 14 September to 4 October, covering the entire QLD and VIC school holiday window. Per the live Myer toy sale page, the headline is up to 20% off toys with individual reductions ranging from 15% to 50%. Per the Myer bonus offer terms, Click and Collect orders over $99 placed by 11.59pm AEST Monday 28 September earn a $10 Myer Bonus Gift Card, issued at collection, with a $20 minimum transaction, one card per customer or MYER one member, and expiry two days after issue. On a return, the bonus card must be returned or its value is deducted from the refund, and it cannot be used at Myer Food.
Per the David Jones sale page, up to 50% off selected Australian designer fashion from Bec + Bridge, Aje and Bassike is live, plus 30% off selected women’s lingerie. The same page also lists selected handbags at up to 40% off and selected fragrance at up to 30% off, subject to individual product exclusions. Shopper read: use the department store campaigns for range, credit and returns comfort, and use today’s Top 5 below for deeper single item savings on fashion (Sports Girl at 90%), footwear (Ninewest at 60%) and bags and accessories (Colette at 80%).
Weekend Shop: Coles, Woolworths and the ALDI Saturday Drop
Per Coles’ catalogue finder, the Coles Week 38 catalogue is valid Wednesday 16 September to Tuesday 22 September. Per SaleFinder’s Coles wrap, half price highlights this week include Red Rock Deli or Smith’s chips at $4.25, Arnott’s Tim Tam 165g to 200g at $3, M&M’s, Maltesers or Pods at $3.50, Schweppes mixers, soft drink or mineral water four packs at $4, Pepsi, Solo or Mountain Dew 1.25L at $2, and Morning Fresh 900mL at $5. Family shoppers get Huggies Bulk Nappy Pants at $11 and Nature’s Way Kids Smart Vita Gummies at $16, with the listed exclusions applying.
Per Catalogue AU, Woolworths Week 38 is valid 16 to 22 September in most states, with Queensland listed 15 to 22 September. Half price examples include Bulla Creamy Classics and Allen’s medium bags. Per SaleFinder’s Woolworths wrap, Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 and Head & Shoulders Plus Shampoo 345mL are also half price, subject to the standard Everyday Low Price, Seasonal Price, Lower Shelf Price and clearance exclusions.
Per TrolleyChecker, today’s ALDI Saturday Special Buys include a Ferrex Spray Station at $179 plus Workzone, Deco Craft and Jazwares highlights. Per ALDI, Special Buys release every Wednesday and Saturday, stock is limited and varies by store, so shopping early on the drop day is the reliable move. Per the Wednesday 23 September preview, next week’s drop includes Wynns Estate The Siding Coonawarra Shiraz 2023 at $11.99, Pringles at $2.75, a Tim Tam Value Pack at $5.99, Ironbark Pork Scotch Fillet Roast at $11.99 per kg and Cadbury Favourites 470g at $11.99.
ACCC v Amazon on Prime Video Ads, and Rate Watch
Per the ACCC media release, the regulator has commenced Federal Court proceedings against Amazon AU and Amazon US over alleged unfair contract terms in its Prime subscription contracts. The ACCC alleges Amazon used terms allowing unilateral negative changes without a subscriber remedy, then relied on them when ads were introduced to Australian Prime Video in July 2024. Annual subscribers who had paid $79 upfront were then asked to pay an extra $2.99 per month to remain ad free. The regulator is seeking declarations, penalties, consumer redress, costs and other orders. These are allegations and have not been determined by the Court. Practical shopper note: if a Prime subscription is on your monthly bill anyway, check whether you are on the ad free tier and whether the extra $2.99 is worth it against the alternatives (Kayo, Binge, Netflix, Stan, ABC iview).
Per the Reserve Bank, the cash rate target sits at 4.35%, effective 12 August 2026, with the next Board decision due Tuesday 29 September at 2.30pm AEST. Per the ABS release calendar, Labour Force data lands Thursday 24 September at 11.30am AEST, the final labour print before the RBA decision, followed by the Monthly CPI Indicator Wednesday 30 September at 11.30am AEST. Household budgets are in a wait and see fortnight: today’s deepest discount categories are fashion, accessories, homewares and sport, which have the room to move ahead of the September quarter close.
Top 5 Deals of the Day
Five stores. Five categories. The deepest headline discounts surfaced from a Saturday morning sweep of every retailer live on It’s On Sale.
SportsgirlToday’s Top DiscountWomen’s Fashion90%OFF2
Rebel SportSport & Outdoors85%OFF3
HouseHome & Living81%OFF4
Colette by Colette HaymanBags, Jewellery & Accessories80%OFF5
Nine WestFootwear60%OFF% discounts shown are indicative across each store’s sale range. Individual product savings vary.
Other Deals Worth a Look
- Booktopia: up to 60% off across the books, media & hobbies range. A ready made stack of school holiday reads for the QLD and VIC break.
- Myer Toy Sale: up to 20% off with individual reductions of 15% to 50% through 4 October, covering the whole QLD and VIC holiday window.
- David Jones Mid Season: selected handbags at up to 40% off and selected fragrance at up to 30% off, alongside the 50% off Bec + Bridge, Aje and Bassike fashion.
- BCF: camping, fishing and outdoor gear on sale for the first weekend of Queensland holidays.
What to Watch This Week
Tomorrow Sunday 20 September is the last weekday to catch supermarket Week 38 half price lines before Monday. Monday 21 September opens Victorian school holidays. Monday 22 September closes the Coles Nintendo 20% window and the Woolworths Mastercard 10x window at both supermarkets. Wednesday 23 September brings the fresh Coles and Woolworths catalogue cycle plus the ALDI mid week Special Buys drop including the Wynns Coonawarra Shiraz at $11.99. Thursday 24 September at 11.30am AEST the ABS Labour Force release for August 2026 lands. Monday 28 September closes Myer Mid Season, followed by the Reserve Bank cash rate decision Tuesday 29 September at 2.30pm AEST and the ABS Monthly Consumer Price Index Indicator Wednesday 30 September at 11.30am AEST.