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Chemist slammed for 'outrageous' toilet paper prices

A chemist in the inner Sydney suburb of Potts Point has been accused of price gouging during the current toilet paper shortage.

A woman posted on a local community Facebook group the Priceless Compounding Chemist was advertising the sale of toilet paper but was outraged by the cost.

“Given I haven’t seen a roll anywhere in almost two weeks, I went in,” she wrote alongside an image of packs of 18 Kleenex toilet rolls on Saturday.

“These a**holes are profiteering by charging $20 a pack. Priceless.”

Locals quickly responded to the post, angered at the inflated price.

“Greedy! Shows how much they care about the community. It won’t be forgotten!” one person wrote.

Priceless Chemist in Potts Point accused of selling toilet paper for an inflated cost during the coronavirus toilet paper shortage.
Locals were angry when they heard the Sydney chemist was selling toilet paper for inflated prices. Source: Facebook

“This is outrageous – let’s all remember this once this passes, I will never spend another dollar at a business like that,” another commented.

A third person said they had also seen inflated prices in the same store for hand sanitiser.

In comparison, Coles online sells a 32 pack of the same brand of toilet paper for around $16.70 but with the current shortage, the supermarket giant has limited purchases to one pack per transaction.

Customers have reported shelves are often empty moments after many locations open each morning.

Woolworths and Aldi have also introduced limits on their toilet paper to ensure as many customers as possible stay stocked.

Priceless Chemist in Potts Point accused of selling toilet paper for an inflated cost during the coronavirus toilet paper shortage.
The Sydney chemist has been accused of price gouging by selling toilet paper for inflated prices. Source: Facebook

A spokesperson for the chemist told Yahoo News Australia it was selling single rolls for 99 cents but did not comment on selling packs of 18 for $20.

“We don’t usually stock toilet paper but in response to the higher need for toilet paper we have been able to purchase single rolls from our supplier for a higher cost,” a Priceless Compounding Chemist spokesperson said.

The chemist told Yahoo News that for the sale price of 99 cents they were not making a profit on single rolls but wanted to support the community.

“A lot of elderly people and larger families haven’t been able to buy toilet rolls at supermarkets and most wholesalers are out, so we are doing what we can so the community is able to access it.”

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