Why people are outraged about these Tim Tams at Sydney airport
A packet of Tim Tams has caused quite a stir online, with the iconic Australian biscuit appearing to be sold for a highly inflated price at a Sydney airport shop.
A picture of several packets of Tim Tam bites was shared to Reddit on Tuesday with the caption: “Today in Sydney airport pricing: the $26 Tim Tam.”
The 663g packets can be seen on a shelf with a price tag of $26 – a fair bit more when compared to the price on supermarket shelves.
Many on the social media platform expressed their disgust in the apparent duty free mark up, including one calling the price a “total embarrassment to Australia”.
“I take delight in spending nothing at Sydney airport. I meant not a single cent if I can avoid it,” one user wrote.
“Don't do your shopping at the airport? I mean, what do you expect? It's the airport,” another pointed out.
Many argued $26 was a huge jump from a packet of regular Tim Tams that cost between $2 and $4 at supermarkets.
One noted the 663g bag was more than three times a standard pack of 11 biscuits, but calculated it was at least double the price, even accounting for the extra volume.
A significantly smaller 170g pack of the Tim Tam Bites are available at Coles stores for $4.40.
These equate to just $2.59 per 100g, compared with the airport bag’s $3.92 per 100g.
The controversial duty free mark up comes after a jar of Vegemite was seen selling at a Sydney at airport shop for $19, which is more than double the price the same jar is sold for in supermarkets.
When quizzed about price-gouging in April, The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) told Yahoo News it did not have the power to regulate food or grocery prices at airports, or anywhere else.
“In general, businesses are free to set their own prices as long as they do not breach competition or consumer laws, including making any misleading statements about the reasons or rationale for a price,” the ACCC said in statement.
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