Frugal Woolworths shopper's 'extreme' banana hack: 'Embarrassing'
The bizarre act is being labelled as 'extreme behaviour' to save money.
A Woolworths customer's "embarrassing" hack is being called an "extreme" way to save money as the cost-of-living crisis bites.
A woman recorded her boyfriend unashamedly peeling a lone banana at the supermarket and placing it into a plastic bag before weighing it a self-checkout machine. The fruit's skin reportedly accounts for 30 to 40 per cent of the weight, meaning the "frugal" customer would've saved a decent portion on his banana purchase, which cost him 51 cents.
The viral video has garnered almost 730,000 views, with many cringing at the so-called hack and wondering if it's a joke.
"That's not frugal, that's a penny pincher," one person commented on TikTok. "I'd be less embarrassed if he stole it," another said. "Save yourself the pain and suffering now. Leave him," a third person joked.
Others also pointed out that the man was doing himself a disservice given that the banana — the quickest fruit to rot — would do so quicker without the skin. "All that just for it to expire quicker," one person said.
'Broccoli bandits': Shoppers' trick to save on groceries sparks debate
Little-known change to Woolworths Rewards program at checkout
'Time is money'
Like breaking broccoli florets off the stalk, as well as "observ[ing] someone picking grapes off the stalk", Professor of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour at Queensland University of Technology, Gary Mortimer, thought the behaviour was "extreme".
"I suspect it's incredibly isolated incidents of extreme ways to save money at the checkout," he told Yahoo News Australia. "I don't imagine we'll see banana skins laying around supermarkets any time soon."
While "avoiding paying part of the product" could save a customer several cents, Mr Mortimer thought peeling the banana was part of a "false economy".
"It takes you more time to peel bananas or say oranges then it does to pay for the product... time is money."
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
