Another supermarket item just got more expensive, and shoppers are NOT happy!
By
VanessaC
- Replies 79
As the cost of living is continuously on the rise, it’s not just food staples that have seen a dramatic increase in price.
One Perth shopper noticed a huge 22 per cent 'overnight' price increase on a product, and understandably, they are furious.
Woolworths shopper Catherine, who suffers from a condition, requires chewing gum as part of her weekly shop and has been buying the strawberry-flavoured multipack for years.
She was outraged when she noticed the $5.50 price tag on the Wrigley’s Extra gum, up from its former price of $4.50.
'I regularly buy sugar-free gum due to a dry mouth condition, as recommended by both my dentist and rheumatologist, and it forms part of my weekly shop... it's a necessity,' she said.
'It's at the end of the aisle, and I went to reach out for it, and straightaway it [the price] jumped out at me.'
'Twenty-two per cent literally overnight is unacceptable.'
Competitors such as Coles, BIG W, and Kmart still had the product priced at $4.50. However, the price at Woolworths has since increased to an even steeper $5.50.
'They don't realise how much work goes into doing your shopping list and [making] your shopping list work with your finances... It's an insult thinking we're so ignorant and excited about their discounts that we're not going to notice it putting everything else up,' Catherine said.
'I mean, it's just a slap in the face,' she added.
Shoppers have been battered by significant price increases at both Woolworths and Coles this year, with everything from the beloved Country Style Roast Chickens to food basics like milk and olive oil taking a hit.
And just recently, a Sydney man’s disapproval of the price hikes made headlines when he defaced Woolworths and Coles logos with the words ‘The price gouge people’. You can read more about this story in this article we wrote.
A spokesperson for Wrigley’s Gum said a range of external factors had created 'unprecedented cost pressures' which had led to the price increase.
'It has been necessary to adjust pricing to ensure we can continue to manufacture and supply our products,' the spokesperson said.
'As always, retailers maintain the ability to set the final sale price of our products, and this is the reason some prices may vary from store to store.'
Consumer Expert Gary Mortimer also believes that the increase in price is likely due to a new contract for product supply rather than the supermarkets simply following one another’s lead.
'I think it's more the case that Wrigley's, or the brand behind them, their supply contract of product came up for renewal [at the supermarkets],' Mortimer said.
'When that old product had been moved from the warehouse, to store any new product being received would be at the higher cost price.'
Have you also noticed a price increase on your favourite products? Share them with us in the comments below!
One Perth shopper noticed a huge 22 per cent 'overnight' price increase on a product, and understandably, they are furious.
Woolworths shopper Catherine, who suffers from a condition, requires chewing gum as part of her weekly shop and has been buying the strawberry-flavoured multipack for years.
She was outraged when she noticed the $5.50 price tag on the Wrigley’s Extra gum, up from its former price of $4.50.
'I regularly buy sugar-free gum due to a dry mouth condition, as recommended by both my dentist and rheumatologist, and it forms part of my weekly shop... it's a necessity,' she said.
'It's at the end of the aisle, and I went to reach out for it, and straightaway it [the price] jumped out at me.'
'Twenty-two per cent literally overnight is unacceptable.'
Competitors such as Coles, BIG W, and Kmart still had the product priced at $4.50. However, the price at Woolworths has since increased to an even steeper $5.50.
'They don't realise how much work goes into doing your shopping list and [making] your shopping list work with your finances... It's an insult thinking we're so ignorant and excited about their discounts that we're not going to notice it putting everything else up,' Catherine said.
'I mean, it's just a slap in the face,' she added.
Shoppers have been battered by significant price increases at both Woolworths and Coles this year, with everything from the beloved Country Style Roast Chickens to food basics like milk and olive oil taking a hit.
And just recently, a Sydney man’s disapproval of the price hikes made headlines when he defaced Woolworths and Coles logos with the words ‘The price gouge people’. You can read more about this story in this article we wrote.
A spokesperson for Wrigley’s Gum said a range of external factors had created 'unprecedented cost pressures' which had led to the price increase.
'It has been necessary to adjust pricing to ensure we can continue to manufacture and supply our products,' the spokesperson said.
'As always, retailers maintain the ability to set the final sale price of our products, and this is the reason some prices may vary from store to store.'
Consumer Expert Gary Mortimer also believes that the increase in price is likely due to a new contract for product supply rather than the supermarkets simply following one another’s lead.
'I think it's more the case that Wrigley's, or the brand behind them, their supply contract of product came up for renewal [at the supermarkets],' Mortimer said.
'When that old product had been moved from the warehouse, to store any new product being received would be at the higher cost price.'
Key Takeaways
- A Woolworths shopper has criticised the supermarket for a 22 per cent price increase on Wrigley's Extra gum.
- The customer said she was infuriated when she saw the strawberry-flavoured multipack she regularly buys had increased from $4.50 to $5.50 overnight.
- The price hike follows significant price increases across a range of everyday items at both Woolworths and Coles.
- A spokesperson for Wrigley's Gum explained that external factors have led to 'unprecedented cost pressures,' resulting in necessary price adjustments.