Shoppers furious over “drastic” and “ridiculous” markup in soft drink prices
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Several Woolworths and Coles customers have taken to Facebook to air out their anger over recent price hikes on their favourite Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Kirks products.
The shoppers claim that the packs of Pepsi Max, which usually cost around $19, have gone up to $32, almost double the original price!
Meanwhile, a 2L bottle of Coca-Cola, which usually costs around $2.85, has gone up to $4.55, a whopping 60 per cent increase.
The price of Australian-made company Kirks’ famous ten-packs was also marked up, from $6 to $10.80 ($10.55 online).
Some shoppers are saying that the price hikes were unfair, and buyers who are regularly getting the products won’t be able to cope with the increase on such short notice. Some are even calling the decision ridiculous for “taking advantage of the supply shortage”.
Woolworths and Coles shoppers are angry over the outrageous price hikes on Pepsi, Coke and Kirks products. Credit: 7News/Facebook.
A spokesperson from Coca-Cola Europacific Partners has already acknowledged the incident and released a statement. According to them, most businesses have faced a combination of consistently rising materials and commodity prices, along with cost pressures brought by the country’s recent supply chain issues.
Hence, they have to make “minor increases” to their wholesale prices to absorb these additional costs.
Asahi Beverages, the official manufacturer and distributor of Pepsi products in Australia, has also responded to the recent price hikes.
“Our costs have increased due to COVID-19 supply chain issues, but not significantly,” said a spokesperson, adding that it is still the responsibility of the retailers to set the prices for their consumers.
Retail giants Woolworths and Coles have responded as well. However, consumers were met with blanket statements.
“In response to a wholesale cost increase from the supplier, we’ve updated our retail prices. We understand that every dollar counts and we must never take the decision to increase prices lightly.”
“We’ll continue to work closely with our suppliers to offer value and competitive prices across our customers’ shop,” said a Woolworths representative.
Coles, on the other hand, merely reminded customers that their prices are “competitive” with those offered by other retailers, such as Woolworths.