Outrage as Australian supermarket charges a surcharge for cold drinks as power bills surge out of control: ‘It’s madness’
- Aussies left outraged after convenience store posted sign explaining surcharge
- Cold drinks under 1.5litres cost 20c extra while drinks above 1.5litres 50c more
- Many said supermarkets had been charging extra for cold drinks for decades
- Some said fee was ‘bull****’ while others said it was ‘fair’ amid surging power bills
Aussies have been left divided over a convenience store’s decision to slap a surcharge on all of its cold drinks as electricity prices continue to surge.
The Citi Super Asian Supermarket on George Street in Sydney‘s CBD has added a 20c surcharge for cold drinks under 1.5litres and 50c extra for drinks over 1.5litres.
The bright green sign hanging over the door-less fridge has enraged social media users who took to Reddit to complain about the additional fee.
‘Surcharge for cold drinks,’ the person who spotted the sign wrote.
‘I guess that’s a new one (at least for me).’
Aussies quickly agreed the sign was ‘bulls***’ with several admitting they thought cold drinks were already priced for being refrigerated.
The bright green sign hanging over the door-less fridge has enraged social media users who took to Reddit to complain about the additional fee (pictured)
‘Maybe if they had doors on their fridges the electricity bill wouldn’t be so high they had to extort their customers,’ another suggested.
Others said supermarkets had been charging higher prices for cold drinks for years.
‘This has been the practice for a long time. Check out the price in the soft drink aisle and compare with the refrigerated ones,’ one woman said.
One man agreed the controversial charge was ‘nothing new’.
‘My local grocery store and bottle shop have been charging a surcharge for cold drinks for years,’ he said.
‘Woolies and Coles do this just without the sign,’ another said. Ever noticed how expensive a Pepsi is from the fridge instead of the shelf?’
One person said it was fair enough the cold drinks came with a surcharge as the business owners were paying for floor space, power and the fridge.
‘If you want to pay less then buy the warm drink,’ they said.
2GB radio host Ben Fordham said the surcharge was ‘madness’.
‘Is this really where it’s got to with power bills? A surcharge for cold drinks?’ Fordham wrote to his Facebook page on Thursday.
’50 cents extra for a drink that’s been sitting in the fridge? If this becomes the norm – it’s going to be an expensive summer!’
Aussies have been left divided over a convenience store’s decision to slap a surcharge on all of its cold drinks as electricity prices continue to surge (stock image)
It comes as state and federal leaders fail to deliver any relief for Australians tired of paying exorbitant electricity bills before Christmas.
The government is hopeful it can broker a deal on the energy crisis after it asked the states to cap the price of coal at less than half the market price.
But on Thursday morning, Jim Chalmers confirmed leaders had yet to reach an agreement ahead of Friday’s virtual meeting of national cabinet.
The federal budget has forecasted a 56 per cent increase in electricity prices, and 44 per cent hike in gas prices, for households over the next two years.
Australians may not see a change in their energy bills until mid-next year.