Woolworths price on dishwashing tablets sums up Australia’s cost of living crisis

Dishwasher tablets have become the latest household staple to see a huge price hike – as tight Aussies grapple with a rising cost of living.

Brisbane woman Tanya Roberts illustrated the exorbitant prices in a TikTok video during her weekly shop at Woolworths.

The clip revealed the different prices for dishwashing tablets, including a 45-capsule pack from Fairy that cost a whopping $72.

A pack of 50 tablets of Finish Powerball costs $66 and a bag of 56 tablets costs $68.

“$72 for 45 dishwashing tablets, you’re kidding,” Ms. Roberts can be heard saying in the clip.

“Look at the prices of this s***, like far away. It’s robbery,’ she added, showing the various prizes.

Viewers also relayed their shock about the outrageous charges in the comments section of the TikTok video.

‘Daylight robbery indeed. This is ridiculous,” one wrote.

“I thought I wanted a dishwasher but changed my mind,” said another.

A third quipped, “Living in Oz is like living in Harrods with the sun.”

“May have to take out a loan to buy groceries,” another commented.

Several viewers begged Ms. Roberts to wash her dishes by hand or buy store brands.

Ms Roberts joins a number of people who have expressed disbelief online at the shocking price of dishwasher tablets.

A woman who also filmed shelves of washing-up packages at her local Woolies on her phone and uploaded the clip to TikTok called the walks a “f***ing rip off.”

A Finnish spokesman explained that the increase in prices for some of their products was due to “increased costs in our supply chain.”

“Please know that we provide our retailers with suggested retail prices, with the final price on the shelf being determined in our sole discretion,” the spokesperson said to News.com.au.

“We understand this is a challenging time for many Australians. We remain committed to ensuring that we closely monitor costs and pricing to continue to deliver the best possible value.”

The rising price of dishwashing capsules is because breakfast cereals, milk, eggs and bread have also skyrocketed recently.

A video posted to the TikTok channel OnlyPans___ shows supermarket giant Coles offering a special on the popular Kelloggs breakfast cereal Coco Pops for $9.50 per box, or $17.10 for two.

“This is a ****** joke right?” said the channel’s owner, Lauren Whitney, in the video.

Ms. Whitney criticized Kellogg’s and supermarkets for driving up prices while their customers were struggling.

“The simple fact is that these big companies are making billions a year just like the government in taxes while we down here struggle to make ends meet,” she commented under the post.

Despite the increases, Woolworths posted a 25 percent profit increase, while Coles recorded an 11 percent increase in the six months to the end of December.

Chief executive Brad Banducci noted that consumers were turning to cheaper private label groceries and canned foods and dining out less often as they faced rising interest rates and pressure on household budgets.

“Inflation continues to affect the way customers shop, but the overall impact on our business remains modest at this stage,” he said during an investor call.

Inflation is falling, but not as fast as we would like. We remain strongly focused on providing customers with value for money through our various programs of price reductions, special offers, personalized offers and assortment management.”

Australia’s inflation rate has surged since the Covid pandemic, reaching a high of 7.8 percent in the year to December before falling to 6.8 percent in February.

Adding to the economic pain are the Reserve Bank’s 10 consecutive rate hikes, which pushed the cash rate to an 11-year high of 3.6 percent.

However, the central bank on Tuesday held cash rates on hold for the first time since April 2022, but also hinted that another rate hike was likely soon.