This is how much you’ll overpay for airport Tim Tams
Think $20 for 4 packs is a bargain price? You're dreaming!
Back in 2016, I wrote about how airport stores were literally the worst place in Australia to buy Tim Tams, with retailers promoting 4 packs for $24 as a "bargain". This topic continues to be a contentious one, so on traipsing through Sydney's international airport recently, I decided to investigate every shop selling Tim Tams to see how bad biscuit inflation is in 2019.
First, the mildly good news: $24 for 4 regular Tim Tam packets is no longer a thing. The "standard" price in every retailer is now . . . $20 for 4. This is still absolutely terrible, given that the standard supermarket price for a single packet is $3.65 and there are regular sales where the price drops to just $1.82. But it's not quite as bad as it was before.
Single packets remain an utter rort. If you want just one 200g packet, you'll pay $6.50 in some stores. This is not a sensible price. For goodness sake, get organised and stock up before you fly. One outlet was charging $3.99, which is a lot closer to normal retail, but still nowhere near as cheap as the regular supermarket specials.
Airport shops do have some options you can't pick up in a regular supermarket. If you fancy a cooler bag with 8 packets of Tim Tams inside, you'll have to cough up $50. If we value the Tim Tams inside at regular supermarket prices, that means the cooler bag is worth $20.80. I'll let you judge if that's a good value investment.
Equally suspect: 2 regular packets in a cardboard sleeve for $14 or a 500g packet of "Tim Tam" bites on sale for $20.
The bottom line? Duty free is not the place to buy Tim Tams. Save your money for cosmetics and spirits.
Angus Kidman's Findings column looks at new developments and research that help you save money, make wise decisions and enjoy your life more. It appears regularly on Finder.
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