Airport Tim Tam price madness reaches new heights
Sweet chocolate biscuit magic is not worth double the price.
I've written before about how buying Tim Tams at international airports represents one of the worst-value purchases you can make.
At $6.50 for a single 200g packet, that's a 78% premium on the normal price for the Arnott's classic.
But it turns out that there's an even more extreme version of the problem, just down the road in the domestic terminal.
Passing through Sydney's Terminal 2 the other day, I happened to notice a rack of Tim Tams. The price per pack? As you can see in the picture at the top, it was a truly eye-watering $7.47.
Or if you prefer, you can pick up a packet of Tim Tam Bites for the princely price of $8.97:
In both cases, this is more than double what you'll pay at a supermarket. The standard price at Coles and Woolworths for a regular pack of Tim Tams is $3.65; Tim Tam Bites cost $4.40. Both also regularly go on special.
I understand the realities of airport retail. Rents are high. There's a captive audience. It's not the place to go looking for a bargain. You're paying a premium for convenience.
But the bottom line is that anyone who pays $7.65 for a single packet of Tim Tams is not getting bang for their biscuit buck.
While you can sometimes save with duty-free shopping at airports, the only categories where that reliably happens are spirits and cosmetics. Even then, it pays to comparison shop.
The one mildly reassuring factor in this experience? Some of the Tim Tams on display at the airport were still advertising the "3 Wishes" promotion, which ended back in July. So clearly there isn't a lot of turnover, and we're wise to just how expensive those airport Tim Tams are.
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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