When TikTok influencers lined up for over an hour to buy a cult American cookie from an ‘exclusive’ pop-up store in Bondi at the weekend, they did not expect to pay $17.50 per biscuit.
And little did they know the popular Crumbl-branded cookies were ‘stale’ days-old imports being sold by fans who had bought them from overseas – rather than an official arm of the popular US Crumbl Cookies business.
Foodies were furious at the weekend when they lined up to buy imported cookies from a so-called pop-up store in North Bondi that were marketed as ‘exclusive’ by a social media account called CrumblSydney.
But the account was fan-run, the sale was not endorsed by the US-based Crumbl Cookies brands and the biscuits – flown in from Hawaii – were sold for a whopping $75 for five cookies. A pack of four costs just $AUD21 in the US.
‘This was like a scam, this is actually very bad,’ TikTok food reviewer Hamze said.
‘It’s so sweet, the texture is just weird, it’s so sugary – I feel like I’m just eating sugar.’
An Instagram account made by the organisers of the pop-up, with the handle Crumblaus, was banned from the platform but its TikTok remains active.
It was there that organisers defended themselves against the fierce backlash on Tuesday and denied the cookies had been stale.
Elle, from the eastern suburbs, spent over $100 at the pop-up event and was left unimpressed
Sydney TikTok food reviewer Hamze (pictured) said the cookies were ‘actually very bad’
Customers waited ‘hours’ in line to try the famous Crumbl cookies but claimed the imported biscuits were ‘stale’ and ‘underwhelming’ (pictured, lines in North Bondi on Sunday)
‘We never claimed to be an official Crumbl store. This was clearly stated in bio and our comments. Our goal was to bring the authentic Crumbl cookies to Australia by importing the cookies directly from the USA,’ they said.
‘We traveled to the US to purchase the cookies and imported them with their original packaging. We did not bake them ourselves.’
When responding to accusations the cookies were stale, organisers said: ‘Crumbl cookies should be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days, or refrigerated for up to seven days.
‘We kept them to these requirements. Some were warmed to enhance their texture, which is what Crumbl does as well.’
The group then hit back at dozens of customers who slammed the pop-up.
‘While most customers enjoyed the cookies, a couple of influencers felt they didn’t meet expectations,’ they said.
‘We apologise that [the cookies] don’t live up to expectations however they are just cookies at the end of the day.
Many customers were shocked to see the cookies selling for $17.50 each, despite the same cookies being sold in packs of four for $AUD21 in the US
‘While there may be a small difference in quality, some flavours may not appeal to some people. A lot of people have reached out to us who were there saying they were delicious and thank you for selling them.’
Elle, an influencer who shares snippets of her life as an ‘Eastern suburbs mum’, shared her thoughts on the Crumbl pop-up after trying 10 cookies.
In her clip, she and two others described the biscuits as ‘underwhelming’ and said they looked like they were bought ‘from a bake sale’.
Commenters under Elle’s review slammed the ‘insane’ price for ‘suitcase cookies’ and questioned if organisers could face legal action.
‘As an American, not only am I ill for you having to pay big bucks for old stale cookies but Crumbl is overhyped for sure!’ one said.
‘I feel like Crumbl are gonna take legal action,’ another said.
‘This looks nothing like Crumbl they played you guys,’ another wrote.
‘I actually can’t believe it was $17.50 for one cookie,’ another said.
Organisers said they had ticked all the legal boxes for the event and made very little profit from the pop-up.
‘This event was never about profit,’ they said.
‘We aimed to bring the cookies to Crumbl fans. Importing and reselling is called parallel imports. Parallel imports are legal.
‘We followed all legal procedures, declaring the cookies as commercial goods and obtaining the necessary approvals from Australian customs.
‘We hope this clears up any confusion. Thank you to those who supported us and gave us valuable feedback.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Crumbl for comment.
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