Rolls of toilet paper are seen on supermarket shelves selling for $35 each as panic-buying ramps up prices
- A Foodworks store marked up toilet paper prices amid coronavirus panic-buying
- The shop in Gladstone, central Queensland, sold Quilton 24 roll packs for $35
- The store owner said the price mark up was helping his business to stay open
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
A regional supermarket has sparked outrage after being spotted selling packs of toilet roll for almost $35.
A Foodworks store in Gladstone, central Queensland, hiked up the price as panic buying continued for the essential item.
The shop owner told Daily Mail Australia: I can’t please everyone. I have copped abuse from everywhere but they don’t know how hard it is to keep the store open.’
A Foodworks store in Gladstone, central Queensland, hiked up their toilet paper price (pictured) to $35 for a packet of 24 rolls amid coronavirus panic buying
The picture showed supermarket shelves stacked with Quilton toilet paper and a sign that confirmed the 24 pack cost $34.95.
The Foodworks owner, who wished to remain anonymous, said that customers had given him grief over the inflated prices.
He said: ‘People are saying I have a choice but I don’t. I have to try to fight to keep this place open,
‘They see that I own the building and they think you are loaded but they don’t run a business.’
He explained that the store had only been stocking that particular toilet paper for the last four weeks.
‘Normal markup is at 30 per cent for us but we are doing at 50 per cent. People understand, it’s the same at other supermarkets,’ the shop owner said.
Commenters on the picture voiced their shock at the price increase.
One person said: ‘See what we have to deal with in the regions. Take a look at this blatant gouge.’
The intense markup came as shoppers across the country continued to strip shelves bare of household staples such as tissues, pasta and tinned food.
Coles, Woolworths and Aldi have placed restrictions on almost all products as they work to meet the demand of the Australian population.
The extreme desperation for toilet paper has caused stampedes and fights to break out across suburban supermarkets.
The Foodworks (pictured) owner said the price mark up helped his business to stay open