Woolworths shoppers have been left fuming after discovering an Aussie staple is being sold cheaper in New Zealand.
A customer shared a photo to Reddit showing an 180g block of Cadbury chocolate on special, with the price marked down 20 per cent to NZD$4.50.
The price was even cheaper at their local Pak’n’Save, where the popular confectionery was being sold for just NZD$2.69.
‘The price gouging is ridiculous,’ the caption read.
Aussies immediately leapt onto the post to complain about how much more expensive the chocolate was in their country.
Cadbury produces its chocolate in its main factory at Claremont in Tasmania. It is the largest Cadbury factory in the Southern Hemisphere.
Despite this, a 180g Cadbury chocolate block is usually priced at $8 in Australia, with the cost dropping as low as $4 when it is on special.
In New Zealand, even when the chocolate is not on special, it is still cheaper at NZD$5.99 (AUD$5.30).
The shopper found the Cadbury block of chocolate for sale for NZD$4.50 at a Woolworths in New Zealand
‘What confuses me is that they’re made in Australia but in NZ Woolies they are the same price, on sale for NZ$4.50 reduced from NZ$5.99,’ one outraged Aussie wrote on the social media platform.
‘The exchange rate is $1.13 so after export/logistics why are they cheaper in NZ?’
A second person commented: ‘The fact Cadbury chocolate is cheaper overseas, when it’s literally made in Australia, is proof enough of price gouging.’
Another person added they noticed the same thing when it came to buying Tim Tams.
‘Same with Tim Tams. Made in Aussie but always cheaper here in NZ. But then again, what’s made here in NZ is usually cheaper to buy in Aussie,’ a third person chimed in.
Daily Mail contacted Woolworths for comment.
It comes as the federal government is set to introduce tough new legislation designed to stop major supermarkets from price gouging.
The Albanese government is releasing draft legislation, which will undergo a two-week consultation period with the Treasury until November 3.
Aussie shoppers can buy a 180g block of Cadbury chocolate at Woolworths for a reduced price of $4, down from $8, as of Tuesday
Under the proposed laws, major supermarkets like Woolworths and Coles could face multimillion-dollar penalties for excessive pricing.
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury Andrew Leigh told reporters on Monday the proposed laws would mirror similar pricing rules seen in Europe and should come into effect by the end of 2025.
‘Excessive pricing rules exist in other jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom and the European Union,’ Mr Leigh said.
‘Our approach will draw on what has been done in other countries, and we will put in place a backstop of fairness.’
‘We know many Australians are feeling under pressure from the cost of the weekly shop, and our price gouging laws, which are out for consultation today will ensure that we look after consumers.’
The report, put to the Treasury, did not claim Coles and Woolworths had a duopoly on the market in Australia.
However, it did claim the supermarket industry was ‘highly concentrated with an oligopoly structure, dominated by Coles and Woolworths’.
Leigh explained the laws would target companies that have a turnover of more than $30billion.
‘The penalty for price gouging right now is zero,’ he said.
‘We’re putting in place a system which will punish supermarkets that do the wrong thing with multimillion-dollar fines.
‘The fines are $10m, three times the ill-gotten gains, or up to 10 per cent of the turnover. For multibillion-dollar companies, these are significant fines.’
An ACCC inquiry, which was started after Coles and Woolworths faced price gouging allegations during the pandemic, found the supermarket giants to be some of the most profitable in the world.
The consumer watchdog did not find conclusive evidence of price gouging but found Coles and Woolworths accounted for two-thirds of Australia’s national grocery sales.
The supermarkets both recorded whopping profits in the year ending June 2025, with Coles earning $1.08billion and Woolworths $1.4billion.
