Queenslanders rage at $70 water for sale at local service station

A Queensland service station has been accused of price gouging after pictures of bottled water went viral online.

BP has been accused of price gouging after pictures of bottled water for sale for $70 were surfaced online.

A post on X claimed to show an image from a BP service station at Blacksoil, with $70 packs of Cool Ridge water for sale.

Blacksoil is in Queensland, which is currently awaiting the arrival of Cyclone Alfred, with panic buying striking many local shops. Supermarkets are now largely closed.

“BP at Blacksoil!!! Whoever thought this was a good idea your (sic) an absolute f***ing grub!,” the poster captioned the photo.

“It’s 100% legit it was $86 a couple of days ago!,” he also commented.

The post has since gone viral, with many furious at the price tag.

“This is called price gouging,” one user commented.

“Disgraceful, this is not how Australia works!,” another wrote.

Blacksoil BP is reportedly selling water for $70 ahead of Cyclone Alfred hitting Queensland, sparking outrage online after photos were posted to X. Picture: X

However, many noted that the $70 price tag was actually reflective of the price of bottled water at petrol stations.

“Well $3.50 each is actually cheap. Usually they’re about $5 each.” a user wrote.

“I can’t actually see the problem here. Normal price is around $3.50 a bottle at petrol stations down here in Melbourne. 20 × $3.50 is $70. So it’s actually not bad, like I said, petrol station prices are always high,” another commented.

This comes as another Queensland chain store faced allegations of pushing up the price of bottled water amid preparations for Cyclone Alfred, but these claims were refuted by their head office.

12 packs of 750ml bottles of Cool Ridge raspberry flavoured bottled water were being sold for $59 at a Night Owl Convenience Store in Karawatha, about 8km south from Brisbane.

Photos of the price were posted to several community Facebook groups on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, sparking outrage at the exorbitant prices.

“Absolutely disgusting”, one man wrote in the photograph’s caption.

“Surely it has to be a misprint??? $5.90 I’d get but $59! Bigger rip off then the government (sic)” another person wrote.

“Cheaper to buy beer” another person surmised.

Similar accusations were made about a Night Owl Convenience Store, but in both situations people noted that the prices are similar to what they would’ve been if the bottles were individually sold. Picture: Supplied

Many people noted that it would be cheaper to buy beer ahead of the cyclone landing. Picture: Supplied

However, many pointed out that the price seemed to be in line with the normal costs at convenience stores and gas stations.

“But wait, isn’t that like normal price they sell these for like $5 a bottle anyway?” one woman asked.

“If it’s for 20 bottles and from a Night Owl, which are usually more expensive than Woolies, $2.95 a bottle isn’t too bad,” the man wrote.

Night Owl’s National Marketing Manager Glenys Tristam said the store was actually selling the bottled water for below the regular retail price.

“This product typically sells as an individual 750ml bottle for $5.20 in most Night Owl stores, when not on promotion,” she told the Courier Mail.

“Karawatha sells it for $5, so is one of the stores selling it slightly cheaper than the rest of the network.”

The only difference is that the bottle of water are usually sold separately, not in a bulk pack.

“The franchisee has chosen to do so to be convenient for his customers wishing to purchase water in bulk at this time,” Ms Tristam told the Courier Mail.

“The 20 pack is a price of $2.95 per bottle, a substantial price drop from the usual $5 per bottle.

“Customers are actually getting a bargain purchasing the 20 pack over buying the individual bottles of the same from the fridge.”

Thousands of Queenslanders are stocking up on water and other necessities to prepare for the region’s first cyclone in decades, as Tropical Cyclone Alfred is now expected to hit on Saturday morning.

BP was contacted for comment, but did not respond.

Originally published as Queenslanders rage at $70 water for sale at local service station