Why this Kmart price-tag ‘mistake’ has divided Australians

A shopper who accused Kmart of charging more for clothes in a size 10 and above has ignited a debate about the “fat tax” in Australia.

A ticketing error on a pair of Kmart shorts has sparked a huge conversation about the pricing on clothes after many believed the budget retailer was charging more for larger sizes.

The budget retailer was wrongly accused of charging more for a pair of shorts above a size 10 compared to smaller versions of the same item in a recent video that quickly went viral.

A concerned shopper – who posts under the handle @MontanaVincent – shared footage that showed the “Pocket Shorts” in sizes 6 and 8 from Kmart priced at $15.

While price tags on the same shorts in sizes 10 to 18 were labelled at $17.

“Since when did Kmart change pricing on size 10 and above?” Montana stated in the clip, which has been viewed almost 600,000 times in just 24 hours.

Kmart was accused of charging $17 for a pair of shorts in sizes 10 to 18 that were priced at $15 for size 6 and 8. Picture: Supplied

However the cotton clothing item – which is available in two colours; green and blue – is priced at $15 for all sizes on the Kmart website, with the retailer confirming to news.com.au the discrepancy was a “ticketing error” due to a “price drop” on the range.

“Definitely a price change. new stock would have come in and just not been marked at the new price! Coming from a Kmart employee,” one user agreed.

“On their website they are all $15. I wonder if it’s a mistake,” another pointed out.

As a Kmart employee said: “This is because the whole size range has had a price change and it just hasn’t been marked correctly.”

While the price tag was a ticketing ‘mistake’ it sparked a wider conversation about retailers and pricing of plus sized clothing. Picture: Supplied

Interestingly, the viral video ignited a wider debate about the controversial topic, with many arguing retailers should charge more for bigger sizes, claiming it costs more to make.

“I’ve literally said this forever, bigger clothes logically need to cost more and children’s clothes should not cost the same as adults,” one person wrote.

“More material = more money,” another mused, while one stressed: “I’m honestly surprised everywhere doesn’t do this. More material more cost.”

“We never do it that way, but we probably should. uses more material, should cost more,” one chipped in.

Kmart does not charge additional fees for its larger sizes – but the move has been met with negative reaction in the US and the UK where some businesses have adopted it. Picture: Supplied

However other Aussies were quick to unleash on the retailer for the apparent tactic.

“For the people saying more fabric … more money … a size jump to next size up does not use $2 worth of material,” one claimed.

“If only other stores would do this. I’m sick of paying $130 on the smallest amount of fabric. I’m on the smaller side,” another woman lamented.

A small few were raging at the apparent charge for larger sizes, labelling the move “foul” and “disgusting”, despite the fact it wasn’t true.

“If you scan the $17 price tag at the till, it will go through as $15,” one Kmart employee stated.

While Kmart isn’t charging more for larger sizes, some retailers overseas have made the decision to do so, sparking outrage among the plus-size community.

This has led to claims businesses who do so are “fatphobic”, with many arguing the additional fee feels like a “penalty”.

One woman in the UK described the charge as a “fat tax”, stating it makes anyone who is plus size feel “like they are being discriminated against”.