‘Pulling my leg’: Woolies defends 80 Christmas pudding

A Woolworths shopper has hit out at the supermarket giant after spotting an $80 price tag on a popular Christmas dessert.

Woolworths has hit back after a shopper spotted an eye-watering $80 price tag on a popular Christmas dessert.

In a post on Facebook, the unnamed customer expressed his shock after he discovered the cost of Ray’s Traditional Home Made Plum Puddings.

“Woolworths, please tell me that you’re pulling my leg with these prices,” he said in the post, which included a photo of the puddings with price tags ranging from $35, $52, $67 and $80.

But the supermarket was quick to defend the pricing, with a Woolworths spokesperson telling news.com.au the puddings are handmade high quality products from a smaller supplier.

“We support a number of Australian suppliers to help bring their unique products to market. This particular product has been handmade since 1930, and at 1.8 kilos serves 16 people,” they said.

“We know people are looking for value so all our stores also offer a range of value options starting from our Classic Plum Pudding which is $5.50.”

The Christmas dessert is priced between $35 to $80 at Woolworths. Picture: Facebook

The supermarket giant also sells other lower-cost pudding options including the Woolworths Decadent Chocolate Sponge Pudding 500g, and Woolworths Indulgent Salted Caramel Pudding 500g, both priced at $7.80.

Ray’s Home Made Plum Puddings are also available at Coles, where prices range from $39 to $88.

The price debate comes after Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie accused Coles and Woolworths of operating “like a cartel” ahead of the festive season.

The supermarkets are set to be ordered to front a senate inquiry examining whether customers are being subjected to “price gouging” during the cost-of-living crisis.

Speaking to Sky News, Senator Lambie said an inquiry alone didn’t cut it and suggested Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had gone missing in action on the issue.

“Let’s be honest, they are like a bloody cartel,” she said on Monday.

“I think what I find really shameful … is that we’ve got to run another inquiry to tell us the same thing, when we know very well that if we bulked up the (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) and gave it more powers they could actually fix this.

“Where is the prime minister? Where is he?”

The inquiry is expected to be established next week as Parliament sits for the final time this year, after the Greens secured Labor’s support. Initial hearings are tipped to take place in early 2024.

Woolworths and Coles have been accused of operating “like a cartel”. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

The supermarket giants look set to face a senate inquiry. NCA NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt has also weighed in on the issue, encouraging supermarkets to put a freeze on the price of a leg of Christmas ham ahead of the festive season.

“We know families are doing it tough at the moment and the cost of a lot of things is going up,” the Queensland senator said.
“It’s time for supermarkets to do their part and say one thing we won’t put up is the price of a Christmas ham.”

Coles and Woolworths have both insisted they will not be looking to hike up prices as it gets closer to the silly season.

In a statement, Woolworths noted its ham prices had lowered to $8kg — the lowest since 2014.

Managing Director Natalie Dav said it would help “budgets go further this year”.

Coles has also dropped the price of its Christmas ham to $8, with a spokesman saying Coles has “worked hard to ensure it delivers great value on Christmas favourites”.

– With NCA Newswire.