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‘Specials Tag’ at Booragoon Woolworths Sparks Debate About Price Gouging

A satirical specials-style tag beside fried noodles at a Booragoon Woolworths, distributed by GetUp!, prompted debate about supermarket prices. Here is what it says, what it does not prove and how to read promotional labels.
From TheFinanceBase Team4 min to read

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A yellow tag styled like a supermarket specials label, placed beside fried noodles at a Booragoon Woolworths, carried a satirical message about funding a CEO’s bonus. PerthNow reported on 17 December 2025 that the tags were distributed by GetUp! as part of its Stop Price Gouging campaign. The tag is a campaign action that prompted discussion about supermarket pricing. On its own, it does not establish that Woolworths engaged in price gouging.

What the tag said

The message on the tag read: “Thanks for funding our CEO’s bonus – enjoy your noodles.” It was photographed beside fried noodles at a Booragoon supermarket. The shopper who posted the photo on Reddit under the handle @damosyzygy said they were unsure what to make of it and gave the effort “two points for effort.”

The tag does not name an executive. The reference is to “our CEO” in general terms, and the reported wording contains no figures for the noodles, no comparison with a previous price and no bonus amount.

Who distributed it

PerthNow, in a report by Katherine Kraayvanger, attributed the tags to GetUp! and its Stop Price Gouging program. The accusations about supermarket profits and executive pay are GetUp!’s campaign language. They are not findings about this particular product or this store.

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Woolworths was contacted for the PerthNow report and declined to comment. Readers should not read that as a substantive response to the tag, and no company statement about this incident has been reported.

Why the tag drew attention

The tag copied the look of a promotional label, so a shopper reading it quickly could take it as a real special. That is what made it a useful prompt for a wider argument: whether shelf and promotional labels make it clear what a customer is actually being offered. Online reaction focused on that question as much as on the executive pay message.

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What the tag does and does not establish

  • It shows that a campaign group placed satirical tags on products in at least one Booragoon Woolworths store, according to PerthNow’s reporting.
  • It shows that GetUp! chose price-related messaging to raise questions about supermarket profits.
  • It does not show that the noodles were overpriced, that a stated price was wrong, or that any bonus is linked to this store’s pricing.
  • It does not amount to a finding under the law. Australia does not have a general price-gouging offence that covers everyday grocery prices. Complaints about misleading price claims are generally assessed under the Australian Consumer Law, which looks at what a label actually says and whether it misleads.

What CHOICE’s survey shows about price labels

CHOICE reported a nationally representative survey of more than 1,000 people conducted in February 2024. It asked how shoppers interpret labels used by Woolworths, Coles and Aldi. Respondents were shown a Woolworths “Member Price” label and asked whether it represented a discount.

Response to the Woolworths “Member Price” label Share of respondents
Thought it represented a discount 29%
Thought it did not represent a discount 39%
Unsure 32%

These figures come from CHOICE’s February 2024 survey and describe one label shown to respondents at that time. They do not describe the Booragoon tag or any store-level pricing.

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Promotional labels CHOICE has questioned

A “Prices Dropped” example

CHOICE’s article recounts a Woolworths “Prices Dropped” label on a product whose price had dropped in 2019. In CHOICE’s account, the label remained in use for years afterwards. This is one example CHOICE chose to describe, not a finding about any other product.

Woolworths’ explanation of “Low Price” labels

Woolworths told CHOICE that its “Low Price” labels signal a good deal rather than a discount from a previous price. A Woolworths spokesperson gave CHOICE this statement: “We strive to clearly and simply signpost the ways that our customers can find value and spend less every time they shop with us – we offer everyday low prices, member offers, as well as specials and longer-term stable price drops.” The quote is as reported by CHOICE in its 2024 article, not a new company statement.

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Shelf tags showing the same price

In its submission to the ACCC Supermarkets Inquiry (2024–25), CHOICE included consumer-submitted examples in which the underlying shelf tag appeared to show the same price as the promotional label. These are CHOICE’s examples and its analysis. They are not an ACCC finding, and they do not establish anything about the Booragoon store.

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How to check a special before you act on it

  1. Read the full label and identify what kind of price it is: a special, a member price, an everyday low price or a longer-term price drop. CHOICE’s survey suggests many shoppers cannot tell these apart on their own.
  2. Compare the promotional label with the shelf tag directly beneath the product. If both show the same price, the promotion may not be a reduction.
  3. Look at the unit price shown on the shelf tag, such as the price per kilogram or per 100 g, and compare it with other pack sizes and brands.
  4. If the label says a price has “dropped”, check whether a previous price is shown and when the change applied.
  5. Check whether the price requires membership or a minimum purchase before you assume it applies to you.
  6. If you think a price claim is misleading, keep the photo, the product, the store and the date, and report it to the ACCC.

Where the matter stands

As of PerthNow’s report, Woolworths had declined to comment on the Booragoon tag, and the campaign’s claims had not been tested by a regulator. No regulator finding specific to this incident has been reported. The debate remains a discussion about how supermarkets label promotions, supported by CHOICE’s survey and examples, not a confirmed case of price gouging.

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