Warning: the content in this article may cause readers to spit out any liquids or food currently swirling inside their mouths. Readers are recommended to swallow before reading on.
We all know those hotel mini-bars can be quite the rip-off but who would’ve thought the cost of convenience would be so high?
Everyone…
Finder.com.au recently did an analysis of the highest mark up in mini-bar prices and the results are criminal.
Hoteliers are charging guests $6 for a 40g packet of Pringles, more than four times the average supermarket price of $1.42. When it comes to water, travellers are paying over three times the amount a supermarket would charge when they take it from the mini-bar, while a 35g of Toblerone, which is usually around $2 at the shops, can be up to $5.25 at the hotel.
But the biggest mini-bar rip-off is the $5.25 charge for FOUR Herron Paracetamol tablets. FOUR! That’s almost five times the $1.16 you’d expect to pay at the pharmacy.
If you’re staying a hotel and find yourself desperate for a treat but really can’t get to a supermarket, then your best option would be the JC’s Jackeroo Mix nuts, which is the cheapest food in the mini bar when compared to the real world price.
Champagne is also surprisingly the item with the smallest markup, at 1.6 times the actual price, followed by Jim Beam & Cola (1.7), Heineken (1.8) and Absolut Vodka (1.8).