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Officeworks' hilarious merchandising placement leads to claims the retailer is inadvertently catering to 'illegal' activities

Officeworks' hilarious merchandising placement leads to claims the retailer is inadvertently catering to 'illegal' activities

Sky News AU8 hours ago
Officeworks has made a hilarious merchandising placement, which has led people to claim the humble office supply store is inadvertently catering to "illegal" businesses.
Australian comedian Frida Deguise recently took to TikTok to share her eyebrow-raising discovery of small resealable bags - similar to the kind commonly used by drug dealers - placed next to scales at one of the major Aussie office supply retailers in Sydney.
In a video, Deguise jokingly claimed Officeworks must be "a money laundering business" as she filmed the inconspicuous product placement.
"Are you watching? Aisle 13 in Officeworks is a money laundering business," she said, holding up the bags and scales placed side by side on the shelf.
"Little bags, and isn't that amazing? The scales are right next to it.
"Tell me, is that not perfectly planned or what?"
The comedian then directly addressed Officeworks' top executives, urging them to "explain" themselves.
She claimed the setup feels very "illegal".
"Officeworks, you've got some explaining to do....Who decided to put mini bags right next to the scales?" Deguise wrote in the caption.
"Asking for a friend. What do you reckon they're planning?"
In the comments, people bought into the humour, with one person saying the product match was the perfect setup for any undercover drug dealer.
"It's very convenient for a dealer to find everything they need right there. Lol."
Another person said Officeworks staff must have thought of placing the bags and scales together after they "got sick of people asking" where the two were "every five minutes...It's called convenience."
"That's not money laundering, that's a business," a third person said.
More people quipped there was nothing suspicious about it at all, even if there was an alleged illegal hidden motive behind the move.
"That's called merchandising," one person said.
While it's unclear which Officeworks store Deguise visited, it is understood to be located in southwest Sydney.
SkyNews.com.au has contacted Frida Deguise and Officeworks for further comment.
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