Angry customer reveals ‘sneaky' trend stinging Aussies in cafés amid rising cost of living
But it seems many Australians are noticing that cafés are deliberately hiding their prices from consumers, leading many to once again question the price of enjoying life in the lucky country.
One Reddit user, who posted to the r/Perth thread on Reddit has lamented the rising price of going to a café and the tactics they are using to keep the prices from their patrons.
The user said, 'I've noticed it with cafes all over the city [Perth] that they deliberately don't display the prices,' before adding that they have had to ask for the prices of certain prices.
'They know people hate asking and would rather just suck it up when the cost is displayed on the EFTPOS machine' the user said before adding an expletive to display his frustrations with the rising prices.
'Even at airports all around the world the price is almost always displayed on their double priced s***e'.'
Many of the comments agreed with what the poster had said, with one saying, 'Just presume its code for 'we are so overpriced it's embarrassing'."
Another said, 'It's very predatory, when the price is higher than you expected but you're already at the till, it's harder to speak up.'
According to a recent poll for Money.com.au, 32 per cent of Australians revealed that they overspend whilst dining out despite the cost-of-living crisis.
It also revealed that younger Australians were the group most likely to overspend whilst on a meal out, followed by Millennials, then Gen X and Boomers.
Sean Callery, a finance expert said that dining out remains a priority for Australians despite the economic circumstances.
'They know they should cut back but can't resist dining out or buying takeout because it feels like a small indulgence in tough times, a social necessity, or simply more convenient than cooking at home,' he said.
The data revealed that those in the eastern states were far more likely to dine out compared to their counterparts in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

AU Financial Review
23 minutes ago
- AU Financial Review
The week Chalmers can start to craft an economic legacy
The three-day Economic Reform Roundtable starting on Tuesday is Jim Chalmers' opportunity to make a fresh start on crafting an economic legacy to match the nation's great reforming treasurers. Before the 2022 election, Anthony Albanese promised Labor would seek to govern in the best reform traditions of the Hawke-Keating governments of the 1980s and 1990s. As treasurer, Paul Keating floated the Australian dollar, began winding down tariff protection, and reduced personal and company tax. As prime minister, he introduced the principle of enterprise bargaining into the industrial relations system.

Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Australia needs to cough up its ‘regulatory hairballs', declares PC boss
Productivity Commission boss Danielle Wood is calling on all levels of government to launch a war on red tape and bureaucracy, describing an avalanche of laws over recent years as 'regulatory hairballs' that have held back living standards. Before the federal government's three-day economic roundtable, which Treasurer Jim Chalmers says will tackle red tape in areas from housing to mining approvals, Wood will use a speech on Monday to argue that politicians have sought to over-regulate the country at the expense of economic growth and opportunities for all Australians. Wood is one of the key attendees at the roundtable that will include business, community and union leaders who will canvass issues ranging from the shape of the tax system to the rise of AI to the lack of competition across parts of the economy. In an address to the National Press Club, Wood will say that economic growth has fallen down the list of priorities. Governments at all levels have instead focused on other policy goals. This had contributed to 'regulatory creep' where governments feel they have to respond to any issue with new laws or red tape, as voters looked to a 'Canberra fix' that ultimately led to decisions that slowed growth. Loading She will argue all governments should follow the lead of the administration of former American president John F. Kennedy, which put up signs in the US Commerce Department asking: 'What have you done for growth today?' 'Perhaps it's time to distribute that sign to government agencies and ministerial offices all around our country,' she will say. 'Regulatory hairballs have found their way into almost every corner of our economy. Growth has simply fallen down the list of priorities in policymaking.'


Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Agency chief's solution to economy woes
Decision makers must adopt a 'growth mindset' to fix the productivity problem plaguing the economy, according to Australia's productivity tsar. Labor's highly anticipated Economic Reform Roundtable will kick off on Tuesday, bringing together 'a range of people with a range of views', as described by Anthony Albanese. The point of getting unions, business leaders, and policy experts in the same room as politicians is building consensus on how to boost productivity, or how efficiently an economy produces goods and services. Productivity Commission (PC) chair Danielle Wood will use a major speech on Monday to call on fellow roundtable attendees to be bold as they 'thrash out potential reforms to kickstart Australia's flagging productivity growth', warning that failure could bust the 'generational bargain' of handing over a better country to the future. 'I'm thrilled by the new appetite for economic reform that the roundtable has created over the past two months,' Ms Wood will tell the National Press Club, according to a copy of her speech seen by NewsWire. 'Ultimately the government will be judged on its actions and the outcomes they achieve. 'But it has taken an important step by recognising and pursuing economic growth, and the productivity that drives it, as a prime goal of policy. 'This 'growth mindset' – an elevation of growth and the benefits it brings – has been missing from Australian policy for far too long.' Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood is calling for a 'growth mindset'. Aaron Francis / The Australian Credit: News Corp Australia Faced with challenges posed by geopolitical turmoil, climate change and an ageing population, she will point out that young Australians do not believe they will have 'better lives than their parents'. 'The expectation that life will get better for each successive generation is Australia's generational bargain,' Ms Wood said. 'For many generations we have fulfilled its promise. Until, perhaps, this one. 'Overwhelmingly, young people today believe they won't live better lives than their parents did. 'As chair of the Productivity Commission, I'm worried too.' She will note that the PC has already given the Albanese government some options. Her agency released five reports over the past month zooming in on key areas, ranging from increasing economic agility and workforce training to harnessing artificial intelligence and the net zero transition. On economic dynamism, the PC proposed reforming Australia's corporate tax system to encourage business investment, which has declined since the Global Financial Crisis. It would cut the corporate tax rate for most businesses to 20 per cent and introduce a 5 per cent cashflow tax on all businesses, with a view to creating friendlier conditions for investors. The result, according to Ms Wood, 'would increase investment by $7.4bn and GDP by $14.6bn'. 'Big enough to get out of bed for, I would think,' she will say. Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell has commented on the Albanese government's upcoming economic roundtable. 'We know in terms of tax reform, GST and capital gains tax and negative gearing have already been ruled out by the PM,' Mr Clennell said. 'But there does seem to be consideration of a road user charge.' On AI, the PC warned against a new overarching regulatory framework for AI and instead update existing regulations to address risks like fraud and discrimination. 'This would translate to an additional $116bn in economic activity – equivalent to boosting incomes for each Australian by $4300 a year over that period,' Ms Wood will say. 'A growth mindset means that we must not regulate our way out of this opportunity.' Less regulation was an overarching theme in all the PC's reports. Using those the reports as guides, Ms Wood will put forward three 'lessons about what a growth mindset looks like'. 'Regulate with growth in mind,' she will say, calling for 'leadership from the top when the policy sausage is being made'. The Albanese government's Economic Reform Roundtable will kick off on Tuesday. Martin Ollman / NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia In a nod to AI, she will say, 'Real growth comes from new ideas and technology,' arguing that productivity growth comes from new ideas, products, processes, and ways of managing people. While physical inputs have limits, human ingenuity does not, Ms Wood will say. Therefore, a growth mindset should focus on fostering innovation and enabling Australia to benefit from its own inventions and those of others. Her final lesson is that productivity 'is a game of inches'. 'There is simply no single policy reform that can bring productivity growth back to its long-term average of 1.6 per cent,' Ms Wood will say. 'To shift the dial, governments will have to make a lot of pro-productivity decisions.' Though, acknowledging the mammoth task, she will say she is 'optimistic that there is a package here that can make a difference to Australia's prosperity'. 'Governments must embed the importance of growth in every decision they make,' Ms Wood will say. 'This means engaging with trade-offs, better program delivery and design, and the 'boring but important work' of reducing administrative burden. 'We must ensure that governments pursue a growth agenda, for the benefit of businesses and workers today and, more importantly, for the generations to come. 'And that's worth a few days locked in a room.'