An absolute frenzy has broken out in Costco warehouses across the US, with shoppers stockpiling a classic Australian staple that has suddenly dropped in massive bulk quantities.<\/p>\n
Arnott\u2019s Tim Tams have officially landed on American Costco shelves, and to say the locals are losing their minds would be an understatement.<\/p>\n
Instead of the standard 11-biscuit packet Australians are used to seeing on their grocery shelves, the US retail giant is slinging a monstrous, industrial-sized box with six sleeves, accumulating to 66 Tim Tams in total, for just $US13.69 (around $A20).<\/p>\n
Videos and photos have flooded social media showing frantic shoppers loading up their trolleys with the brown boxes, with many attempting the viral \u2018Tim Tam Slam\u2019 – an iconic ritual that involves biting off the opposite corners of the biscuit and using it as a straw for hot coffee or tea.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The mania has reached such a fever pitch that some warehouse locations are reportedly struggling to keep boxes of the biscuits on the floor for more than a few hours. <\/p>\n
Shoppers have taken to social media to track inventory, sharing real-time updates on which regional branches still have stock left.<\/p>\n
But there is one detail that has gone unnoticed, and that is that the delicious treats are retailing for much cheaper than they are at the major supermarkets in Australia. <\/p>\n
A standard packet of original Tim Tams costs $6 when not on special at Coles, Woolworths and IGA, and $4.49 at Aldi, while the same bulk pack box containing 66 biscuits can be purchased online at Woolworths for the premium price of $46.20 – which works out as more than six individual packets which would be closer to $36.<\/p>\n
Unsurprisingly, having seen the much lower American price, Australians are not impressed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWtf. It would cost you $15 to get three packets, and (assuming that\u2019s converted to AUD) they\u2019re getting twice as much for $13,\u201d one person wrote on an X post. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe always get this treatment. Provide the world with lots, but we gotta pay for it all,\u201d a second also posted. <\/p>\n
\u201cReminds me when I went to LA and bought a pair of jeans from Australia at half price \u2026 \u2026 sent from Australia,\u201d a third wrote.<\/p>\n
However, Aussies actually can get a similar price with Costco Australia selling that same 66-biscuit box on DoorDash for $20.59.<\/p>\n
Another detail angers Aussies<\/p>\n
While Americans are celebrating the new addition to Costco, eagle-eyed Aussies and expats have looked a little closer at the packaging and spotted a few details that have caused a stir.<\/p>\n
Not only has the word \u2018Original\u2019 been prominently swapped out for \u2018Original Cookies\u2019 on the front of the packaging in line with the local vernacular, but the ingredient list reveals the recipe has been subtly tweaked for US regulations.<\/p>\n
Australian Tim Tams are made with higher-quality cocoa and distinct regional dairy. <\/p>\n
The Americanised versions can feature a slightly different chocolate formulation that some testers note dissolves more quickly or has a slightly thicker cracker texture in the biscuit layer. <\/p>\n
A glance at the back reveals the inclusion of artificial food dyes like Red 40, Yellow 6, and Blue 1, which are additives that are famously absent from the original packets sold on Australian supermarket shelves, which rely on natural colourings like cochineal and caramel.<\/p>\n
The slight formulation shift has also sparked a fierce debate among customers online, with many Australians criticising the American packaging for calling the biscuits a \u2018cookie\u2019. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a biscuit, not a cookie,\u201d one person commented on X. <\/p>\n
\u201cThese are biscuits, thank you very much! Australians don\u2019t say cookie,\u201d a second agreed. <\/p>\n
\u201cLOL, calling a Tim Tam a cookie is an insult to Australians,\u201d a third wrote. <\/p>\n
\u201cGet your story straight, it\u2019s a biscuit, not a cookie,\u201d a fourth followed. <\/p>\n
But for the average American consumer experiencing the chocolate-and-malt combo for the first time, the verdict is unanimous: it\u2019s a total game-changer.<\/p>\n
Many took to social media to showcase their excitement. <\/p>\n
\u201cGot it today, it\u2019s good,\u201d one person wrote on the Costco Buys Instagram page. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a good price \u2026 60 for $14 is a deal,\u201d another wrote. <\/p>\n
Although not everyone is a fan of the newest addition to Costco shelves. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis sucks. Not even that good,\u201d one person explained on social media. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Aussies hyped it up so much, but it wasn\u2019t all that,\u201d a second agreed. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a hard pass for me,\u201d a third shared. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An absolute frenzy has broken out in Costco warehouses across the US, with shoppers stockpiling a classic Australian…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":746990,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[35486,64,63,9461,99,55214,300574,1055,2489],"class_list":["post-746989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-americans","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australians","tag-business","tag-costco","tag-tim-tams","tag-united-states","tag-us"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=746989"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746989\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/746990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=746989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=746989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=746989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}