Bondi is the go-to neighborhood for global companies looking to launch down under, set against a backdrop of mountain houses, tanned bodies, and great ocean views.
Therefore, when news broke on TikTok that a Crumbl Cookie pop-up was coming to Sydney’s iconic beach hub, some raised concerns.
With a host of popular fans, the US-based shop chain- which merely sells internally and in Canada- has secured a cult-like next.
However, when American foodies began to eat the treats, anger quickly spread when it became clear they were only eating days-old items that had been sold by a few independent locals without any link to Crumbl, who had brought the cookies again in suitcases from Hawaii.
Adding insult to injury was the eye-watering price tag, with consumers paying A$ 17.50 ($ 12, £9 ) for the stale snacks, which had aged inside the belly of a commercial airline.
The crispy crisis has sparked controversy online, prompting calls for legal action to be taken against the sellers, as well as jabs against those who are willing to pay for an astronomical sum simply because they are seen indulging in the latest trendy address. Commentators have labeled the fantastic” cookie controversy” and” Crumblgate.”
It also inspired a last-minute Washington Post Food assessment of the biscuits, which ruled them “underwhelming” and” under cooked”.
After scores of people spent the evening snaking around a business wall in North Bondi on Sunday to secure their brightly colored personal Crumbl box, the story began.
Consumer after consumer filmed themselves biting into the hardened treats, reacting with a series of grimaces rather than delight, all of it appeared to be captured on TikTok, frequently in real-time.
” This is actually very bad… the texture is just weird”, one vlogger said.
” I spent A$ 150 on 10 cookies”, another woman blurted out mid-video, before offering a scathing review.
Another group recorded themselves merely sniffing the muddled treats before giving a rating of 3 out of 10.
The US company’s founder quickly clarified that the Australian pop-up was not associated with his business.
All of which prompted a confusing story, followed by an apology by the Sydney organisers.
According to a spokesperson who declined to provide his full name, hundreds of the cookies had been purchased while on a trip to Hawaii and then brought back to Australia in luggage.
He asserted that everything the pop-up had done was “legal,” including using professionally shot images of the sweets and imitating the Crumbl branding.
And that they’d tried to adhere to the Crumbl storage requirements, which advises that the products can still be consumed after three days, if kept in an airtight container.
” We kept them to these requirements. Some were warmed to improve their texture, which Crumbl does as well.
” We apologise that they do n’t live up to expectations. However, they are just cookies at the end of the day,” the statement added.
Australian marketing expert Andrew Hughes is not lost on the strangeness of a group of people taking an international flight to go and buy biscuits, but he claims the bait and switch tactic is not at all new.
One recent example he pointed to was when scores of people bought tickets to a so-called Bridgerton-themed ball in Detroit, Michigan.
But instead of being met with the glitz, glamour and expensive food event organisers had promised, they were left with soggy noodles, a single violin, and a pole dancer.
It’s important to examine the powerful emotions elicited by the “fear of missing out” or FOMO for short, in order to understand how these viral scams trick people into.
” In an age where information travel so quickly … people do n’t want to be behind the curve. They act out of impulse instead of logic, “he explains.
It’s not clear whether the Crumbl spin off violated Australian consumer law or whether those affected have legal grounds to act.
But beyond a few cease-and-desist letters, Hughes thinks it’s unlikely the US-brand will take further action.
” They’ll deny it. They’ll say it’s bad. But ultimately, it’s good publicity because it raises their brand awareness in Australia.
” All of a sudden, people who had n’t heard of them are now talking about them”.