Walking through the aisles of Woolworths yesterday, I nearly dropped my basket when I spotted the price of eggs. Over $10 for a dozen free-range jumbo eggs? The price hikes have become so outrageous that shopping for basics feels like luxury shopping these days.

Remember when a block of chocolate was a cheap treat? Now it’s practically an investment decision. The Belgian dark chocolate that used to cost $2.90 is pushing $4, and don’t even get me started on the premium brands. Some are claiming there’s a global cocoa shortage, with prices tripling from $3,000 to $10,000 USD per tonne. Fair enough, but we all know these prices won’t come down even when supply improves.

Finding out that Tim Tams are cheaper in Japan than at my local Coles has really gotten under my skin today. Not just a little cheaper - we’re talking $1.40 less per packet. Something is seriously wrong when our beloved Aussie biscuits cost more at home than they do after being shipped halfway across the world.

The standard defense of “but shipping costs!” doesn’t hold water anymore. We’re all getting wise to the fact that sea freight is actually one of the cheapest parts of the supply chain. What we’re seeing here is pure price gouging, dressed up in the emperor’s new clothes of “market forces.”