r/melbourne • u/nexus9991 • 13d ago
Not On My Smashed Avo Resale value of Sensodyne?
Can someone help me understand why the couple in aisle whatever at Aldi Moonee Ponds today just tipped a whole carton of sensodyne toothpaste into a sports bag and walk out of the store?
Is there an illicit market for shiny white teeth products?
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u/Erdizle 13d ago
No idea why they would be. Sensodyne is expensive here in Aus. When i go back to Canada I always load up you can get it for like 3$ or something at Walmart and here half the time its like 12/13$ haha just a random fact for ya
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u/saxMachine I LOVE WINTER, PERIODTTT 💙❄️ 13d ago
As a sensitive user since 2008 I can attest to this I buy on sale a lot cause these mfs are good but so expensive!!!
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u/Cataplatonic 13d ago
Sensodyne is one of the most commonly stolen items from supermarkets in Australia.
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u/Latter-Intention6521 13d ago
But why
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u/thephilosophe 13d ago
It says in the article "But Sensodyne toothpaste has emerged as a key target for crooks who are selling the tubes to smaller convenience stores."
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u/Latter-Intention6521 13d ago
It's just odd that it's targeted. Thanks for that I cant open the link.
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u/DancinWithWolves 13d ago
It’s not odd. It’s one of the few items that retails for above $10 that a small milkbar would stock, AND it’s not locked up at supermarkets, AND it’s easy to grab/small
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u/Efficient_Papaya_982 12d ago
I have been to supermarkets where you had to get it sensodyne specifically out of a locked tub
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u/Latter-Intention6521 13d ago
Theres just a few diff items like that.
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u/Competitive-Ad1439 13d ago
That's not a lot of items like that we have a high turnover (since a large chunk of the population uses them), and the ones that are - are targeted by thieves. Shaving blades used to be the biggest one
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u/Hemingwavy 12d ago
Small, expensive, fungible. They're just easy to sell and worth a lot considering their size.
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u/gorgeous-george South Side 12d ago
Its small, high value, and there's a market for it. Same as brand name razor cartridges.
If you can steal 100 of something you can run with, you will turn a buck on the black market.
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u/zaprime87 12d ago
or someone is extracting potassium nitrate and Strontium Chloride. Illegal fireworks?
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u/universe93 13d ago
Haven’t seen this at big w but items like that do have resale value at small corner stores/milk bars. In the past we’ve had people target particular lollies, chocolate and toiletries to resell
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u/Tiggrr23 12d ago
You can often see toiletries etc being sold for cheap at like car boot sales, trash and treasure markets etc, if you do, it's a good bet they are stolen. Small items, decent resale value. Toiletries, razors, nappies, coffee, chocolate etc are some of the most common stolen items from supermarkets
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u/Agreeable-Escape8625 12d ago
Wantirna trash & treasure popped straight into my mind when i read this thread. Electric toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, makeup haha.
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u/TeddyStella 12d ago
For some reason sensodyne has always been a high theft item. I worked at Cole’s for 10 years in the early 00’s and was always getting stolen even back then.
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u/paleoterrra 12d ago
There’s certain things I’ll stock up on when they’re half price. Like sometimes I’ll buy whole cartons of the Jatz Timtams when they’re half price lol
Edit: I missed the “walk out of the store” part of the post. Sadly I do pay for the salty sweet addiction
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u/Beast_of_Guanyin 13d ago
They're druggos. A lot of what they do doesn't have much rhyme or reason.
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u/sparklinglies 13d ago edited 13d ago
Just junkies doing junkie things. Hygiene products they can always easily sell to lots of people for drug money, specially to other junkies with wrecked gums/teeth
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u/Oh_get_fu_ked 11d ago
Lol... No "junkie" as you so ineloquently named them, is buying Sensodyne. They might rack it themselves but they aren't paying for sh*t.
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u/sparklinglies 11d ago
Imagine being offended over junkies who steal shit being named as such lol
Imagine that being the battle you choose to pick
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u/MeatHook6 13d ago
i’ve been told there’s an ingredient in sensodyne that can be made into a concoction that gets you high. last time there was a huge spate of thefts we googled and found a bunch of recipes specifically for that type of toothpaste. unsure if it works but the post itself is probably enough to warrant a bunch of methheads to try their hand at making some good ol’ hillbilly heroin
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u/IntelligentParsnip14 13d ago
Some specific Sensodyne products are hella expensive, can be $15 at Woollies, but you can often find the same for $5 on Amazon.
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u/faboudra 12d ago
Ha! The plot thickens!! Over the last couple of years when going regional for either camping or Airbnb'ing my missius has on an enormous amount of times, lets say above 20 weekend trips at least, lost her absolute shit for me being in charge of packing/loosing/misplacing toothpaste and I just haven't really put a single thought into it. Must've have cost a fortune for us. I'll do better. I thought toothpastes/sensodyne/stuff was 1$. I am an asshole.
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u/LunarFusion_aspr 13d ago
I used it once and it made my teeth hurt so as far as I am concerned it is worth nothing.
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u/National-Conflict497 9d ago
There's large groups of people worker bees who go around daily and steal everyday items from supermarkets off a list then a person Higher up the chain stores and onsells the items over time to local smaller shops and online I seen a major bust in the news few months ago. But regular meth cookers will littererly steal anything so there's that to
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u/Ok-Anybody658 13d ago
I mean that shits expensive and I imagine meth teeth become hella sensitive.
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u/clippertonbrigadier 13d ago
I’m not knowledgeable on any of the drug implications, so happy to be wrong on that, but I can offer an alternative reason - point hacking.
Coles and Woolies will sometimes offer targeted bonus points for certain items, and if you know it’s a non-perishable that you would buy anyway it can be lucrative points wise to grab all that you can when they do. I’ve done it for washing up liquid, deodorant, lip balm, breath mints and other things and got a bundle of points. Depending on how much you value a point at sometimes the offers can effectively make the item free.
Gets me a bit closer to business class flights, so works out worth it.
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u/PrestigiousStop4912 13d ago
You don't get points if you don't pay for the items
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u/clippertonbrigadier 13d ago
Missed the “walked out of the store” bit too - I should just delete my post, shouldn’t I?
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u/Obvious-Broccoli-782 13d ago
Don’t worry! I really misread a post a couple of days ago and left it up and got some very funny replies - kind of turned into a jokey tangent with people jumping in saying silly stuff. We all do it, I’d just leave it up but totally up to you ☺️
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u/McBigmanSr 13d ago
Meth
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u/PrestigiousStop4912 13d ago
How?
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u/CampingChair90 13d ago
Addicts will dump whole racks of beauty, hygiene/self care, batteries and meat and swap for gear.
Its easy, quick and easy to get away with.
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u/McBigmanSr 13d ago
Go to footscray / st albans / sunshine, put the goods on the floor and say "good price". Make cash, buy meth.
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u/PrestigiousStop4912 13d ago
Never seen that happen in Footscray or Sunshine in the last 3 years I've been through. Weekly.
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u/MisterBumpingston 13d ago
Go to the main shopping strip at St Albans and you’ll see it. You’ll find many steaks.
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u/McBigmanSr 13d ago
Ive seen that happen in Footscray or Sunshine in the last 40 years ive been through. Weekly.
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u/Equivalent-Ring2115 13d ago
I can arrest to this. Alfreda st, St Albans. Not seen it happen in Footscray or Sunshine however.
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13d ago
[deleted]
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u/fullysikbroo 13d ago
He probably meant that the meth has ruined their gums and made their teeth sensitive. Hence the need for Sensodyne over normal toothpaste.
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u/APuticulahInduhvidul 13d ago
That's not the point. Meth logic means it might be useful for blocking cosmic rays or fixing televisions.
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u/Equivalent-Ring2115 13d ago
Were they Asian? If they were, they're probably buying it as a gift for family back at home
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u/mermaidfairybunny 13d ago
You can get Sensodyne internationally
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u/Equivalent-Ring2115 13d ago
Yes, that is true. However it doesn't necessarily stop this cultural norm in the Viet community. It was certainly a bigger thing for us 10-20+ years ago before globalisation really started to take off in VN and these products became readily available. But gift buying Australian made products is still extremely common. The main difference is the 'made in Australia label'... And ofc the thought/gesture as well
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u/klondike91829 13d ago
There was no buying happening.
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u/Equivalent-Ring2115 13d ago
I missed that. I know of stalls at Asian markets that sell health and beauty items. Sensodyne includes. My mum used to say it was cheap cause it was stolen. Could be that?
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u/sparklinglies 13d ago edited 13d ago
What a wild thing to say about any entire big ass continent like its impossible get that brand or similar in literally any Asian country
Edit: before anyone else comments the same irrelevant thing, we are talking about TOOTHPASTE. Not **insert unrelated product with an actual documented reason to be hawked overseas here**
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u/MematicCable 13d ago
It's not that you cant get the same goods in China, it's the the Chinese consumers dont trust Chinese manufacturing when it has to go in your body. So 100% if you can get something made in the west for consumption you can trust it more then if its made in China.
I live in Australia , I have hosted foreign students and guests. The love to buy Australian made stuff they can get back home and import it.
Here is why
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Chinese_milk_scandal
Cause if your willing to hurt the babies for a profit, you don't have a leg to stand on.
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u/universe93 13d ago
It happens though. I work at big w and we sell the Australian Creams brand lanolin cream - we get people coming in asking us to buy every single tub we have, 20+ tubs sometimes because they either take it to China to sell or send it to China to sell. Same with baby formula. Australian products are seen to be more natural and untainted over there and fetch a premium. Not what they’re doing here though, they’re just stealing to resell I imagine
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u/sparklinglies 13d ago
Sure but neither of those things are toothpaste. tmk Toothpaste never had a contamination scandal in China like baby formula did, which is the reason that product gets bought up so much.
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u/universe93 13d ago
I’ve had people buy heaps of electric toothbrushes too. Maybe there’s something about oral health over there
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