• Friday, March 29, 2024

Coronavirus

Birmingham pharmacy charges £19.99 for bottle of Calpol, sparks outrage on Twitter for alleged ‘profiteering’

By: Sarwar Alam

A West Midlands-based pharmacy chain has been lambasted on social media for allegedly charging three times more than the normal price for a bottle of Calpol.

Councillor for Bromford and Hodge Hill in Birmingham Majid Mahmood on Wednesday night posted on Twitter a photo that showed bottles of the liquid paracetamol as advertised in a branch of Jhoots Pharmacy.

His tweet said a box of 32 paracetamol tablets, usually priced around £1, was being sold for £9.99 in the same branch.

Pharmacy shelf had Calpol Infant 100ml bottles for £9.99

A 200ml bottle of the infant medicine typically retails for around £6.50, while a 100ml bottle is sold for £3.50.

Jhoots Pharmacy branches elsewhere also inflated their prices to take advantage of panic buyers, it’s been alleged.

A tweet @saabtalk displaying a purchase receipt from a Jhoots branch in Bath read: “Disgraceful £9.99 for paracetamol, not expected from a large Pharmacy like Jhoots.”

The pharmacy chain has blamed “an erroneous communication” for “pricing disparities at a small number of branches.”

According to local media reports, the company has promised to refund overcharged customers, but there was continued fury over alleged “profiteering” on Twitter.

RealGaryWebster tweeted: “That is profiteering and illegal… Shocking behaviour. How does that help the poor, elderly or those on benefits??”

Another Twitter user Ibrahim wrote: “What an absolute disgrace, should be ashamed of themselves. Horrific example of profiteering at a time when people desperately look to pharmacies for help.”

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