Pound Savers shop receives backlash after customers charged £6.99 for hand sanitiser amid coronavirus outbreak

A Pound Savers Homestore in West Lothian has received a severe backlash from customers after charging them close to £7 for hand sanitiser.

The Pund Savers shop in Whitburn has received soe backlash for the £6.99 cost of hand sanitiser. Pics: Ian Grant/contributed

The store, located in Whitburn's West Main Street, sparked controversy on social media with members of the local community criticising the £6.99 cost of a small bottle of the hygiene product.

A 100ml bottle of hand sanitiser normally retails for between £1.50 and £2.

But the shop defended their pricing last night by saying the cost from their supplier had to be accounted for when deciding on the price of hand sanitiser in store.Several shops across Edinburgh and the Lothians have been accused of raising prices on vital items for customers since the outbreak of the Coronavirus - an issue that the Evening News is looking to highlight as panic buying escalates.Among the angry customers to comment online was Tracie McCubbin, who said: “This has been since Monday. I went in and told them exactly what the people of the town thought and that it was all over facebook. I hope he enjoys the peace and quiet in his store for his greed.”Michelle Ann Wood also said on Facebook: “They won't be getting another penny from me, and I hope the rest of Whitburn do the same. This is disgusting taking advantage of an already terrible situation.”But Ryan McCaster challenged people criticising the store and responded on the same thread by saying: “Supply and demand people. He's only selling it for what it's currently worth and if folk hadn't been so stupid panic buying 20 bottles at a time while it was still cheap then this wouldn't be happening.

A bottle of £6.99 hand sanitiser in the Pound Savers shop in Whitburn.

“Small shops and business have got a very uncertain few months ahead of them so they have no choice but to look for ways to increase their profit margins while they're still able to trade. Also seen places selling bottles half this size for the same amount so this is far from the worst I've seen. If you don't want to pay it, don't pay it and wash your hands with soap and water like we all did before hand sanitiser existed.”

Supplier cost means ‘higher price in store’

Readers of the Evening News contacted the paper to ask for the matter to be investigated.A reporter challenged the store on the highly priced sanitiser and asked why they felt it was necessary to charge customers at this rate for an essential product that is used to fight the spread of Covid-19. But a spokesperson for Pound Savers Homestore defended their pricing by saying that the cost from their supplier had to be accounted for when deciding how much hand sanitiser would cost in store.They said: “We bought it from our supplier in Glasgow, House of Suleman, where their prices have gone up and this has meant that we have also had to raise our price in store.“If customers do not buy the hand sanitiser then we will look to return the left over stock to our supplier and inform them that our customers have commented on this high cost.“We have all of the purchase receipts that document how much we have been charged by our suppliers.”

A spokesperson for West Lothian Council said: “Unfortunately this isn’t an issue we can comment on. The law is that businesses can charge what they like as long as the price is clearly advertised.”

Kirsteen Sullivan, councillor for Blackburn and Whitburn, said: “Firstly, I understand the huge pressures on retailers at the current time, not only to keep shelves stocked but with disruptions in the supply chain.

“That said, I would be keen to see the evidence for such a mammoth price hike at a time of national crisis because at the moment I cannot see any justification at all for the people of Whitburn to be asked to pay this exorbitant price for a product that is being so widely used in the fight against the spread of COVID-19.

“Good old soap and water is just as effective as sanitisers so personally I’d suggest people invest in soap and not feel that they have to pay ridiculous prices for something that does the same job.”