Store Starts Charging a $5 Cover Charge to Combat ‘Showcasing’

A specialty food store in Australia is dropping the hammer on people “just looking” at their merchandise without buying anything. Celiac Supplies instituted a policy last month which requires shoppers pay a five dollar door fee, which will then be deducted from any purchase.

It’s a ploy they are using to try to stop a phenomenon called showcasing. That is when a customers check out the goods in a store and then buy them at another store or online. On the note left by management such behavior is not even necessary since the prices at Caliac Supplies are “almost the same as other stores.”

When this photo of the store's policy hit Reddit, the comments started, and people were unanimous for the most part that they didn't care for it one bit.  Many also stating that they would never shop at a store with such a door fee. But Celiac Supplies, appears to still be in business. They have a really nice website, but strangely you can’t buy anything on it.

Big box retailers like Target and Best Buy have also been stung by showcasing, but they responded by lowering their prices, rather than charging to enter.

Would you shop in a store with an cover charge?