An Unauthorized Crumbl Pop-Up Charged Sydney Fans $17 Per Cookie

An exclusive, one day only Crumbl Cookies pop-up event held in Sydney earlier this week drew in a line of Aussies that went out the door and down several blocks. Some fans waited over an hour to get their hands on one of the chain's signature, cookie packed pink boxes. Only, the pop-up wasn't Crumbl at all. Not only were people charged $17.50 AUD for something that normally costs $5 USD, but the Crumbl fans were disappointed to find that the cookies they had waited so long to try tasted dry and stale. How could that be? Because they were. The cookies had been baked five days before, flown in from Hawaii, and miraculously brought in through Australia's strict customs.

Advertised by now deleted Instagram and TikTok pages under the handle @crumblsydney, the organizers used marketing materials that appeared to be official Crumbl Cookies advertisements — only they weren't actually affiliated with Crumbl at all. As it turns out, the masterminds behind the unauthorized pop-up were just fans themselves, wanting to bring the Crumbl experience to Australia. According to a statement, they spent $4,000 to travel to and from Hawaii and another $6,000 on the cookies themselves — even providing the bank statements and receipts to prove it. They also insisted that, throughout their journey, the cookies were stored at room temperature in airtight containers, just as Crumbl advises. But, based on responses, that clearly didn't help.

Social media has been in an uproar since news of the unauthorized Crumbl pop-up got out. While the organizers have shared some positive responses they received, the public's response has been, generally, negative. Not only did many find that the cookies were stale, but they questioned the organizer's intentions — citing the use of Crumbl advertising materials and the name "Crumbl Sydney" as a way to legitimize and con customers. In a post on TikTok, @elle_easternsuburbsmum taste tested the cookies and said that she "can't believe I waited an hour" after spending $150 on 10 of them. But, even after being scammed, something good might end up coming out of this for Crumbl fans Down Under. 

Sawyer Hemsley, a co-founder of Crumbl Cookies, commented on the creator's video that "You need to try them fresh in the U.S.! PS: This pop-up is not affiliated with Crumbl Cookies." In a statement to People, Crumbl Cookies said, "While the pop-up in Australia was not sponsored by Crumbl, we love seeing excitement for Crumbl around the world." They went on to say that, while there are currently only Crumbl locations in the U.S. and Canada, they "look forward to expanding to other countries in the future." After all of this, Australia will surely make it on that list of countries but, when the time comes, it will be announced through official Crumbl communication channels.