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People are hoarding boxes of 'original' Shapes as Arnott's continues to roll out new flavours.

If you’ve been living under a rock (or are gluten intolerant),  you might not have heard that Arnott’s has caused serious angst after changing the recipe for Shapes biscuits.

People are seriously flipping out.

But with their “new, improved and now with more flavour” biscuits being rolled out across supermarkets in recent weeks, fans of the old, unimproved and less flavourful classics are desperately on the hunt, trying to hoard boxes of the savoury biscuits they once knew and loved.

“Went to the local IGA and bought up a dozen boxes of the old flavours,” one Facebook user wrote. “You can find them on eBay in six months time, going for 100 bucks a pop.”

What the user didn’t realise though, is that they’re already on eBay, with boxes of barbecue, pizza, cheddar cheese and chicken crispy flavours all going for around $5 each.

Joe raises an important question. Source: Facebook.

"Stocked up on the original cheddar shapes since the new ones are terrible! Pretty sure these will be a good investment in a few months time once you can't buy them anymore," another Facebook commenter said, posting a picture of seven boxes of the soon-to-be-extinct. 

"I savoured every single one of my beloved Pizza Shapes this morning, as I refuse to let a new recipe taint fond memories of something so good. Second saddest day of my life: Wednesday, April 27, 2016," another said.

Some people are even using the Shapes Facebook page to try and source their beloved favourites.

"Does anyone know if the old style shapes are stocked anywhere in Melbourne? Need to have closure as i'll never purchase the new kind," a Melbourne man asked.

He got two responses pointing him to possible hoarding spots.

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Addressing the angry mob on Facebook earlier this week, Arnott's explained: "Shapes fans for many years have been asking for a bolder flavoured biscuit. So we’ve created the new flavours and upped the amount of flavour by sprinkling it on both sides and baking it right into the biscuit. We received a positive response when we tested this new recipe extensively with groups of fans but we really appreciate those taking the time to write in to let us know what they think. We will be listening carefully to all of our fan’s thoughts on the new recipe."

No one does and no one is, sorry Arnott's. Source: Facebook.

Arnott's has also continued to reiterate to consumers that the changes were not a cost-cutting measure and that they are taking the feedback on board.

"New & Improved? Perhaps drop the word 'Improved'! That way nobody can be accused of false advertising," wrote one user.

"Yes the new flavours are awful and Arnott's you will lose sales and profit as a result of this change," added another.

The original barbecue flavour has returned, but is selling out. Source: Facebook.

"Customer feedback? Who did you ask. Just had to spit out a BBQ shape as was disgusting. Who decided a classic taste need to be improved. Sack the marketing department and get back to basics. We won't be buying again. Children are appalled with new product. Big thumbs down to Arnotts," wrote another.

With negative feedback gaining more and more traction online this week, Arnott's has said it will return some of the original flavours to shelves, giving consumers the choice between "Barbecue" and "Original Barbecue" flavours.

 

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