IT’S almost as bad as a pub running out of beer. Perhaps worse.

It appears a trusty Territory dress-code staple is in limited supply in Darwin, and locals are up in arms.

Darwin is in the midst of a double plugger shortage and the Territory’s Australian of the Year finalist Giovanna Webb wants to know why.

Ms Webb told the NT News she searched high and dry for a pair of trusty thongs for her zoologist husband, Grahame Webb, after his snapped earlier this week.

“Grahame wears thongs every single day to work. In fact when his broke he ended up barefoot at work,” Ms Webb said.

“I went to Casuarina to try and find him some thongs and tried Big W, Kmart and Woolworths but found nothing - they there were all out of stock.

“I was told that this is because we are heading into winter down south and they are being removed from the shelves.

“It is just surprising .. you walk into these stores and they are full of boots and jackets and fluffy things, but no thongs. I would love for a Big W manager to come up and check out a Darwin winter at 30C.”

Ms Webb said she did eventually find thongs at Casuarina chain shoe store Spendless, however was advised they had been selling like “hot potatoes.”

The NT News contacted several department and grocery stores yesterday and the majority said they were out of stock of the traditional and popular $5 Darwin double pluggers.

A Big W spokesman said thongs were usually only supplied as a seasonal item, meaning when southern winter is approaching they are whisked off the shelves, probably to make way for more climate-appropriate footwear.

“With seasonal items the supplier only supplies that product during that season,” the spokesman said.

A Kmart spokeswoman said they were out of stock of the popular mens double pluggers, however a pallet of around 200 womens and kids thongs had arrived in store yesterday morning.

“Hopefully the mens’ thongs are not too far away. It’s just that time of year,” she said.

A Woolworths spokesman also told the NT News that the grocery store was out of double pluggers, however they were in stock of souvenir NT material thongs.

Your quick go-to guide

1 Big W. Out of stock.

2 Kmart. Mens thongs out of stock. Expecting another pallet soon. Ladies and kids pallet just arrived.

3 Woolworths. No thongs, but souvenir NT thongs available.

4 Best and Less. $3 ladies rubber thongs available. Material thongs available for men, but no double pluggers. Expecting some to come in.

5 Spendless Shoes Casuarina. Thongs available for men and women, however they are selling like “hot potatoes”.

It is not the first time thongs have been in the news - in 2010, a Darwin restaurateur caused outrage after implementing a $10 ‘thongage’ charge for patrons who wore the casual footwear to his eatery.