Police said the 62-year-old man went into the Bridge Street premises in Rydalmere on Saturday, filling a dispenser inside a room with the highly corrosive acid.
According to ABC news ,items in the room had been fitted with alarms after they had previously been tampered with in a similar way, police said.Security stopped the man before police arrested him, officers said.
Hydrochloric acid is a strong, corrosive acid which can produce burns, ulcers and scars when put into contact with skin.
The man has been charged with a range of offences, including administering poison with the intent to cause injury, distress or pain, and malicious damage.
