Coles has extended its popular Little Shop campaign, despite continuing to be called hypocritical for introducing the toys after banning single-use plastic bags.
The supermarket started charging for plastic bags in its stores in July in an effort to reduce their use and be more environmentally friendly, but has since started giving away plastic toys.
For those who don’t know, the Little Shop range is teeny-weenie miniatures of some of the country’s most iconic groceries, including Tim Tams, Vegemite, and Weet-Bix.
Coles has been slammed for failing to stick to its plastics ban after the supermarket giant announced that it would be extending its Little Shop campaign (pictured)
Customers receive one of the pint-sized products with every $30 spent at the checkout – but despite being made of plastic, parents couldn’t get enough of them.
The collection proved to be so popular since it first launched in mid-July that the supermarket even held a Little Shop swap day so people could complete their sets.
It was due to finish on August 28, but now the supermarket giant has confirmed it will extend the promotion until the end of September, prompting backlash from parents and environmentalists, The Guardian reported.
Environmental groups and health advocates said the promotion contradicts Coles’ promise to stamp out single-use grey plastic bags, labelling the promotion as ‘commercial exploitation of kids’ and ‘environmentally damaging’.
One angry person took to social media to share in his frustration, saying: ‘I love how Coles supermarkets eliminated plastic shopping bags for environmental reasons, only to start giving away free plastic toys with every $30 you spend.’
Despite the backlash, Coles Chief Operating Officer Greg Davis told The Herald Sun the decision to extend the campaign was to benefit customers who had embraced the campaign.
The supermarket banned plastic bags from its stores in July in an effort to be more environmentally friendly, but has since started giving away reusable plastic bags (pictured) and toys
‘We are delighted to be able to continue the campaign for customers who have told us they need more time to complete their sets,’ he said in a statement.
In a separate statement to Business Insider, another Coles spokesperson said the supermarket chain was committed to recycling and minimising waste.
‘We know that customers are keeping the mini collectables and accessories, reusing them on a regular basis or sharing them with their friends and family.
The collection proved to be so popular since it first launched in mid-July that Coles (pictured) even held a Little Shop Swap day so people could complete their set
The spokesperson continued to say while the toys aren’t made of recyclable materials they are confident customers will keep toys so they don’t end up as landfill.
‘The Little Shop campaign only runs for a limited time and customers are able to recycle the wrappers at their nearest store through our in-store REDCycle program’ the spokesperson said.