Coles is slammed over a photo showing women failing to socially distance while using a self-service checkout at the supermarket
- Image was taken at a Coles in Morayfield, 44km north of Brisbane, on Tuesday
- The photograph showed two women standing at the same self-serve checkout
- All registers had been opened to deal with the busy rush happening at the time
- Coles spokesperson defended the decision to open up all self-serve registers
Coles has been slammed over a photo depicting a lack of social distancing at a store’s self-service checkout.
The image, taken at a Coles in Morayfield, 44km north of Brisbane, showed two women standing at the same self-serve checkout just before 3.30pm on Tuesday.
The woman who took the image shared the image on social media slamming the supermarket chain.
‘Good to know you only have social distancing when not busy,’ the woman said.
The image, taken at a Coles in Morayfield, 44km north of Brisbane, showed two women standing at the same self-serve checkout just before 3.30pm on Tuesday
‘Every second [checkout was] open then the worker opens all of them and everyone is on top of each other.’
She said it simply ‘wasn’t good enough’.
The customer said she approached the assistant manager, who she said seemed less than willing to help.
The staff member allegedly said she would pass it on but the customer was left frustrated as the woman was clearly in a position to do something about it.
A Coles customer service worker told the shopper on Facebook this matter had been escalated.
A Coles spokesperson said: ‘Coles follows the recommendations of the Federal Department of Health as set out in their latest COVID-19 hygiene practices for supermarkets, including measures to reduce close contact between customers and team members.
‘The Department of Health defines “close contact” as face to face contact for at least 15 minutes, or being in the same closed space for at least two hours.
Coles spokesperson defended the decision to open up all self-serve registers (stock)
A Coles customer service worker told the shopper on Facebook this matter had been escalated
‘During busy periods we open all self-scanning checkouts so that customers can complete their shopping faster and minimise the time they spend in stores. We also encourage customers to plan their shopping trip ahead of time and to shop alone where possible.’
One social media user said saw similar scenes at a Coles in Mount Druitt, west of Sydney, on Sunday.
‘The store was packed, definitely no social distancing happening. I used the self serve and the staff member did not wipe them down after each customer,’ she customer said.
Another said: ‘When did people stop taking responsibility for themselves.’