How this shopper scored free steaks at Woolworths thanks to a staff member sticker

Shopper scores Woolworths steak for free thanks to this little-known sticker: ‘Has this happened to anyone else?’

  • Woolies worker gives mum ‘Team Member Purchase’ sticker
  • He put it on her steak which rang up for free at the till  

A shopper was touched by a random act of kindness from a Woolworths employee after he gave her some $11 steaks free of charge. 

The mum said the staff member approached her during her shop and stuck a sticker reading ‘Team Member Purchase’ over the barcode on a packet of beef steak rump making it ring up at $0 at the checkout. 

She asked if anything similar had happened to other customers and while many said they have been offered free or discounted groceries on rare occasions from Woolies clerks, it was never confirmed if the act was above board. 

‘Not sure if this has happened to anyone else, but when we were at Woolies today, a staff member chased us down and stuck this sticker over the barcode of some steak we had in our trolley,’ the woman explained.

‘He then told us it would be free at check out and it was! I wonder if this is a new campaign they have going, but it was honestly so so appreciated.’

A mum was touched when a Woolworths employee stuck a sticker over the barcode on a packet of steaks she was buying so it would go through the checkout for free

The New South Wales shopper shared the story and an image of the steaks with the mystery sticker to the Mums Who Budget – Australia Facebook page exciting dozens of members. 

‘Brb doing all my shopping at Woolies now,’ one mum said and another wrote: ‘I want that to happen to my whole trolley’. 

‘Maybe it’s a pay-it-forward thing, maybe he paid for it?’ someone asked to which the shopper said: ‘That’s what I’m thinking!’.

Many said they had also been given the staff stickers on groceries and speculated what it could mean. 

‘It’s not a scam or staff doing the dodgy! It’s a random act of kindness. The managers would communicate to all staff how/what/when they’d be doing it so all staff would be aware,’ one member said. 

‘I had a Kmart employee beside me at a self serve last Christmas – she’d finished shift and was buying a drink. Before I could pay she stopped me and popped in a staff code, allowing me to get X amount off. It was so kind of her!’ a second recalled. 

Many said they have had similar incidences while shopping however some warned the staff member could get in trouble for giving away free groceries

Many said they have had similar incidences while shopping however some warned the staff member could get in trouble for giving away free groceries

One mum said she was offered a bunch of flowers when she stressfully rushed into a Woolies store with her newborn and another even had her entire shop with meat, nappies and formula paid for. 

Others said the staff member who gave her the sticker and her steaks for free could risk getting in trouble from managers. 

‘The worker could get in a lot of trouble if he hasn’t got permission for the store manager as there isn’t any promotion happening at the moment here in Queensland,’ a Woolies worker said.

Poll

Have you received anything for free from a supermarket staff member?

  • Yes 0 votes
  • No 0 votes
  • No but I’ve heard of it happening 0 votes

‘But those stickers are for staff so other staff members know you have already paid for it.’ 

Another staffer chimed in saying while he was happy the shopper got her meat for free, they were ‘intrigued’ as to why the employee would hand over the sticker. 

‘When giving people things for free, staff aren’t actually meant to use those stickers on customer items they are meant only for staff who are coming in with things the store sells or have paid for it on their breaks. Only front-end managers and supervisors are meant to have access to use them,’ they said. 

‘Hopefully they went through the RF Device and ‘wrote off’ one of these meats in the system as goodwill gesture or whatever they call it now otherwise they may get in trouble.’

They added they’ve known of managers ‘randomly’ giving away items for free to help shoppers ‘just because they want to’ and are happy people are continuing to make the gesture amid the riding cost of living. 

The Daily Mail Australia has contacted Woolworths for comment.  

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