Supermarket shelves across Australia have been left bare for months after coronavirus panic-buyers stripped them off essentials – even sparking a black market for toilet paper.
But at one supermarket in Sydney’s CBD, customers are treated to a treasure trove of hard-to-find goods, including meat, soap, tins, pasta sauce and endless toilet paper.
The Coles store, in the city’s Wynyard train station, is so well stocked that staff have created ‘Great Wall of Toilet Paper’ at the back of the store.
Piled high with the household essential, staff have been working hard to ensure stock remains out for customers.
In Wynyard Coles, in Sydney’s CBD, customers are treated to a treasure trove of hard-to-find goods, including meat, soap, tins, pasta sauce and endless toilet paper
The supermarket is piled high with hard to find goods such as canned produce that has sold out across the country
The key behind the supermarket’s success could lie in its location, inside a usually-busy CBD commuter station now practically empty every day.
The vast majority of the city’s workers are now working from home, meaning they are unlikely to travel into the district to shop – with all surrounding businesses closed.
It has left the supermarket virtually empty of customers, but full of produce.
Pasta sauce is readily available, as are tins of tomatoes, tuna and all manner of beans.
The Coles is located on the upper levels of Wynyard train station and is normally swamped by commuters
The Coles store, in the city’s Wynyard train station, is so well stocked that staff have been forced to create a ‘Great Wall of Toilet Paper’ at the back of the store
Pasta sauce is readily available, as are tins of tomatoes, tuna and all manner of beans
The key behind the supermarket’s success could lie in its location, inside a usually-busy CBD commuter station now practically empty every day
There are nearly a dozen varieties of soap, which has become virtually impossible to track down as people diligently wash their hands to stay safe from coronavirus.
It comes as families try to fill up on essentials during the long Easter weekend, with many supermarkets closed or operating on restricted hours.
The major supermarkets have even ramped up social distancing measures, with shoppers rushing to snap up holiday favourites.
There are nearly a dozen varieties of soap, which has become virtually impossible to track down as people diligently wash their hands to stay safe from coronavirus
Walls of paper towels were also stacked well above eye level as staff struggled to find room for the essential items
Coles and Woolworths have placed a limit on the number of customers in-store to help combat the spread of coronavirus.
Coles will allow a max of 110 shoppers at its smallest store, and 275 at its largest.
While Aldi will restrict customer number to 70-100 people per store, depending on size.
Claire Peters, managing director of Woolworths, Easter was an incredibly busy time.
Coles said panic-buyers had bought up three Christmases worth of stock in as many weeks amid the coronavirus pandemic (pictured, a store in Sydney)
This shocking pictured showed an elderly man staring at an empty bread shelf after it was cleaned out by coronavirus panic buyers in March (pictured)
‘In this current crisis, we have doubled our amount of hours in cleaning and particularly in the amount of those customer touch points,’ she said.
‘We have to keep Australians fed, and we understand our role in society… it is a safe environment a supermarket.
‘It’s never been cleaner, you can still shop, but it’s all about minimising contact and risk,’ Coles Chief Operating Officer, Matt Swindells told A Current Affair.
Supermarkets in Australia have become a battle ground amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Staff have been even assaulted by people desperate to get their hands on sought after items such as toilet paper, pasta and rice.
One alleged incident in Brunswick, in Melbourne’s inner-city, involved a Coles worker allegedly being hit with a stick by a disgruntled shopper.
This heartbreaking picture was taken in the canned food aisle of a Port Melbourne Coles store on February 27, as vulnerable customers struggled to find food
A Woolworths cashier is seen in protective clothing (pictured) as the stores remain busy over the Easter weekend
Brawls have also broken out in Woolworths, with two women being investigated by police after a fight broke out in the aisles over a pack of toilet paper.
Coles now has two dedicated shopping hours per week for emergency service and healthcare workers as of March 26.
They are the first hour of trade on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while Monday, Wednesday and Friday remain for seniors to help reduce risks to them.
There are still strict limits imposed on how many of each item you can buy, it is usually two of anything but for toilet paper it is still just one packet in most stores.