Hundreds of Kmart shoppers cause a stampede as they storm a new store on its opening day
- Grand opening of Kmart in Invercargill, NZ drew hundreds of shoppers Thursday
- Crowds stormed in to get their hands on free gift bags and giveaways
- Customers were greeted with a ‘waiata’ – a traditional Maori welcoming song
Hundreds of eager shoppers caused a stampede at Kmart after the long-awaited opening of a new store in New Zealand.
The department store giant opened its doors in Invercargill, on the South Island, on Thursday, with crowds of customers lining up as early as 8am.
Footage from the event showed shoppers anxiously waiting for employees to cut the ribbon before storming in to get their hands on grand opening deals.
Kmart opened its doors in Invercargill, on the South Island on Thursday, with crowds of customers lining up as early as 8am
Kmart celebrated the opening by offering gift bags to the first 250 customers and the first 500 were treated to free cupcakes.
And those who were not lucky enough to get their hands on the swag bags were still treated to free coffee, face painting, as well as popcorn and other treats.
They also had the chance to win a $500 Kmart Voucher by entering a raffle.
Shoppers were greeted by schoolchildren who performed a ‘waiata’ – a traditional Maori welcoming song – to mark the opening of the store.
The new Kmart was met with much fanfare by locals on social media as it is one of the first on the southern tip of the island.
Until last week, the closest Kmart was in Dunedin and Queenstown.
Scenes from the event showed shoppers anxiously waiting for employees to cut the ribbon before storming in to get their hands on grand opening deals
Customers were greeted by schoolchildren who performed a ‘waiata’ – a traditional Maori welcoming song – to mark the opening of the store
‘This is great and in years to come they will look back and say we were there when Invercargill first opened Kmart. Well done Invers it looks great,’ one person said.
‘Great to see the Whole of Invercargill at the opening,’ another quipped.
In August, the country’s first 24 hour Kmart opened in Auckland’s Sylvia Park.
Country manager Jason Picard said at the time the move is ‘about offering better support to New Zealand families who are busy balancing work, family and leisure commitments.’
Kmart celebrated the event by offering gift bags to the first 250 customers and the first 500 were treated to free cupcakes