Sydney Kmart shoppers filmed trashing store as end of lockdown madness grips city

Shoppers have been filmed leaving Kmart stores in a mess after trashing folded piles of clothes and dumping them on the ground as end of lockdown madness sets it. 

An upset customer filmed the trail of mess left behind at one of the hugely popular retail stores located in Sydney.

It’s understood the footage was captured around the time the city emerged from four months of lockdown last Monday. 

Massive queues formed outside some of the stores across Sydney with shoppers lining up at the stroke of midnight to be the first ones inside. 

The video shows mounds of clothes covering the floor after they were ripped off their hangers on the clothes racks.

Shelves are seen trashed with pants, jumpers and shirts dumped on the floor or thrown into a heap on top of the display

Shelves are seen trashed with pants, jumpers and shirts dumped on the floor or thrown into a heap on top of the display. 

Footage of the wreckage was uploaded to TikTok with the disapproving caption: ‘This is not how we do shopping’.

Social media users were quick to air their disgust and condemn shoppers for their lack of respect for staff.

‘Appalling,’ one person wrote. ‘The disrespect for other people’s property and the poor workers who have to clean this up.’

Another person added: ‘If I walked into that for my presentation shift I would honestly just go home.’ 

Customers had their first taste of shopping in months after restrictions were eased when the state hit the 70 per cent double jab milestone.

Kmart stores in Blacktown and Mt Druitt saw dozens of shoppers queueing in lines which snaked 50m from the entrance just before midnight last Monday.

A spokeswoman for Kmart acknowledged the lines and chaos ensuing at Kmart stores across the state.

‘In many of our stores today there have been queues to enter and to check out, as our team and customers adjust to new processes and government requirements including checking vaccination status,’ she said.

Lacee (pictured with her daughter Kahlani) is shopping for Christmas as well as getting essentials

Maya Urquhart found some bargains on her Freedom Day shopping at Kmart

Meanwhile shoppers at Broadway in Sydney were enjoying the freedom to shop in person they had waited so long for.

‘It’s fantastic, it’s nice to feel that you’re living your normal life again, not restricted in your own house or in your own LGA,’ said Lacee.

‘It’s quite amazing to have the freedom to be able to do what you want, whenever you want.’

Lacee is a mum of three and says her girls have grown so much in the lockdown months that ‘none of their clothes fit them’ anymore.

Another customer, Maya Urquhart was expecting it to be busier. ‘It feels very weird to be back here, with everyone around. But everyone seems to be a lot calmer, very polite, keeping a distance.’

She said the queue to get into the shop was smooth and well run. ‘It’s a very good process, easy to get in. There’s two people at the door, keeping everyone safe, which is good.’ 

Customers had their first taste of shopping in months after restrictions were eased when the state hit the 70 per cent double jab milestone

Ms Urquhart was also shopping for Christmas and found some bargains. ‘They have reduced prices of the things they’re trying to get out before new stock comes in. I got a T-shirt for a dollar, cheap than a cup of coffee.’

Rosie also said she was pleased to be able to shop in person. ‘I’ve had a bit of a hiatus from buying crap that you always thought you needed but don’t really need. 

Kmart CEO John Gualtieri quoted a 19th century American poet and philosopher in expressing his joy at reopening in NSW.

‘I believe it was Ralph Waldo Emerson who once said life was about the journey and not the destination … but on this occasion, I think we would all disagree,’ said Mr Gualtieri.

Queensland University of Technology retail and consumer behaviour expert Gary Mortimer said the rush to visit Kmart was due to residents being in lockdown for so long.

‘For the rest of this week, people will be keen to get out, taking selfies of themselves at a restaurant, at a bar, or in a retail store, engaging in that activity that they’ve not engaged in for some time,’ he told news.com.

End of lockdown madness at Kmart

Kmart CEO John Gualtieri confirmed unvaccinated shoppers will be unable to enter Kmart stores across NSW (pictured, Kmart in Broadway on Freedom Day)

Cooped-up shoppers were eager to visit retail stores when lockdown was lifted across Greater Sydney last Monday.  

Huge queues formed outside of several Kmart stores in western Sydney with footage capturing lines snaking around stores for as long as 50 metres. 

Lacee is a mum of three and says her girls have grown so much in the lockdown months that ‘none of their clothes fit them’ anymore.

Another customer, Maya Urquhart was expecting it to be busier. ‘It feels very weird to be back here, with everyone around. But everyone seems to be a lot calmer, very polite, keeping a distance.’

Queensland University of Technology retail and consumer behaviour expert Gary Mortimer said the rush to visit Kmart was due to residents being in lockdown for so long.

‘For the rest of this week, people will be keen to get out, taking selfies of themselves at a restaurant, at a bar, or in a retail store, engaging in that activity that they’ve not engaged in for some time,’ he told news.com.