Woolworths shoppers are buying bonus products to earn more ‘Ooshies’ only to later return their purchases, an employee has revealed.
One of the supermarket’s employees said customers are buying products marked with a paw print to increase their haul of The Lion King promotional items.
But they would then take their unwanted shopping to a service desk to get a refund – a move that has drawn the anger of others taking part in the collectable craze.
Woolworths shoppers are buying bonus products (such as toothbrushes and hand soap in bulk, pictured) to earn more ‘Ooshies’ only to later return their purchases, an employee has revealed
Those trying to complete their collections honestly hit out at the ‘disgusting’ attempt to cheat the system after a post was shared to the Woolworths Lion King & Coles Mini Shop 2 Australia – Swap, Sell and Buy Facebook group.
‘That’s horrible. Everything I bought I used,’ one social media user wrote.
‘I don’t get people anymore. We can’t even collect stuff without being dodgy and dishonest,’ another added.
Others admitted they too bought products they didn’t need, but rather than return their shopping would donate them to a worthy cause.
‘Ooshie’ fans in the same Facebook group have openly shared how they buy the bonus products in bulk to maximise how many of the collectables they receive.
’25 bonus Ooshies would have cost at least $750 to get by shopping normally!,’ one shopper wrote as they revealed they only spent $60 to get the same amount.
Those trying to complete their collections honestly hit out at the ‘disgusting’ attempt to cheat the system after a post was shared to the Woolworths Lion King & Coles Mini Shop 2 Australia – Swap, Sell and Buy Facebook group (pictured)
‘Ooshie’ fans in the same Facebook group have openly shared how they buy the bonus products in bulk to maximise how many of the collectables (pictured) they receive
The user shared a photo of her bonus purchases, which included multiple toothbrushes, hand soap and packets of ham.
Last week, it emerged some sellers were attempting to dupe buyers and cash in on the fun.
‘Rare’ items from Woolworths 2019 Lion King ooshies promotion cropped up on eBay for exorbitant prices.
One buyer from Perth took to social media to shame a seller in his local area on Facebook Marketplace for attempting to dupe potential customers.
It comes after a seller – a man named Chris – originally advertised a Woolworths Simba Ooshie for $15, but jacked the price up to $500 when contacted to arrange a pick up time (text exchange pictured)
The seller, a man named Chris, originally advertised a Woolworths Simba Ooshie for $15, but jacked the price up to $500 when contacted to arrange a pick up time.
When the buyer not-so-politely refused the request, Chris seemed to think his price hike was wholly acceptable.
‘Did you think you hit the jackpot?,’ he asked.
While the $500 price tag may seem steep to some, other shoppers who stumbled across rare ooshies in stores believe they’re sitting on a small fortune.
While the $500 price tag may seem steep to some, other shoppers who stumbled across rare ooshies in stores believe they’re sitting on a small fortune
One Queensland customer put their ‘Orange Simba’ figurine on eBay for a cool $45,000.
One seller has listed a ‘super rare blue Mufasa’ Ooshie for a starting bid of $20,000.
‘You are bidding on a gold cub Simba, the future king of the pride lands. If you don’t have the ‘baby’ SIMBA you don’t have a story… it all starts here,’ one of the adverts read.
One Queensland customer has already put up their ‘Orange Simba’ figurine for the insanely inflated cost of $45,000 on eBay (pictured)
There are four different ‘Simba’ items to collect, including the gold, furry, orange and original
On Monday, managing director of The Walt Disney Company Australia Kylie Watson-Wheeler said: ‘We are beyond excited to welcome the all-new The Lion King to the big screen, with iconic characters that audiences have long treasured.
‘Our partnership with Woolworths will delight fans as they get to collect these long-treasured characters and introduce the beloved story to a new generation.’
Woolworths programs manager Sarah De La Mare said they wanted to offer their customers ‘something special’ to celebrate the launch of the blockbuster film.
‘We know that many Aussies love Ooshies, and this unique Lion King collection is something that Lion King fans will want to keep and treasure for a long time,’ she said.
Customers can purchase a Lion King Collector’s Album to house the Ooshies for $4.