Coles customer horrified by fellow shopper's scoop & weigh act

The woman says her 'life has been altered' after seeing another shopper use his hands.

A Coles shopper has raised a common concern relating to the supermarket's 'scoop and weigh' section after witnessing something during her shop that she says "has altered her life".

The woman named Laura says she regularly picks up her favourite snack — chilli and lime soy crisps — from the do-it-yourself section, rather than buy the pre-packaged bag, which at $6 a pack, works out more expensive.

The feature, available at some stores, allows customers to bag as little or as much of their favourite dry snacks or sweets by scooping the desired amount into zip-lock bags. Then the bag is weighed and a barcode is printed showing the accurate price based on weight.

Coles scoop and weigh
A woman has shared what she sees go on at the Coles scoop and weigh station. Source: TikTok

Shopper expresses her horror: 'People are doing that?'

But during a recent visit, Laura was horrified after witnessing something that made her question whether or not she should continue scooping the snacks herself, with others agreeing "it happens often".

"I've just witnessed something that has altered my life," the woman said in a video on TikTok while standing inside a Coles store.

Reenacting the stunt, the woman said she saw a man open the lid of a container and stick his hand in before popping a treat into his mouth.

"He opened it, grabbed it, and then ate it and now I can never go and scoop away," the shocked shopper said. "People are here doing that? He grabbed it with his hand."

Shoppers admit it 'happens often'

But the "unhygienic" move wasn't surprising to many who commented on the video saying they've seen many shoppers do something similar.

"I once witnessed someone open one of the scoop and weigh containers to sneeze directly into it," one claimed. "Mmmhmmm..that’s why I never eat from the scoop and weigh. Some ppl just don’t care," said another.

One person claiming to be a Coles worker said they "would never buy from them" having "seen some things".

Another agreed $6 for a pre-packaged bag might cost more than if you were to scoop the snacks yourself, but "you're paying for hygiene", they said.

Yahoo News Australia contacted Coles for comment.

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