'So frustrated': Outrage over photo of 'selfish' Ikea shoppers
An image posted on Reddit of a crowded line at a Brisbane Ikea store has raised eyebrows after many people pointed out the lack of social distancing.
In the image which appears to have been taken at the car park entrance of one of Brisbane’s Ikea stores over the weekend, at least 35 people are reported to be in line with many not keeping the suggested 1.5 metres distance from each other.
People pointed out that there appeared to be families waiting in line.
“I know it's a good time to redo the kitchen, but you don't need your family of five there running around the place. It should be just get in and get out,” one person commented.
Others suggested the people in the crowd were going to Ikea out of boredom.
“I think because lots of places are closed, people think the few stores that are open are fine to go to, so it's something they can do to get out of the house,” one user suggested.
Working from home supplies
Another person pointed out many would be headed there to buy supplies as people adapt to working from home.
“I went last weekend to buy a desk but I was so frustrated that every family and their grandma was there shopping,” one person wrote.
“I planned to go the other week because I needed a new desk as I’m working from home. I arrived and the car park was packed, I immediately turned around and went home,” another person replied.
“Do these people not realise that home delivery is a thing?” one person asked.
An Ikea spokesperson said the store is ‘currently limiting the number of customers in stores to support social distancing,’ which may explain the lengthy line outside of the store.
“We are also implementing a queuing process to enter our stores to ensure safe numbers of customers are in our stores at any time,” a spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia.
Chaotic scenes at Bunnings
Similar scenes were spotted outside of several Bunnings stores in the beginning of April with customers lined up waiting their turn to enter but few people were practising social distancing.
One person wrote on social media they could see a Bunnings store from their balcony and the car park had “been packed their entire opening hours for weeks”.
Many speculated that although Bunnings was considered an essential business, many shoppers were just there to pass the time.
“Nobody, absolutely nobody, can tell me that everyone going to Bunnings is doing so for an essential reason. For eg, painting your house is not essential. Buying potting mix is not essential. 70 per cent of people there are just taking the p**s,” one person wrote.
A few people even speculated that one weekend there seemed to be more people shopping at Bunnings Noosaville than on the Sunshine Coat’s famous beaches.
‘Selfish’ shoppers
One Reddit user said the lack of social distancing outside the Ikea store was “selfish”.
“There just seem to be too many people who are too thick or selfish or uncaring to do the right thing”.
Another furious forum user said they felt people weren’t taking social distancing measures seriously.
“This makes me so angry. I think people feel that because we’ve not had that many deaths, as a country, that it won’t affect them. I’ve lost two family members to COVID-19 in the UK and even before that it made me angry,” a person wrote.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
