Coronavirus: The new items Coles has put on its restricted shopping list
After weeks of hysterical panic buying, leaving supermarkets nearly empty, Coles has been forced to updated their list of restricted items.
As of Monday, Coles has added new items to the list of good which customers will only be able to buy limited amounts of.
Eggs, chilled pasta, frozen vegetables and frozen desserts are now on list, with customers only able to buy two packets of these per person.
Over the weekend Coles had already restricted the amount of mince, pasta, flour, dry rice, paper towels, paper tissues and hand sanitisers to two items per person.
When first introduced the restrictions only applied to toilet paper, with each customer allowed to buy only one pack. This limit still stands.
Customers have been stocking up, in fear of running out of food and household goods if they are forced to go into lockdown to prevent further spread of the coronavirus and it has led to some unbelievable scenes in supermarkets as people rush to panic buy.
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Individual stores will also introduce additional limits on certain items which can vary from store-to-store.
“Coles is taking all possible steps to improve the level of stock on our shelves for the community,” Coles CEO Steven Cain said in a statement.
“Our team members, suppliers and transport partners have been working as hard as possible delivering more products to stores every day and replenishing shelves of popular products such as toilet paper, long-life pantry staples and healthcare items as quickly as possible.”
Mr Cain said the company would continue to look at products in limited supply and impose further restrictions on them to prevent over-purchasing if necessary.
The new restricted items are part of a long list of things Coles is trying to do amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Like Woolworths, Coles is allowing for customers with a government-issued Pensioner Concession Card, Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, Companion Card and Health Care Card to shop an hour before the doors open for the rest of the public.
“We believe all Australians deserve the right to access their share of grocery items, particularly the elderly and the vulnerable, so we are introducing “Community Hour” as a temporary measure for those who need some extra help during this challenging time,” Mr Cain said.
Coles said there is enough food for everyone, if people shop as they usually would.
Images of empty shelves have plagued supermarket’s social media pages for weeks now and customers have been been accused of abusing staff members.
There is enough for everyone if people shop as they normally shop. Please be kind to our team members in store & our Customer Service teams online, in our call centres & on social media.
Regular updates will be posted on -www.coles.com.au/customernotice— Coles Supermarkets (@Coles) March 15, 2020
A man in Melbourne was arrested for attacking a Coles staff member with a stick on Sunday night.
Coles has also announced to aid existing workers restock the shelves, more than 5000 casual team members will be recruited across Australia.
To curb the hoarding which many customer across the country seem to be doing, Coles made changes to their change-of-mind-refund policy.
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