'Train your staff!': Customers say Coles and Woolies staff are overpacking reusable bags

Disgruntled Coles and Woolworths customers are calling for staff to be “retrained” in bagging after claims checkout workers are overpacking reusable bags.

Coles removed all plastic bags on Sunday from stores across the country and introduced reusable plastic bags for 15c, while Woolworths started removing plastic bags from its shelves last month.

Queensland woman Hope Wood took to Facebook complaining that staff need to be taught “to pack the bags correctly”.

“Yesterday was the tip of the iceberg for me,” she wrote.

“I had a chiller bag packed with cans at the bottom, yogurt squashed in the middle and meat on the top, and a normal bag that contained meat, toiletries, muffins, cereal and fruit.”

Ms Wood added she “always” puts the items on the checkout in the order “of how they should be packed” and included a photo of the packed bag.

“Can you please do Australia a favour and teach the staff to pack the bags properly!” she wrote.

Another commented saying she “totally” agrees and added staff at Coles stores needed “retraining in packing reusable bags”.

“I’ve had four cooler bag handles rip because of this and it hurts my bloody back!” she wrote.

A Woolworths customer in Queensland also claimed a staff member shoved “too much” into her bag, and packed bread at the bottom. She included a photo of a crushed Woolworths loaf of bread.

She added “it has happened a few times lately that they just seem to over pack or not care”.

Another woman agreed with her claiming “there is too much going into the bags”.

“It is not good for the staff or the customers to be packing and lifting over-filled bags,” she wrote.

In a statement, Woolworths acknowledged the change to reusable bags has been a “difficult transition” for staff and customers.

“We’ve been working hard to make this transition as smooth as possible,” the statement reads.

“We really appreciate you sharing these experiences with us as it will help us ensure we can improve this experience for our customers and team members.”

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A Coles spokesperson told Yahoo7 in a statement the supermarket is “sincerely grateful to all” of its customers “who have been part of the transition to saying no to single-use plastic carry bags and yes to reusable alternatives”.

“Our teams will continue to work hard to help customers through this transition and to assist with customer service, additional checkouts will also be open through to Sunday 8 July between 9am and 9pm in New South Wales and Victoria, and 9am and 7pm in Queensland and Western Australia – where bags have been removed for the first time,” the statement reads.