Woolworths customer abandons shopping after disturbing sight in NZ store

Woolworths stores in New Zealand have been under the spotlight regarding their hygiene standards.

Tom Flanagan
·Associate News Editor
Updated ·2-min read

A disturbing sight inside a Woolworths store has sent one customer into a flap, and has once again raised questions over the state of the supermarket's New Zealand stores.

The customer revealed to the New Zealand Herald bird poo was seen dripping along an overhead aisle sign at Woolworths' Three Kings Auckland store. The shopper said the sign was directly above food items.

“I have been shopping there for two years and have only just noticed them. I actually had to stop doing my shop and leave the store," they told the publication. “I know what diseases birds and their poo can carry.”

The bird poo was seen dripping down the sign. Source: New Zealand Herald
The bird poo was seen dripping down the sign. Source: New Zealand Herald

A spokesperson for Woolworths said birds in stores were "an unfortunately common issue", the signs were cleaned once staff were made aware of the issue. It is understood the supermarket uses several preventative measures to deter birds, including netting and flaps over doors.

Some shoppers sympathised with the supermarket online, saying birds were part and parcel of supermarket life.

Rodent infestation plagues Woolworths

Earlier this year a Woolworths-owned store in Dunedin was forced to shut down after two rats were pictured peering out of a shelf in the chilled foods section. Days earlier, a mouse was spotted scurrying over potato salad in the deli section of a separate store in the city of Christchurch, prompting New Zealand Food Safety to launch an independent review of Woolworths' pest management process across its New Zealand stores.

Local media reported up to 19 rats were caught in the Dunedin store.

Across the Tasman Sea, Woolworths launched an investigation earlier this year after black mould was discovered spread across a milk fridge at a Sydney store.

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