Woolworths shoppers 'disappointed' at Paralympics promo decision
Concerned customers have recently reached out to Woolworths on social media, questioning their cancellation of the Aussie Heroes campaign ahead of the start of the Paralympic Games.
“Hey guys my daughter loved the Olympics promotion stickers, are you going to restart them when the Paralympics start?” asked one customer.
The 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, which were rescheduled due to Covid-19 concerns, will take place from August 24 to September 5.
However, customers logging on to check on the Woolworths’ Aussie Heroes collectable campaign, will find a webpage message reading “the Aussie Heroes campaign has ended, thank you for participating.”
Another customer tagged the Australian Paralympic Team and Tokyo Paralympics Facebook pages in a post addressed to Woolworths.
“I was so disappointed to see the Olympics sticker promo has ended a week before the Australian Paralympic Team gets a chance to compete in the Tokyo Paralympics,” she wrote.
Woolworths’ Aussie Heroes campaign celebrated Australian Olympians and Paralympians with collectable stickers.
The campaign celebrated Paralympians Ryley Batt and Ellie Cole, prompting a special reaction from a young disabled girl.
Woolworths responds to Paralympic promotion concerns
A Woolworths spokesperson has told Yahoo News Australia that celebrating Australia's Paralympians is a priority for the retailer.
"Our five-week Aussie Heroes program was a collaboration with the AOC and Paralympics Australia to celebrate a wide range of disciplines and athletes,” the spokesperson said.
"Paralympians played a key role in the sticker collection, promotional materials, and the limited edition collectable coin.
"With our customers, we also helped fundraise more than $580,000 which will be donated to Paralympics Australia.”
"We're confident the campaign has helped raise awareness for the upcoming Tokyo Paralympics and customers still have time to add the Paralympic coin to their collection,” the spokesperson said.
Celebration of Paralympians has not been scarce lately, as it has also been announced that Paralympic athletes will receive equal pay to Olympic athletes.
New promotion to celebrate Paralympians
Woolworths also launched another collectable collection in July to pay tribute to Australian Olympians, in collaboration with the Royal Australian Mint.
The collection featured five $2 coins which were coloured in the theme of the Olympic rings, each with a special Japanese-inspired design.
A special Paralympic coin was also released on August 18.
A Woolworths spokesman said the retailer partnered with the Royal Australian Mint to “help customers show their support for the Australian Olympic and Paralympic teams”.
“The coins feature attractive designs which describe the athlete’s journey to Tokyo, featuring a manga style Hockey Roo and Surfing Roo, Mount Fuji, Australian Olympic Team logo and an Olympic torch," the statement said.
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.
