Woolworths customers outraged by ‘ridiculous’ change to baby formula limit
Frustrated parents trying to buy baby formula say they have again been left high and dry after Woolworths decided to scrap their existing two-tin limit.
Shoppers referred to as ‘daigou’ have been filmed raiding Australian supermarkets, often before the tins even hit the shelves. They send the tins to China to cash in on that country’s seemingly insatiable demand for premium instant formula.
As a result Woolworths was forced to introduce a two-tin per shopper limit in October last year after customers began stockpiling certain brands, many of which could later be found selling on eBay for four-times the original price.
But a change in policy saw Woolworths this month quadruple that limit to eight tins per customer – much to the bemusement of parents desperately searching for the right brand.
“This is getting ridiculous…..I am now out of A2 formula for my son and have visited 7 stores. There is no increased supply, you just enjoy making more money,” a furious Ipswich mother told the store.
“This has been a constant problem since my son’s birth. Eight tins at a time is beyond a joke. How about leaving formula for people who have infants to feed?”
Another mother from Gosford found herself in the same boat, saying she has been unable to feed her infant child their regular formula.
“After visiting various stores today, I have discovered the shelves of certain brands are being completely cleaned out once again so myself and millions of other customers once again have to lose out & not be able to feed our little ones their regular formula,” she wrote.
This is getting ridiculous…..I am now out of a2 formula for my son and have visited 7 stores. There is no increased…
Posted by Samantha Mason on Monday, August 27, 2018
“To go from two to EIGHT, that’s just way too much.”
A Woolworths spokesperson said they will continue to monitor the situation following the change but refused to comment on whether they feared the increased tin-limit would again see daigou shoppers stockpile popular brands.
“We’ve been working closely with our suppliers and as a result of improving baby formula supply, we’re changing our formula limit from 2 to 8 tins per customer,” the spokesperson said.
“We’ll continue to closely monitor our on-shelf availability and feedback from our customers as we make this adjustment.”
Coles supermarkets made the same change back in July citing “recent improvements in supply” for the decision.
