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Woolworths staff reveal 'disgusting' items found in shoppers' bags

WARNING – DISTURBING CONTENT: Woolworths staff have revealed the most disturbing things they have found inside bags brought in by customers — including dirty nappies, bodily fluids, rodents and even a live snake.

Taking to Facebook, one staff member posed the question: “What’s the worst thing you’ve seen in a customer’s bags [sic] when serving them?”

To kick things off, the man shared his own experience: “A spider nest (with spiders),” he wrote.

Employees ring through customers' purchases at the checkout counter at a Woolworths in Melbourne.
Wooloworths staff revealed the 'worst' things they have found inside bags brought into the store by customers. Soure: Getty Images, file

The post was quickly inundated with other workers eager to share their own horror stories.

“Dirty nappies. Dead and alive insects. Dead and alive spiders. Dead mouse. Mouse s**t. Used needle without cap. Muddy footy boots. Used tissues,” one woman wrote, along with dozens of her other finds including “possible vomit” and “blood-soaked bandages”.

Several staff reported finding live mice, frogs, cockroaches and spiders inside the bags.

“I did a shift away from my home store and I served a guy that had a ton of baby cockroaches in his bag which then went on to infest the service area,” one woman wrote.

Other items that were commonly found included dirty underwear, used ear buds, decomposing food and pet hair.

Facebook comments listing the most disgusting things Woolworths staff have found inside customers' reusable bags.
Dozens of staff members revealed their own horror experiences at the checkout. Source: Facebook

Horrific finds inside Woolworths shopping bags

Among the more unusual discoveries were divorce papers, a specimen jar full of urine, faeces — and even a live snake.

“Lady reckons she’d just come back from the vet and it was her pet in the bag,” the staffer wrote.

“Freaked me out still.”

Other items were stomach turning.

“I shook one (bag) out to use and got covered in blood,” one woman said. “Animal or human I don’t know.”

Another person said they were faced with “legit human faeces”.

“A cat pee soaked newspaper,” one person added, while several said they had found used sanitary items and a condom wrapped in tissue.

One worker said they found a gun, while another found a knife and several others reported finding drugs and drug paraphernalia.

A Woolworths supermarket checkout with 'next order' sign on 24 August 2004.
Woolworths says staff have the right to refuse to handle unsafe and unhygienic shopping bags. Source: Getty Images, file

Woolworths staff can refuse to handle 'unsafe and unhygienic bags'

In the height of the pandemic last year, Woolworths advised customers that staff would happily pack customers’ bags “so long as they’re clean for our team to handle”.

Woolworths confirmed to Yahoo News Australia on Tuesday team members can refuse to handle "unsafe and unhygienic shopping bags".

Supermarket staff will offer reusable bag options as an alternative.

"We find the vast majority of our customers bring bags that are in good condition," a Woolworths spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said if the fabric Bag for Good, costing 99 cents, gets damaged it will be replaced for free no matter how old it is.

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