‘This is disgraceful’ – Shoppers furious over Coles’ controversial Mother’s Day display
- Replies 22
Mother’s Day is one of those special occasions that supermarkets and other retailers capitalise on. From boxes of chocolates on sale, fuzzy slippers, and gift baskets with trinkets, everything put on display is snapped up by customers eager to show their appreciation to their mum or wife.
But one retailer had other plans, it seems.
Recently, an Aussie shopper snapped a photo of the aisle of a Coles supermarket, clearly set up to display Mother’s Day gifts. But instead of lollies and wine bottles, it was filled with cleaning products and sanitary items, which led shoppers to accuse the store of being ‘sexist’.
The supermarket giant is making big waves online for all the wrong reasons after putting up a controversial Mother’s Day display of gift ideas that had bottles of cleaning products, washing liquids, and incontinence pads.
One Coles customer who saw the questionable display took a picture of the aisle and uploaded it on social media, which had many shoppers up in arms.
‘Happy Mother’s Day from Coles,’ the caption read.
‘We hope your mum loves the bottles of Pine O’ Clean, the peg basket, and the incontinence pads.’
In the photos uploaded, bottles of washing liquid, cleaning spray and menstrual cups were on the store’s shelves, alongside fluffy slippers, rugs, and gift packs.
Many social media users implied that the seemingly innocent display is ‘sexist’ and called out Coles for suggesting such items as gifts for mothers.
‘The Vanish isn’t even on sale! [My] mum would be livid if I paid $25,’ one commented.
‘Let’s not forget the period undies in the top row and the menstrual cup in the second row. What a Mother’s Day treat that would be to unwrap,’ someone else responded.
‘[The] Father’s Day aisle should just be milk cartons,’ another replied.
‘Coles living in the 1960s,’ someone else wrote.
‘Don’t know what’s worse, the fabric softener down the bottom aisle or the period undies on the top shelf,’ another added.
While one agreed and said they’d have to send their kids to pick up her present. ‘I can’t wait to find out if I’m doing laundry or disinfecting the bathroom for Mother’s Day,’ they said.
‘The fabric softener isn’t even that good a price,’ one more replied.
Others sarcastically took aim at Coles’ ‘missed opportunity’ to take things a step further and include other household items, such as oven mitts and an ironing board.
‘Missed opportunity…Surely pots and pans or a toasted sandwich maker?’ One quipped while another responded to them and said: ‘Add a few scourers for those pans.’
‘The audacity,’ another social media user wrote.
Coles responded to the backlash it received online. In an interview with reporters, a spokesperson said that this display was an ‘isolated case’ and the items have since been moved to a more appropriate aisle inside the store. It also claimed that ‘unintentional human error’ was to blame.
‘We are grateful this has been drawn to our attention, and our Coles team in Adelaide apologises for this error,’ Coles said in a statement.
It continued: ‘This was an unintentional human error where recently discontinued products, including sanitary and cleaning supplies, were placed along the seasonal “flex aisle”.’
The store’s spokesperson also reassured customers that celebrating mothers and mother figures is an ‘important occasion at Coles’.
‘We are committed to providing the best value and range of gifts to make this weekend extra special. We wish for all Mums and Mums-to-be and those who are remembering their mothers this weekend to have a memorable and special day,’ they added.
However, despite claiming that this was an unintentional act and an isolated case, the same thing happened in 2020 in another Coles store.
A photo was uploaded to Facebook and showed that an aisle for Mother’s Day was filled with household items.
‘Washing powder. In the Mother’s Day section. Are you kidding me, Coles?’ The shopper wrote in their post.
A spokesperson also responded to the criticism the store received and said they ‘celebrated all mums, grandmas, aunties, stepmothers and all of the important women’ on Mother’s Day. They added that it was not the store’s intention to offend the customers with the placement of their products and assured everyone they would be ‘reviewing’ the layout of their stores in the future.
We want to hear from you: Do you have an opinion on Coles’ display? Share them in the comments below!
But one retailer had other plans, it seems.
Recently, an Aussie shopper snapped a photo of the aisle of a Coles supermarket, clearly set up to display Mother’s Day gifts. But instead of lollies and wine bottles, it was filled with cleaning products and sanitary items, which led shoppers to accuse the store of being ‘sexist’.
The supermarket giant is making big waves online for all the wrong reasons after putting up a controversial Mother’s Day display of gift ideas that had bottles of cleaning products, washing liquids, and incontinence pads.
One Coles customer who saw the questionable display took a picture of the aisle and uploaded it on social media, which had many shoppers up in arms.
A local Coles in Adelaide faced backlash from social media users because of its controversial Mother’s Day display. Credit: Lum3n/Pexels
‘Happy Mother’s Day from Coles,’ the caption read.
‘We hope your mum loves the bottles of Pine O’ Clean, the peg basket, and the incontinence pads.’
In the photos uploaded, bottles of washing liquid, cleaning spray and menstrual cups were on the store’s shelves, alongside fluffy slippers, rugs, and gift packs.
Many social media users implied that the seemingly innocent display is ‘sexist’ and called out Coles for suggesting such items as gifts for mothers.
‘The Vanish isn’t even on sale! [My] mum would be livid if I paid $25,’ one commented.
‘Let’s not forget the period undies in the top row and the menstrual cup in the second row. What a Mother’s Day treat that would be to unwrap,’ someone else responded.
The controversial display sparked outrage among social media users. Credit: Sh**Adelaide/Instagram
‘[The] Father’s Day aisle should just be milk cartons,’ another replied.
‘Coles living in the 1960s,’ someone else wrote.
‘Don’t know what’s worse, the fabric softener down the bottom aisle or the period undies on the top shelf,’ another added.
While one agreed and said they’d have to send their kids to pick up her present. ‘I can’t wait to find out if I’m doing laundry or disinfecting the bathroom for Mother’s Day,’ they said.
‘The fabric softener isn’t even that good a price,’ one more replied.
Others sarcastically took aim at Coles’ ‘missed opportunity’ to take things a step further and include other household items, such as oven mitts and an ironing board.
‘Missed opportunity…Surely pots and pans or a toasted sandwich maker?’ One quipped while another responded to them and said: ‘Add a few scourers for those pans.’
‘The audacity,’ another social media user wrote.
A close-up of the display was also uploaded online. Credit: Sh**Adelaide/Instagram
Coles responded to the backlash it received online. In an interview with reporters, a spokesperson said that this display was an ‘isolated case’ and the items have since been moved to a more appropriate aisle inside the store. It also claimed that ‘unintentional human error’ was to blame.
‘We are grateful this has been drawn to our attention, and our Coles team in Adelaide apologises for this error,’ Coles said in a statement.
It continued: ‘This was an unintentional human error where recently discontinued products, including sanitary and cleaning supplies, were placed along the seasonal “flex aisle”.’
The store’s spokesperson also reassured customers that celebrating mothers and mother figures is an ‘important occasion at Coles’.
‘We are committed to providing the best value and range of gifts to make this weekend extra special. We wish for all Mums and Mums-to-be and those who are remembering their mothers this weekend to have a memorable and special day,’ they added.
However, despite claiming that this was an unintentional act and an isolated case, the same thing happened in 2020 in another Coles store.
A photo was uploaded to Facebook and showed that an aisle for Mother’s Day was filled with household items.
‘Washing powder. In the Mother’s Day section. Are you kidding me, Coles?’ The shopper wrote in their post.
A spokesperson also responded to the criticism the store received and said they ‘celebrated all mums, grandmas, aunties, stepmothers and all of the important women’ on Mother’s Day. They added that it was not the store’s intention to offend the customers with the placement of their products and assured everyone they would be ‘reviewing’ the layout of their stores in the future.
.png){kind=icon}
