Coles’ smart gate crushes shopper’s hand: ‘Hurts like hell'
- Replies 15
Introducing new technology in everyday life is often met with excitement and scepticism.
While innovations promise to make our experiences more efficient and secure, they can sometimes lead to unforeseen consequences.
This was the case for one Coles shopper, whose encounter at the supermarket led to a painful incident.
An anonymous shopper shared her experience on social media after buying milk and juice from the supermarket's Pacific Fair store.
As she headed out, the automatic gate unexpectedly closed on her, crushing her hand.
'I am so angry because it knocked the coffee I had in my hand, my other shopping all over the floor. My hand bled and hurt like hell. I can't move my left ring finger,' she wrote.
'I've put in an online complaint. Let's see if they bother to get back to me. Those things need to be removed!' she exclaimed.
Her experience led other shoppers to share similar experiences.
'I've been injured by one of those things at Coles. They're a nightmare as a disabled person,' one wrote.
'A woman at my local Coles was also injured by an automatic gate—her arm was cut quite badly. Maybe it's more common than we know,' another shared.
Coles has responded to the incident.
'We're concerned to hear about this customer's experience,' a Coles spokesman said.
'We have spoken with the customer this morning to check on their well-being and better understand the situation to ensure we have the right controls in place to avoid incidents like this.'
The incident raised questions about the efficacy of smart gates, which Coles and Woolworths self-service checkouts have installed as an anti-theft measure.
Some shoppers felt criminalised by the gates despite completing in-store transactions.
'Some customers have reported being 'trapped' by the gate despite paying for their items, causing significant embarrassment,' Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) PhD researcher Lauren Kate Kelly said.
Earlier this year, A customer reported being crushed by Coles' new smart gates while exiting the self-serve checkout in their wheelchair.
A single mum also felt humiliated at the supermarket chain as the smart gates closed on her while struggling with a baby and a pram.
'A bit of old-fashioned service would be nice! What's lacking these days is people helping each other...everyone is in a hurry and all about me, me, me,' SDC member @Col@45 commented in one of the articles.
Have you felt uncomfortable or at risk around smart gates? Please share your experiences in the comments below.
While innovations promise to make our experiences more efficient and secure, they can sometimes lead to unforeseen consequences.
This was the case for one Coles shopper, whose encounter at the supermarket led to a painful incident.
An anonymous shopper shared her experience on social media after buying milk and juice from the supermarket's Pacific Fair store.
As she headed out, the automatic gate unexpectedly closed on her, crushing her hand.
'I am so angry because it knocked the coffee I had in my hand, my other shopping all over the floor. My hand bled and hurt like hell. I can't move my left ring finger,' she wrote.
'I've put in an online complaint. Let's see if they bother to get back to me. Those things need to be removed!' she exclaimed.
Supermarket giant Coles has manned and self-service checkouts from which customers can choose. Image Credit: Shutterstock
Her experience led other shoppers to share similar experiences.
'I've been injured by one of those things at Coles. They're a nightmare as a disabled person,' one wrote.
'A woman at my local Coles was also injured by an automatic gate—her arm was cut quite badly. Maybe it's more common than we know,' another shared.
Coles has responded to the incident.
'We're concerned to hear about this customer's experience,' a Coles spokesman said.
'We have spoken with the customer this morning to check on their well-being and better understand the situation to ensure we have the right controls in place to avoid incidents like this.'
The incident raised questions about the efficacy of smart gates, which Coles and Woolworths self-service checkouts have installed as an anti-theft measure.
Some shoppers felt criminalised by the gates despite completing in-store transactions.
'Some customers have reported being 'trapped' by the gate despite paying for their items, causing significant embarrassment,' Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) PhD researcher Lauren Kate Kelly said.
Earlier this year, A customer reported being crushed by Coles' new smart gates while exiting the self-serve checkout in their wheelchair.
A single mum also felt humiliated at the supermarket chain as the smart gates closed on her while struggling with a baby and a pram.
'A bit of old-fashioned service would be nice! What's lacking these days is people helping each other...everyone is in a hurry and all about me, me, me,' SDC member @Col@45 commented in one of the articles.
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