Coles and Woolworths offer a secret free service – But why are some customers unsatisfied?
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- Replies 16
If you regularly shop at Coles or Woolworths, chances are that you've seen the shelves filled with whole loaves of gourmet bread such as sourdough and Pane di Casa.
These days, you can get almost any kind of bread you can think of in supermarkets, but many of us don’t know that those same supermarkets offer a free service to go with them.
Recently, an eagle-eyed customer shared a neat little tip on Facebook: you can take that loaf of bread you intend to purchase to a staff member in the in-store bakery, and they'll be more than happy to slice it for you free of charge.
The shopper recounted her experience with the ’hidden' service at Coles and Woolworths.
'I realised if the bakery in the supermarket is manned, you can ask them to slice whole loaves of bread as a free service,' she wrote.
However, she wasn't too pleased with her experience at Coles, saying that the staff she encountered wasted a plastic bag in the process of slicing the bread.
'I tried it at Coles and it was a plastic fail as they put my sliced sourdough in a whole new plastic bag,' she said.
On the other hand, she had nothing but praise for Woolworths, claiming that the staff member simply put a new sticker on the same bag the bread came in.
The shopper continued: ‘I don’t know if it was company policy or just the preference of the staff member who served me. I made sure to thank the man in Woolworths for using the same bag and he was grateful for my gratitude.’
After the issue was brought to light, a Coles representative responded and said that the supermarket typically prefers to use the same bag - but if it gets torn or damaged when opening it for slicing, they may use a new one.
The spokesperson said: ‘To provide customers with greater convenience while they shop, we will happily slice Coles bakery loaves of bread on site where there is a bread slicer available.’
They added that the use of new bags is only meant to maintain the freshness of the product.
It is also understood that Woolworths customers can be sure to get their bread slices for free, as long as the store does have a slicer available and a trained team member is present.
However, it should be noted that there are instances where certain types of bread may not be appropriate for slicing using the slicer, and there may be situations where the Bread Slicing Service is not accessible, necessitating that customers slice the bread themselves.
Meanwhile, eco-conscious shoppers shared their own recommendations for minimising plastic waste while shopping at the supermarket.
'For my part, I usually keep the bag in which they put the sliced bread and take it with me the next time to be reused,' one user noted.
Another user said that they make sure they always ask the staff to place whatever they're buying in the same bag.
A third shared: ‘If I buy meat from the deli in either store, I ask them just to put it on the paper and that depends on the staff member serving me.’
The availability of a secret bread-slicing service can be an enormous help for individuals with mobility issues.
Slicing bread can be challenging for those with limited mobility or arthritis, making it difficult to handle a knife or operate a bread slicer.
This service can make it easier for them to enjoy fresh bread without worrying about the hassle of slicing it themselves.
Are you aware of this secret service at Coles and Woolworths? Have you used the service yourself? Share your experience and tips with us in the comments below!
These days, you can get almost any kind of bread you can think of in supermarkets, but many of us don’t know that those same supermarkets offer a free service to go with them.
Recently, an eagle-eyed customer shared a neat little tip on Facebook: you can take that loaf of bread you intend to purchase to a staff member in the in-store bakery, and they'll be more than happy to slice it for you free of charge.
The shopper recounted her experience with the ’hidden' service at Coles and Woolworths.
'I realised if the bakery in the supermarket is manned, you can ask them to slice whole loaves of bread as a free service,' she wrote.
However, she wasn't too pleased with her experience at Coles, saying that the staff she encountered wasted a plastic bag in the process of slicing the bread.
'I tried it at Coles and it was a plastic fail as they put my sliced sourdough in a whole new plastic bag,' she said.
On the other hand, she had nothing but praise for Woolworths, claiming that the staff member simply put a new sticker on the same bag the bread came in.
The shopper continued: ‘I don’t know if it was company policy or just the preference of the staff member who served me. I made sure to thank the man in Woolworths for using the same bag and he was grateful for my gratitude.’
After the issue was brought to light, a Coles representative responded and said that the supermarket typically prefers to use the same bag - but if it gets torn or damaged when opening it for slicing, they may use a new one.
The spokesperson said: ‘To provide customers with greater convenience while they shop, we will happily slice Coles bakery loaves of bread on site where there is a bread slicer available.’
They added that the use of new bags is only meant to maintain the freshness of the product.
It is also understood that Woolworths customers can be sure to get their bread slices for free, as long as the store does have a slicer available and a trained team member is present.
However, it should be noted that there are instances where certain types of bread may not be appropriate for slicing using the slicer, and there may be situations where the Bread Slicing Service is not accessible, necessitating that customers slice the bread themselves.
Meanwhile, eco-conscious shoppers shared their own recommendations for minimising plastic waste while shopping at the supermarket.
'For my part, I usually keep the bag in which they put the sliced bread and take it with me the next time to be reused,' one user noted.
Another user said that they make sure they always ask the staff to place whatever they're buying in the same bag.
A third shared: ‘If I buy meat from the deli in either store, I ask them just to put it on the paper and that depends on the staff member serving me.’
Key Takeaways
- Coles and Woolworths offer a free bread-slicing service to shoppers.
- The use of new plastic bags is only meant to maintain the freshness of the product, according to a Coles representative.
- Eco-conscious shoppers can minimise plastic waste by asking staff to place their bread in the same bag.
- This service can make it easier for individuals with mobility issues to enjoy fresh bread without worrying about the hassle of slicing it themselves.
The availability of a secret bread-slicing service can be an enormous help for individuals with mobility issues.
Slicing bread can be challenging for those with limited mobility or arthritis, making it difficult to handle a knife or operate a bread slicer.
This service can make it easier for them to enjoy fresh bread without worrying about the hassle of slicing it themselves.
Are you aware of this secret service at Coles and Woolworths? Have you used the service yourself? Share your experience and tips with us in the comments below!