Why is Woolworths locking up deodorant? Shoppers are in a heated debate
- Replies 34
When it comes to shopping at the grocery store, deodorant is usually one of those items you can easily grab from the shelf and go. However, that is no longer the case at certain Woolworths stores.
At first glance, it may appear to be an unusual step for the store to lock up everyday items like deodorant, but the reasons behind this change in store policy have been subject to intense speculation and sparked a divided response.
Recently, a customer spotted a shelf of deodorant locked up in a local Woolies store and took to social media to share the image.
The woman who posted the photo said, 'Well done Woolworths. If locking deodorant up helps to save just one young person from sniffing it, then it’s well worth it.’
Word quickly spread, with shoppers in various parts of the country reporting the same sight in their local Woolies stores.
‘I think they’re more trying to stop them from stealing than sniffing it. I don’t think Woolies really cares. Just wants its money,’ one person replied.
‘You can get high off any number of industrial and cleaning products. What difference will it make locking up deodorant? They will probably sell less of it now because no one will bother waiting around for someone to open the cabinet,’ another said.
Customers need to press a button to purchase a can and wait for a staff member to assist them and unlock the cabinet, according to reports.
Last year, Woolworths rolled out the initiative in all stores in the Northern Territory, as well as some stores in Queensland.
Woolworths Queensland state manager Danny Baldwin said, 'At Woolworths, we want to play our part in reducing the abuse of these products in Queensland.’
'With these new cabinets, we’re hoping to significantly reduce the opportunity for misuse while continuing to offer access to the products where our customers expect to find them [in the health and beauty aisle],’ he added.
Other shoppers said that this method would be helpful if it helped save lives, referencing a dangerous trend that has resurfaced.
‘It’s called chroming, and that is why supermarkets are introducing locking deodorants up. I think if it saves just one life, they have succeeded. Not sure why people would think it’s pointless or funny,’ one person said.
The Royal Children’s Melbourne Hospital stated that chroming has become a ‘general term used to describe the inhalation of volatile substances/solvents as recreational drugs.’
Deodorant, listed to have the gaseous compound butane, is included as one of the volatile household or industrial solvents inhaled in chroming.
Misuse of products like deodorant cans can cause serious health problems, such as heart palpitations, seizures, and sudden death.
In response to the discussions surrounding the shopper’s post, a Woolworths spokesperson said that the move was one of the store’s plans to ‘explore practical solutions’ to the ‘misuse of aerosol products across the country’.
‘We’ve fitted a number of our stores with in-aisle restricted items cabinets since 2021, and are currently in the process of expanding this across our store network,” they said.
‘This is set to be completed by the end of the month.’
‘We understand that this is a complex issue and that’s why we continue to engage with a variety of organisations including police, community groups, and our own store team members,’ they added.
‘We also continue to explore further ways to help the broader community effort to address misuse.’
Coles for its part has also locked deodorants in some stores citing similar reasons.
A spokesperson for Coles said, ‘A number of our stores now have lockable aerosol cabinets installed, and customers seeking to purchase these products can simply ask a team member at the service desk for assistance.’
‘We’ve had positive feedback from our customers since we introduced the lockable aerosol cabinets. It takes the whole community to support this issue,’ they added.
What do you think of locking up deodorants in cabinets? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
At first glance, it may appear to be an unusual step for the store to lock up everyday items like deodorant, but the reasons behind this change in store policy have been subject to intense speculation and sparked a divided response.
Recently, a customer spotted a shelf of deodorant locked up in a local Woolies store and took to social media to share the image.
The woman who posted the photo said, 'Well done Woolworths. If locking deodorant up helps to save just one young person from sniffing it, then it’s well worth it.’
A customer posted a photo of deodorants locked up in a cabinet in Woolworths. Credit: Facebook
Word quickly spread, with shoppers in various parts of the country reporting the same sight in their local Woolies stores.
‘I think they’re more trying to stop them from stealing than sniffing it. I don’t think Woolies really cares. Just wants its money,’ one person replied.
‘You can get high off any number of industrial and cleaning products. What difference will it make locking up deodorant? They will probably sell less of it now because no one will bother waiting around for someone to open the cabinet,’ another said.
Customers need to press a button to purchase a can and wait for a staff member to assist them and unlock the cabinet, according to reports.
Last year, Woolworths rolled out the initiative in all stores in the Northern Territory, as well as some stores in Queensland.
Woolworths Queensland state manager Danny Baldwin said, 'At Woolworths, we want to play our part in reducing the abuse of these products in Queensland.’
'With these new cabinets, we’re hoping to significantly reduce the opportunity for misuse while continuing to offer access to the products where our customers expect to find them [in the health and beauty aisle],’ he added.
Other shoppers said that this method would be helpful if it helped save lives, referencing a dangerous trend that has resurfaced.
‘It’s called chroming, and that is why supermarkets are introducing locking deodorants up. I think if it saves just one life, they have succeeded. Not sure why people would think it’s pointless or funny,’ one person said.
The Royal Children’s Melbourne Hospital stated that chroming has become a ‘general term used to describe the inhalation of volatile substances/solvents as recreational drugs.’
Deodorant, listed to have the gaseous compound butane, is included as one of the volatile household or industrial solvents inhaled in chroming.
Misuse of products like deodorant cans can cause serious health problems, such as heart palpitations, seizures, and sudden death.
In response to the discussions surrounding the shopper’s post, a Woolworths spokesperson said that the move was one of the store’s plans to ‘explore practical solutions’ to the ‘misuse of aerosol products across the country’.
‘We’ve fitted a number of our stores with in-aisle restricted items cabinets since 2021, and are currently in the process of expanding this across our store network,” they said.
‘This is set to be completed by the end of the month.’
‘We understand that this is a complex issue and that’s why we continue to engage with a variety of organisations including police, community groups, and our own store team members,’ they added.
‘We also continue to explore further ways to help the broader community effort to address misuse.’
Coles for its part has also locked deodorants in some stores citing similar reasons.
A spokesperson for Coles said, ‘A number of our stores now have lockable aerosol cabinets installed, and customers seeking to purchase these products can simply ask a team member at the service desk for assistance.’
‘We’ve had positive feedback from our customers since we introduced the lockable aerosol cabinets. It takes the whole community to support this issue,’ they added.
What do you think of locking up deodorants in cabinets? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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