A Woolworths shopper's complaint about a back-to-school display item has stirred a controversial debate on social media.

Have you spotted the issue?

A Woolies shopper took to Facebook to air her concerns over the pencil cases on display at her local store.

According to the shopper, the pink pencil cases had been labelled as "girl" items on the price tag, while the green and black versions were labelled as "boy" items.

The shopper claimed that the pink pencil cases were labelled as “girl” items while the green and black variations were marked as “boy” items. Credit: Facebook.​

“Really Woolworths - girls and boys pencil cases? Why not just ‘pencil cases’?” she wrote, pointing out that the supermarket giant should've refrained from putting gender labels on school items.

The post was met with mixed reactions from Facebook users, with some agreeing that gender-specific labelling was inappropriate and should've been abolished.

One parent wrote: “My daughter, who is 14, would say the same thing and (definitely) would buy the so-called boys one!”

“Apparently colours are owned by the sexes,” another added.

However, some called out the shopper for complaining over "unnecessary" things.

“Nothing stopping any gender purchasing either one. Actually, the world was a better place where people didn’t care about the nitty-gritty. Who cares to be honest,” one person wrote.

Another added: “Who lets a sign dictate what colour they are going to buy?”

Woolworths agreed that marking school items with gender-specific labels is “dated”. Credit: AAP.​

Woolworths agreed with the complaint, with its spokesperson telling 7NEWS.com.au that the company believes that the move was "dated" and staff members are now updating the labels on the school items.

“We aim to ensure our products are inclusive and agree the names of these pencil cases are dated,” the spokesperson said.

“We’re working to update the names of these products to better reflect community expectations and provide a more accurate description.”

What are your thoughts? Are gender specifications outdated? Let us know in the comments below!

 

[Craftingnonna]

Shaming children because they are male or female is disgusting.
I don’t find anything wrong with labelling the pencil cases boys and girls. That is the way God created us.
If children have an issue with their sexuality they should reach adulthood before they decide what they want to do, not be brainwashed at an early age.
Speak to a year 12 student and ask them what they want to do with their life now that they finished high school? I bet that 99% have no idea what to do with their life and yet some people expect children to binary.
No let the little one be who they are, don’t confuse them, don’t change them. They will do that on their own when they are ready and when they do everyone around them should embrace THEIR decision and love them for what they decide.

 

[Ricci]

This is really just an adults problem. Kids don't give a damn and so many of them couldn't or wouldn't read the labels anyway.

 

[Diane D]

Woolworths shopper’s complaint stirs heated debate on social media — are we complaining over unnecessary things?​

A Woolworths shopper's complaint about a back-to-school display item has stirred a controversial debate on social media.

Have you spotted the issue?

A Woolies shopper took to Facebook to air her concerns over the pencil cases on display at her local store.

According to the shopper, the pink pencil cases had been labelled as "girl" items on the price tag, while the green and black versions were labelled as "boy" items.

The shopper claimed that the pink pencil cases were labelled as “girl” items while the green and black variations were marked as “boy” items. Credit: Facebook.​

“Really Woolworths - girls and boys pencil cases? Why not just ‘pencil cases’?” she wrote, pointing out that the supermarket giant should've refrained from putting gender labels on school items.

The post was met with mixed reactions from Facebook users, with some agreeing that gender-specific labelling was inappropriate and should've been abolished.

One parent wrote: “My daughter, who is 14, would say the same thing and (definitely) would buy the so-called boys one!”

“Apparently colours are owned by the sexes,” another added.

However, some called out the shopper for complaining over "unnecessary" things.

“Nothing stopping any gender purchasing either one. Actually, the world was a better place where people didn’t care about the nitty-gritty. Who cares to be honest,” one person wrote.

Another added: “Who lets a sign dictate what colour they are going to buy?”

Woolworths agreed that marking school items with gender-specific labels is “dated”. Credit: AAP.​

Woolworths agreed with the complaint, with its spokesperson telling 7NEWS.com.au that the company believes that the move was "dated" and staff members are now updating the labels on the school items.

“We aim to ensure our products are inclusive and agree the names of these pencil cases are dated,” the spokesperson said.

“We’re working to update the names of these products to better reflect community expectations and provide a more accurate description.”

What are your thoughts? Are gender specifications outdated? Let us know in the comments below!

just let kids be kids...offer them every opportunity possible...sport, art class, science kits...and stop buying them Barbie Dolls. Especially when you clean house, mow the lawn and work in the garden, or cook, make sure you have your kids nearby, so they learn the beauty of every day living and develop the skills of everyday living...this is not gender specific, it is survival!

 

[Chris P Bacon]

Two posts today and the Police are really going for it. First the school lunch box police and now the gender-specific cops. For Pete's sake, get a grip and focus on the real issues of life. I'm sure most older Aussies don't want to listen to your rants and wish to leave the older values as they are.
Remember the school fetes, boy and girl lucky dips? You had the choice to buy either

 

[Mikeyboy2012]

Woolworths shopper’s complaint stirs heated debate on social media — are we complaining over unnecessary things?​

A Woolworths shopper's complaint about a back-to-school display item has stirred a controversial debate on social media.

Have you spotted the issue?

A Woolies shopper took to Facebook to air her concerns over the pencil cases on display at her local store.

According to the shopper, the pink pencil cases had been labelled as "girl" items on the price tag, while the green and black versions were labelled as "boy" items.

The shopper claimed that the pink pencil cases were labelled as “girl” items while the green and black variations were marked as “boy” items. Credit: Facebook.​

“Really Woolworths - girls and boys pencil cases? Why not just ‘pencil cases’?” she wrote, pointing out that the supermarket giant should've refrained from putting gender labels on school items.

The post was met with mixed reactions from Facebook users, with some agreeing that gender-specific labelling was inappropriate and should've been abolished.

One parent wrote: “My daughter, who is 14, would say the same thing and (definitely) would buy the so-called boys one!”

“Apparently colours are owned by the sexes,” another added.

However, some called out the shopper for complaining over "unnecessary" things.

“Nothing stopping any gender purchasing either one. Actually, the world was a better place where people didn’t care about the nitty-gritty. Who cares to be honest,” one person wrote.

Another added: “Who lets a sign dictate what colour they are going to buy?”

Woolworths agreed that marking school items with gender-specific labels is “dated”. Credit: AAP.​

Woolworths agreed with the complaint, with its spokesperson telling 7NEWS.com.au that the company believes that the move was "dated" and staff members are now updating the labels on the school items.

“We aim to ensure our products are inclusive and agree the names of these pencil cases are dated,” the spokesperson said.

“We’re working to update the names of these products to better reflect community expectations and provide a more accurate description.”

What are your thoughts? Are gender specifications outdated? Let us know in the comments below!

Life is way too short to worry about such things. Each person can make up their own minds without trying to influence others. When I bought a pencil case for teaching/ training, I picked what I wanted based on design and price, then moved on to my next shopping item.

 

[Craftingnonna]

What a lot of BS, for heavens sake does it really matter? People that want to brain wash children in believing that gender doesn’t matter should be put in a straight jacket and locked away in a padded cell.
It doesn’t matter what the tag say’s, kids choose the colours they like and for some reason girls like pinks, purples and pastel colours boys are the opposite. This gender madness needs to stop, otherwise today’s children will turn out to have all sorts of horrible psychological problems.