Coles customer uproar over self-serve checkout change in Australia

An irate Coles customer has slammed the supermarket giant ‘for making us look like morons’ as the company cops flak for adding more self-serve checkout points.

Furious TikTokker ashy_anne_ filmed herself passing items through a self-serve checkout, adding a caption to the video which stated that if she is going to ‘work for Coles’ she might as well get the staff discount.

The grumpy post was in reaction to the supermarket giant’s decision to instal more self-service registers, leaving less staffed checkouts with conveyor belts.

The latest shopper gripe went viral on social media as the TikTokker continued to take aim at the ‘billion dollar corporation’.

‘Coles Supermarkets really making us all look like morons,’ the post’s caption read. 

The mother was seen in the post wearing a black and white dress as she hurriedly scanned her items through. 

‘What a chump. I’m out here working for Coles and I’m not even getting staff discount on my price-gouged groceries,’ the TikTokker (pictured) wrote

The mum’s post went viral on social media as she took aim at the ‘billion dollar corporation’ (pictured, the TikTokker ashy_anne_)

‘What a chump. I’m out here working for Coles and I’m not even getting staff discount on my price-gouged groceries,’ the shopper wrote on her video. 

Online commenters said she wasn’t missing out on much with the staff discount, while some Coles workers took aim at her. 

‘Don’t complain about self checkout, I work there and all people do is say the same s***, you don’t like it don’t go there,’ one employee said. 

‘Babe don’t worry staff only get five per cent [discount] anyway,’ another wrote. 

But others said they just ‘loved the self-service checkouts’. 

‘I don’t get the issue personally I don’t view it as doing their job. I like to pack it how I like and not talk to people,’ one wrote. 

But other customers continued to lash out at the grocery store giant on social media.

‘Coles you are a disgrace! The checkout situation at Southland is unacceptable,’ one Aussie shopper said last week.

‘I waited 27 minutes from lining up to paying for my groceries. The checkout operator said it was usual and I ask if it would make a difference if I complained, she said no. I went to the service desk and complained, he said sorry and that was it!

‘You can’t keep doing this to your customers. I spend over $350 weekly and refuse to have to scan and pack my own groceries when I have this much stuff.’

Another Coles customer who had shopped with the store for 35 years resented the new self-check out registers. 

‘Yes, I know you can ask for service but pure greed and the fight for the market share is now pushing humans out of jobs and our young people out,’ they said last week. 

‘Yes, Coles are saying they will repurpose those in these roles but once they leave these staff numbers will not be replaced.’

A spokesperson from Coles told 7News it has a range of checkout options for customers. 

‘Coles and Woolies winning with unpaid labour while also increasing the cost to us,’ a commenter said about customers having to do their own scanning

‘Coles is providing more choice to our customers in how they can choose to check out in our stores and pack their bags the way they like,’ the spokesperson said.

‘Over the past 12 months, we have seen greater customer satisfaction and uptake in our self-service options since completing upgrades across more than 800 stores and rolling out trolley self-checkouts with conveyor belts in over 350 stores.

‘Of course, if customers prefer to be served by a Team Member, someone will always be available in the service area to serve them.’

It added the rollout of self-checkouts reduces time spent in the queue, adding it has recruited 22,000 new staff compared with five years ago. 

Coles was contacted for comment by Daily Mail Australia.