Coles Supermarkets Australia
Reviews and Complaints

After many years of using my own shopping bags, it was with great relief I heard that Coles were banning plastic bags. It took guts to announce this, so please stand by your word. Don't flip and turn when people complain, as it is the environment and animals we are protecting, who don't have a voice. Please, please, please ban plastic bags, then encourage people to use re-usable vegetables bags, followed by less packaging of all your products. Also- please allow deli's to serve products in BYO containers. It wasn't 50 years ago when this was the norm, and was just accepted, and most products were served in paper.

I have been opting for plastic bag free online food delivery, to find that harder plastic bags are being used to hold frozen items together. This is counter productive, as I can't re-use these bags that are all stuck up with labels.

Date of Incident:- 31/07/2018
Name of Employee:- Olivia
Description:- We went for a shopping at coles and she served us at the check out. Before started scanning the items she asked us that if we do have our own bags and we replied - No we don't and than she started scanning all our items and keeping them on side. My wife asked her that aren't we getting the bag and than she started arguing with us saying that I asked you and you said No and started creating a drama in the store . Very rude to the customer and No smile at her face when she started serving us as well. I find it racist as well. I don't understand why store employs this type of people who doesn't know how to deal with the customer. I think she needs to be put on review for the behavior she has done. Please provide he more training or if she doesn't like her job ask her to leave. There are lot of nice people in the market who wants a job in Retail Industry who are dedicated to customer service and they don't get it.
Please revert back what actions are taken against her and I will definitely visit again as I stay nearby.

We are so disappointed in the short-sighted and morally decrepit back-down on the use of plastic bags in Coles supermarkets.
Many passionate people have been campaigning against the use of plastic and it seems the majority of people acknowledge the shocking impact plastic is having on our environment and instead of LEADING the way and embracing the new attitude to the overuse of plastic, Coles have caved to the lazy, thoughtless or uncaring in our society.
It's not that hard! Countries all around the world have managed the switch. Why can't we?
My allegiance will be to Woolworths - or whichever supermarket has the strength and foresight to LEAD not follow.

What is Coles thinking. You take the plastic bags away and introduces other plastic bags that we have to eventually purchase, which now we are finding out that they are even worse for the environment. Then in the next breath you introduce the Coles mini collectables in the form of PLASTIC. What the hell are you thinking. Where do you think these are going to end up in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 to 10 years time. Plastic pollution at its worst. You get rid of the bags, (Not for the environment, but for cost savings) and now you promote this plastic pollution. Absolutely senseless. So much for a plastic free future for our kids, think about it Coles. Get real and wake up.

I will never shop at Coles again, no matter what stupid, senseless, idiotic promotions you are running. My place of business also has an online account with Coles. Well not anymore. As I am incharge of purchases for all our Offices and 4 Sites in the way of kitchen items, not anymore. I cannot stand the thought of buying off a company that should know better. What the hell are you teaching young kids now. SHAME SHAME SHAME

Appalled at Coles' weak-minded retraction of very late intention to stop supplying customers with free plastic bags. Simply aimed at not losing lazy customers. Enlightened and aware people have been bringing their own bags for years both to supermarkets and any other place one needs to pick up goods from.
An about face of the worst kind.
I hope every sentient being will now avoidColes at all costs. I certainly will and will do my utmost to broadcast why to everyone I can.
Hope you lose more customers than you keep

Coles management, you have given in to the lazy, uncaring few in the community who can't be bothered carrying their own bags with them. And have angered those who do care enough about the future of our planet so that we won't shop with you. And for me that's a 20 min drive to Woolworths rather than eight minutes to Coles.
Stop pandering to the uncaring out of fear you'll lose their custom and start thinking about how to reduce waste and plastic pollution.
You could be leaders in a change for positive care of our environment. Why not start now and stop giving away bags and stop wrapping fruit and veg in plastic and polystyrene.
Regards

Your recent backflip on the banning of plastic bags is disgraceful. You have shown your true profit hungry nature to the Australian people. There is no leadership in this company, no back bone. Simply a group of executives that care more about immediate profit and paying out shareholders than future generations of Australians. You are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. Your apathetic attitude toward the environment has made your stores untenable for so many Australians that can see past the minor inconvenience of taking a reusable bag to the supermarket. Shame on you Coles and I hope this is reflected in a large decline in business for you over the next decade.

Incredibly disheartening to see Coles reverse their plastic bag ban. This is such weak moral fortitude flipping something that is apart of a culture change movement. I will not be shopping at Coles again until the plastic bag ban is reinstated in full and Coles looks for further ways to reduce waste and be a brighter part of our society instead of being a destructive enabler.

Extremely disappointed with the backtrack on your plastic bag ban. Your introductory phase has been and gone and this leniency will simply make people complacent. When is the time to say enough is enough? To act with morality and take a stand for the destruction that these bags have on the environment.
Looking at the excessive plastic packaging in your stores, banning the bag still isn't enough, yet you couldn't even stick to that.
Weak and disappointing, You've lost my business.

Dear Coles, it gave me so much hope that our country was forced to stop and consider their impact in our war on waste. Habits, and especially convenient habits, will always take time to change and this is why we need government and large corporations like yourself to enforce this change! You know the environmental impacts of single use plastic bags and they will only get exponentially worse. Go down in history at the forefront of environmental change for our country!

Please continue to ban single use bags.
We should not have to walk as the slowest members of our society.
I respect the fact your company has handed out free bags as I realise that these bags also cost you money. You have done your part to make the transition easier.
So now -Keep it up!- follow it through!
Don't let the lazy and unintelligent bully you into back tracking.
Take it further and start reducing plastics on your shelves and unnecessary use with fresh produce.
The planet and our children are depending on us.
We must continue to set examples to our children and to those slower members of society.

Stupid is what stupid does.

Don't be stupid!

Be smart and continue the ban on single use bags.

Yours sincerely
Chontelle Sewell

I can't believe the flagrant display of unethical self-interest Coles has showed by pulling out of the plastic bag ban!

Plastic pollution is an issue that effects all of us - all around the world! And banning plastic bags is one small way that Coles can help a positive change. I can guarantee you, consumers would be more than happy to adjust over time,

I will no longer be shopping at Coles if this decision is not revoked.

Your decision to cave in to ignorant public pressure on single use plastic bags just astounds me. We have some serious environmental problems that we need to address and single use plastics are right up there with the worst of them.

Coles absolutely took the right step in making the decision to ban these bags before the State Government's ban came into force and now you've short yourselves in the foot by taking this regressive step. No more shopping at Coles Supermarkets for me - ever.

Susan Jones

Dear Coles

I cannot believe that you are not strong enough to keep the ban on plastic bag. I thought that for once Coles was taking a positive step for the environment, but that was not to last. How sad! The bags are littering the ocean and environment and will the around for 1000yrs. Is it better to look after the environment or to listen to just a few people who are not organised enough to bring their bags. If you had give a bit longer, people who get used to it. a few weeks is definitely not enough to give up. why don't use cardboard boxes that you throw away. You would recycle the boxes and you would help the clients who forgot their bags.

Additionally, your miniature collectable Coles little shop toys are dangerous, pointless and once again adding to our ocean.

I am very disappointed with Coles and as are result i will not go back shopping to Coles.

Thank you

Monicka

Yesterday I spent $28.50 in coles getting what I needed when my daughter saw all the paraphernalia pertaining to the plastic mini groceries offered. I thought okay great only to be told at the checkout that I hadn't spent enough money. Although I had spent $28.50 it wasn't enough to get the promotional toy. Not good enough coles. Playing on the desires of kids by advertising these mini groceries which then requires parents to up there purchases at the checkout. Isn't there laws against that kind of thing!

I am most disappointed in Coles' decision to again provide plastic bags for free. Your organisation clearly values customer desire over environmental and community responsibility. Accordingly, you have lost my custom as I will no longer be shopping in your supermarkets.

You have chosen to appease the irresponsible and lazy customer rather than promoting and facilitating social responsibility. You no longer represent a retailer that deserves to be supported.

I must protest about your inexcusable decision to give away the even thicker plastic bags to customers.

You are simply shifting the deck chairs on the titanic and making the environmental problems even worse as the bags will take longer to break down.

I read on the abc news site:
"some customers told us they needed more time to make the transition to reusable bags," a coles spokesperson said.

"... Needed more time..." that. Is. A. Pathetic. Reason.

No. They don't.

It's not too late to reverse your decision — for the sake of the children and those who must inherit the unholy mess we are making of this beautiful yet fragile planet.

There is no plan b... It's the only home we have in the universe.

Come on. Do the right thing. Cancel the free-bag policy before the end of august this year.

I purchased these mussels from Coles at Lane Cove in Sydney on 26/7/2018. They were vacuum packed in the seafood section.

The expiry date was not easily found on the pack.
The "use by" box on the top left of the pack was blank.

I put them unopened in our fridge at less than 4C and cooked them thoroughly a few days later.

Our daughter became very ill with nausea and diarrhoea the following morning, indicative of an infective gastroenteritis, most likely from these mussels.

It transpires that the expiry date was 26/7/2018- that is, on the same day of sale.
I took the packet to the local Coles - they found the expiry date stamped vertically on the side of the pack and were dismissive of our concerns.
They kept the package.

Our complaints:
Why is the expiry date not more obvious on the pack?

Why do you sell this product on the day of expiry?
As you do this, why do you not notify the consumer, especially when the expiry date is in an obscure location on the pack.

Why do you not notify consumers that the product has virtually expired.

We seek your reply and redress before considering our options.

Dr Janice Newton

I am very disappointed with your new giveaway of mini collectibles. It is just another piece of plastic that kids will want to collect but will get bored of and end up in landfill. Children are learning about the war on waste and the problem with plastics in our country and this goes completely against the lessons we are trying to teach them at home and in our schools. Surely you could come up with a more meaningful way of promoting your company

I was in your store last Sunday evening at 9pm. Having completed my shopping I proceeded to the check out. Given the time of the day the only choice I had was the self serve option. I proceeded to a check out with a massively full market rolley of mt own which has 2 baskets, an upper and a lower.

I asked the girl in the customer service role supervising this area, if I could upload the bottom basket first and place it directly back in the trolley. She looked the other way and said something of the kind "no, you have to place it in the bagging area first then put it in the trolley". She was completely unhelpful. I replied with "seriously?". She was rude and unapproachable. I did say "I know its late however we are all tired and it wouldn't hurt to be helpful and smile". Before I knew what was going on the Manager appeared with all guns blazing, in my personal space and completely intimidating. He yelled at me "what do my staff say to you?", "what did you say to her?". He was completely on the attack and I fumbled and flustered not expecting such an outburst. I said "please let me get on with my check out and leave me alone". He said "report me, go on I don't care". So here I am reporting him as he was so happy for me to do. He was of Indian looking with glasses and the young girl had an attitude that I have never come across before.

The busy shelf packers were friendly and helpful at every turn, it was a shame that the customer service people couldn't display the same skills. I was left to check out this huge trolley by myself, whereby I had many items on the floor which I then had to lift on the the scanner, bagging area and back in trolley. The young girl was quite happy to stand there and watch. I have been back to the store and complained personally as well. I have never experienced such a display of aggression and was quite upset when I left.