Ann: FY23 Results Presentation, page-68

It's funny, I thought the stories online were exaggerations and in typical Aussie fashion people loving to talk a bit of shit. I haven't been going regularly to supermarkets for a while and it was not good when I used to. Self serves sucked back then. Well I actually decided to go check a Coles out tonight and give it a fair go as I needed a few things and see if any improvements had been made. Call it market research.

First thing I see when entering is a sign saying customers are being watched.

Presumably to deter shoplifting. Not a nice vibe, but ok. I then went and did a bit of shopping, seems to be more of a selection than last time I was in Coles. Not bad on this front, but it was difficult to get to items with people loading shelves. Not sure if this is just the time of day I went though.

I went through the dreaded self-checkouts intentionally to give them a go. They show your face to you, presumably also intimidation factor to deter shoplifters. I did not find this to be a nice experience and as other people online have claimed, it is quite creepy. I then attempted to scan an onion, at which point the machine broke and would not let me proceed.

I looked around for an attendant for some help, but there was none to be found. I left the self-serves and found an employee who was actually really friendly and seemed very tired. They fixed the issue and I asked them if this is normal. They told me every day, non stop.

Security then checked my bag as I left. This was fine, but what is the point of the previous steps then? It seems the systems themselves are not even trusted and exist just as "security theatre".

I was surprised to see that the comments in the news articles were really not exaggerating when it comes to the vibe. Perhaps as I very rarely will visit any supermarket, this is a big shock to me and I notice it more. I did not want to make a negative post and to give Coles credit, the best thing in the store was the employee who helped me despite being clearly fatigued. It looked like they actually cared about being helpful.

To be fair to Coles, I was in Woolworths the other day and it also was not an enjoyable experience. Perhaps it's the lack of human contact, it all feels too robotic and cold. There's something else that it's difficult for me to put my finger on as to why I did not like it, perhaps others can share their experiences shopping at Coles?