Huge changes coming to Coles and Woolworths amid coronavirus concerns
Woolworths and Coles have announced changes to their services amid the coronavirus crisis.
As more shoppers stock up to prepare for a possible 14-day self-isolation, the supermarket giants have introduced new measures to protect their staff.
Woolworths now has a “dedicated delivery option”, where the order will be left unattended to prevent contact between customers and delivery drivers.
“Our transport partners have also been issuing regular advisories to all delivery drivers on hygiene protocols and workplace safety,” the spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia.
“We’ll continue to monitor and respond to the latest public health advice with all our operations.”
Woolworths will also open a dedicated shopping hour for the elderly and people with disabilities. Starting Tuesday, the shop will open exclusively to the eligible customers from 7am to 8am.
A Coles spokesperson said customers are required to inform the retailer if they are under self-quarantine by ticking the option or leaving a comment on their order.
“They will then receive an ‘unattended delivery’ where the [customer service agent] leaves their groceries at their front door, removing the need for any face-to-face interaction,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the supermarket has also “opened additional delivery windows and have extra delivery vans on the roads” to meet increased demand.
The changes came as the two supermarkets faced troubles fulfilling orders.
Woolworths has temporarily suspended its online ‘Pick Up’ and ‘Delivery Now’ services, while Coles has paused its Uber Eats delivery option.
Coles said it is looking to fulfil and dispatch orders even if some products are unavailable.
“Coles Online and Click&Collect orders are picked and packed at our supermarkets the day you request delivery, so if the supermarket is out of stock of a particular product, we may unfortunately be unable to fulfil parts of your order,” it said on Sunday.
The supermarket’s customers have complained of last-minute delivery cancellations and incomplete orders with comparatively high delivery fee.