Woolworths has removed product limits for customers on multiple items this week, with stock starting to return to normal after panic buyers cleared supermarket shelves.
In an email to customers, CEO Brad Banducci said stores have removed buying limits on items such as canned vegetables, canned legumes, canned tomatoes, serviettes and most baby products, excluding wipes.
But products such as hand sanitiser, pasta and most obviously toilet paper still come with restrictions.
“Another 1.5 million units of hand sanitiser will come in this week, plus another 500,000 packs of pasta. These are big quantities but with demand still high, supply will remain patchy in parts,” said Mr Banducci.
“It wouldn’t be an update without mentioning toilet paper. Supply isn’t back to normal yet, BUT it continues to improve as demand tapers, with ‘only’ 11.5 million rolls sold this week (versus 15m last week and 20m the week before) and lots more coming.”
From yesterday, 95 per cent of Woolworths should now be equipped with a customer hand sanitisation station at the entrance, with all shoppers encouraged to sanitise their hands before entering the store.
Clear screens between self-service checkouts will also be installed in 200 stores by early next week.
“We continue to work on additional ways to keep us all collectively safe, with more to come on those as we roll them out,” said Mr Banducci.
The email also highlighted the changing habits of shoppers since strict distancing measures were put in place.
Australians are shopping less frequently but are buying more items when they do, with shopping trips occurring more in the mornings and less on the weekend.
“The use of the Woolworths App is up 320 per cent, driven by viewing our digital catalogue, planning a physical shop and online shopping itself,” said Mr Banducci.
“Traffic to our website has more than doubled, especially by those looking for recipe inspiration. And in April so far, cash payments in store are down 35 per cent as we increasingly tap-and-go.”
“As we collectively confront the ‘new normal’, I am continually reminded that we are all in this together and that it is only by being better together that we can succeed,” said Mr Banducci.
