Poor Woolies — the ultra-profitable Australian grocery store big is copping it on all fronts this week.
First it was the critique from Opposition Chief Peter Dutton, who blasted the Woolworths group as un-Australian for refusing to inventory Australia Day merchandise, and went one additional by urging patriotic clients to boycott them. And now the Australian Competitors and Shopper Fee (ACCC) is launching an investigation into price-gouging and competitors within the grocery store sector.
Chief government Brad Banducci went on a proof tour forward of January 26, hitting many of the main retailers and information reveals to speak concerning the merch ban, however even his heartfelt clarification that the corporate had solely revenue in thoughts — not any hatred of Australia Day — wasn’t sufficient to pacify Dutton and his supporters.
On Thursday, as Crikey was chasing Woolworths for some additional information concerning the Australia Day backlash, the Woolies media crew was so busy responding to the ACCC information they barely had time to interact.
However Crikey was helpfully pointed in direction of Banducci’s different interviews this week, and from them it’s clear the Australia Day backlash has been extreme — not least for workers.
“I wouldn’t need to attribute it on to [Dutton’s] statements, however it will be truthful to say that the variety of acts of violence in our shops has gone up by 50% within the final couple of weeks since individuals have been conscious of our selections,” he informed the ABC’s 7.30 program on Wednesday.
“So, that’s very worrisome. We have already got far too many, post-COVID. And once more, the explanation I’m right here is to say disagree with Woolies in case you like, disagree with me in case you like, however deal with our crew with the respect we hope they deal with you with.”
Frontline workers taking the brunt of buyer frustrations over company or regulatory selections — comparable to masks mandates and QR check-ins in the course of the coronavirus pandemic — is nothing new. The retail union Store, Distributive and Allied Staff Affiliation (SDA) informed Crikey surveys of members had proven a marked improve in workers abuse over the previous two years.
“Sadly, assaults on retail employees have escalated from an issue to an epidemic. A survey late final 12 months of SDA members revealed buyer violence has jumped by 50% in simply two years. There have been stabbings, axe assaults and bashings in main stores,” Gerard Dwyer, nationwide secretary of the SDA, informed Crikey. “Main retailers have joined the SDA in urgent all states and territories to criminalise assault on retail employees following the lead of South Australia and NSW.”
Into this combine comes the media’s “Woolies goes woke” protection together with Dutton’s requires a boycott. Within the lead-up to January 26, a number of Woolworths shops in Queensland have been vandalised in incidents believed to be linked to the merch furore, Crikey understands.
Crikey approached Kmart (which quietly withdrew Australia Day merch final 12 months) and Aldi (which introduced the transfer within the days after the Woolworths group, however have so far not been included in Dutton’s boycott name) to see if their shops had skilled any spike in vandalism incidents or confrontations with workers, however they didn’t reply earlier than deadline.
Crikey additionally despatched inquiries to Dutton’s workplace about whether or not there have been any issues a few potential correlation between his speaking factors and their results on retail employees, however didn’t get a response.
Nevertheless, Dutton fronted reporters on Thursday to criticise Labor’s stage three tax reform plans and socked it to Banducci once more: “His job is to carry grocery costs down. His job is to not inform Australians whether or not they can have a good time Australia Day.”
In his earlier spray at Woolies, Dutton urged individuals upset with the merch transfer to boycott the chain. It’s attention-grabbing to ponder what such a boycott would seem like for patrons residing in an efficient grocery retailer duopoly. There are massive swaths of interior Sydney, for instance, the place the opposite half of the duopoly, Coles, is barely represented. Will tradition warriors get of their vehicles to drive to Coles, which posted earnings of $1.1 billion final 12 months, with the intention to spite Woolworths, which posted $1.62 billion in earnings?
With that market focus in thoughts, and paired with the extraordinary give attention to the cost-of-living disaster in the mean time, the ACCC’s one-year probe means Woolworths has larger worries than whether or not it ought to be stocking the inexperienced and gold.
Banducci, in yet one more of his public statements this week, stated he welcomed the inquiry, which was ordered by the prime minister in an announcement on Thursday and first reported final weekend by The Saturday Paper.
“We all know many Australian households are doing it powerful and in search of reduction on the checkout,” Banducci stated on Thursday. “Meals inflation has continued to reasonable in current months and we count on this to proceed all through 2024.”
