Employees at Woolworths have voiced their displeasure over the supermarket's controversial Australia Day stance, describing it as "unbelievable" and "disgusting."
According to PerthNow, the staff's dissatisfaction emerged through leaked messages in an online forum managed by Woolworths for its employees. This discontent follows Woolworths' decision to cease the sale of Australia Day merchandise due to a "gradual decline" in overall sales.
Woolworths Being 'Woke'
In the online forum, staff members expressed bewilderment at the company's choice to refrain from selling Australia Day merchandise while promoting cultural celebrations like Chinese New Year and Diwali.
Some employees criticized the decision, questioning why the company supports "all other diversity" but has opted not to "support the community that celebrates Australia Day."
The controversy led to accusations of Woolworths being "woke," with staff members pointing out the supermarket's promotion of Lunar New Year merchandise for the Year of the Dragon in 2024 while refraining from offering Australia Day items.
Customers and employees condemned the supermarket as "hypocritical" and "un-Australian."
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Woolworths CEO's Response
Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci defended the decision, saying that the decision not to stock specific Australia Day merchandise was "commercial" based on steeply declining sales. Banducci further noted that Woolworths still offered customers a range of Australian products to celebrate the occasion.
The CEO said that decisions about stocking imported merchandise are typically made almost a year in advance, so investing in this mostly imported Australian Day merchandise "doesn't make commercial sense as a business decision."
"There are many other ways in which we are supporting our customers and our team to celebrate Australia, such as acknowledging the best of Australian products in our stores and online and supporting our team to mark Australia Day with their local community," Banducci noted as PerthNow reported.
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