From Monday 1 June, Coles team members will be offering to pack customers' bags again, as the coronavirus infection rate drops and restrictions ease.
To ensure the ongoing safety of team members and customers, for the next two weeks a Coles 'Better Bag' will be provided to customers who wish to swap an old, damaged or unclean bag that is presented at checkout. Customers who prefer to continue packing their own bags are welcome to do so – and are also welcome to swap their existing bag for a free replacement bag.
Coles CEO Steven Cain hopes the new measures will help ease some of the stress and anxiety faced by customers and the team in recent months.
"It's reassuring that we are returning to some sense of normality in everyday life, including when doing the grocery shopping," he said.
"Our team have safely served more than 200 million customers with extra care over the past three months, and we have been amazed at the resilience of both our team and customers as they have faced some of the biggest challenges in our lifetime.
"With all product buying restrictions imposed due to COVID-19 lifted at Coles this week, our focus is still very much on providing a safe environment for team members and customers.
"We are grateful for the way customers have adapted to some big changes in our stores including packing their own bags. We hope that our team offering to pack them again makes life a little easier and that a replacement Coles 'Better Bag' will provide some peace of mind at a time when good hygiene practices and social distancing are as important as ever."
Coles 'Better Bags' are made of 80% recycled material and are recyclable through the RedCycle bins located at the front of all Coles supermarkets. Customers are also encouraged to use the RedCycle bins to recycle soft plastic bags that have been replaced, provided they are empty and dry.
To continue protecting the community, Coles has reminded team members and asks customers to continue to respect social distancing measures in store. Sanitiser stations are available for customers to sanitise their hands as they enter, assisted checkouts are cleaned after every transaction and perspex screens have been installed at every register.
