Coles and Bunnings roll out rules to prioritise tradies and keep staff safe

Checking out at the supermarket is about to change with customers being asked to pack their own bags, sanitise hands before entry and queue differently. HERE ARE THE NEW RULES

COLES will ask customers to pack their own groceries into bags to reduce any potential transmission of COVID-19 in supermarkets.

The supermarket is also asking people to sanitise their hands upon entry and use the 1.5m length of a trolley as a guide to know how far shoppers should stay from each other while in store.

It will also no longer slice bread on demand and have markings and belted areas at checkouts indicating where people should stand when in the queue.

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New rules for shopping at Coles have been announced.

Coles group CEO Steven Cain this morning said it was working closely with the Department of Health to ensure they safety of their customers.

It said it will also rotate its teams on checkouts throughout the day to help keep everyone safe, he said.

“We’ll also ask you to pack your own bags to minimise both handling and close contact time,” Mr Cain said, adding that card payments will be encouraged.

Single item bakery goods such as in-store baked bread will be individually wrapped.

Bunnings has also made changes and this morning said it would start a tradies hour from Monday where trade customers will have exclusive shopping hours before 9am on weekdays.

Bunnings said it was to help “keep businesses running” and allow trade customers “to get the products they need for vital maintenance and repair work”.

The same will be offered to health and emergency services workers.

“To acknowledge the incredible work being done by our health and emergency services workers they will also have exclusive shopping hours before 9am on weekdays to help them get what they need.”

Ordinary retail customers will be able to shop from 9am to 7pm and weekend trading hours have not changed.