Supermarket bosses reveal Aussie shopper gripes
Plastic bags? Self-serve check-outs? Trolleys with bung wheels? The bosses of Coles and Woolworths reveal what customers hate most about supermarkets and what they’re trying to do to fix it.
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They serve customers 50 million times per week, run a combined fleet of 1845 stores and rack up $70 billion in sales every year.
A growing range of international competitors might be muscling in on their turf, but the nation’s supermarket sector continues to be dominated by homegrown heavyweights Woolworths and Coles.
Most Aussies will visit one sometime this week.
So what is the thing that bugs you the most about your shopping trip? And what are the highly paid bosses of these retail giants doing to fix it?
Business Daily asked the chiefs of Woolworths and Coles just that. Here is what they told us — and no, it doesn’t involve plastic bags or self-serve checkouts.
WOOLWORTHS
They call themselves the fresh food people.
Perhaps unsurprisingly then, Woolworths chief Brad Banducci says damaged fruit and veg is the top bugbear for shoppers at the nation’s biggest supermarket chain.
Or produce that spoils shortly after arriving on the kitchen bench.
“The number one issue is always the freshness of the fruit and veg,” Mr Banducci said.
“It’s about making sure it is in great condition and lasts as long as it should in the home.”
Improving the fresh offer has been a key focus for Mr Banducci since taking over Woolies in 2015.
The supermarket chain is rolling out an internal “famous for fresh” initiative which includes measures such as installing fridges to ensure berries are provided for sale at the optimum temperature and misting units for leafy greens and vegetables.
Staff are also receiving training on product handling and daily quality check routines.
The program has been rolled out to about 120 stores to date.
“We have spent a lot of time retraining our team on how to handle fruit and veg,” Mr Banducci said.
COLES
Nothing annoys a Coles shopper more than visiting a store only to find a product has been sold out.
“The thing that people want most is that the product is in stock,” Coles boss Steven Cain said.
Mr Cain, who marks his first year in the top job this month, is rolling out a $1 billion investment program in artificial intelligence and automation to tackle, among other things, product availability.
Two new automated distribution centres are being built which, says Coles, will result in less empty shelves and allow each supermarket to offer a range far more tailored to its local demographic.
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Tech giant Microsoft has been recruited to roll out artificial intelligence allowing Coles to adjust stock ordering based on weather forecasts and local community events.
Software that uses store video cameras to monitor shelves for stock gaps and alert staff when they appear is also being tested.
“Availability is a constant work in progress,” Mr Cain said.
“It’s about making sure we have all of the right product on the shelves all of the time.”
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