Kmart, Spotlight: Melbourne retailers opening from midnight tonight
Melbourne stores will be busy when they reopen on Wednesday and one big retailer has found a way for you to save time and skip the queue before setting foot in store.
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Kmart has introduced a booking system that allows you to jump long queues in-store.
The major retailer is one of many stores opening their doors to Melbourne customers at midnight and extending their opening hours, after the state government eased restrictions to retail and hospitality on Monday.
Kmart’s Social Q app lets customers book a spot in line for the registers.
While it’s not essential to pre-book to gain entry into the store, it can save customers time when queuing to pay for items.
The app lets you book from anywhere at any time, whether at-home ahead of your visit, or while at a Kmart store.
“Essentially you jump on the website and a digital calendar appears where you can select your nominated store, preferred time and number of people attending with you. You will then receive an SMS and URL link to confirm the appointment or add to calendar or amend timing,” a spokesman says.
“When you arrive, simply show your booking confirmation to our friendly customer greeters and jump straight to the front of the queue.
STORES OPENING FROM MIDNIGHT
Kmart and Spotlight are among the retailers reopening the doors to several Melbourne stores from midnight tonight as they get set to welcome a flood of shoppers.
Large scale Kmart stores in Burwood, Campbellfield, Fountain Gate, Belmont and Werribee will open from midnight, with the remainder to open at 8am.
Spotlight will open the doors with a ‘doorbuster sale’ at 11.59pm Tuesday at Bayswater, Box Hill, Cranbourne, Essendon, Fountain Gate, Frankston, Hoppers Crossing, Maribyrnong, Mentone, Preston, South Morang and Watergardens.
The sale includes items from manchester, home decor, home furnishings, sewing and craft.
“Kmart will be reopening from this time and we’ve put in place a number of measures to ensure the shopping experience is as smooth and safe as possible for our customers, including safety measures, booking times for busy stores and extended trading hours so that customers can shop at quieter times,” a spokesman said.
“It’s been a long few months for all Melburnians and with Christmas on the horizon, we are looking forward to welcoming customers back into our stores from Wednesday morning.”
Kmart is set to implement more than 72 new COVID safe processes and will extend its opening hours in all stores.
A COVID safety marshal will be present in each store during busy times to help ensure they are operating safely with hygiene measures in place and practising physical distancing.
A virtual queuing system and book time to shop will be introduced in addition to the Contactless Click & Collect services.
Kmart retail director John Gualtieri said Kmart was initially preparing to reopen on November 2, subject to further announcements from the Victorian Premier.
“To support a safe shopping environment, we will also be extending our trading hours to allow customers more freedom to shop when they want within metropolitan Melbourne stores,” he says in an email sent to customers.
“Our shelves are restocked with your favourite items and new exciting Christmas products for all the family and we can’t wait to open our doors and welcome the community back safely. At Kmart, shopping will be different to a normal Christmas period as we have implemented additional measures as part of our COVID Safe Plans in each of our stores.”
“This Christmas will be a unique one, unlike any we have experienced before and we continue to thank you for patience and co-operation, keep safe.”
Myer executive general manager Tony Sutton welcomed Monday’s reopening announcement.
“We welcome the announcement yesterday. Our team members are ready, our customers are ready, and we look forward to opening our doors tomorrow, ensuring the safest possible shopping experience for our customers,” he said.
Kmart’s reopening comes as Chadstone announced it would scale back its Christmas opening hours.
The famous 34-hour pre Christmas shopping marathon will be dumped as major shopping centres including Chadstone, The Glen, Box Hill Central and Emporium begin to plan for reopening.
The plan to smooth peak traffic periods during the traditionally busy pre Christmas shopping extravaganza will encourage shoppers to visit between 9-11am.
In the week leading up to Christmas the proposed hours are: 9am-Midnight Dec 18 and 19, 9am-10pm Dec 20, 8am-Midnight Dec 21 and 22, 8am-1am Dec 22 and 7am-6pm on Christmas Eve. Boxing Day sales will still go ahead from 6am-11pm.
STORE OPENINGS:
KMART
When: Midnight for select stores, 8am Wednesday October 28 for all other stores.
Stores: Midnight opening forBurwood, Campbellfield, Fountain Gate, Belmont and Werribee stores.
Safety protocols: 72 new COVID safe processes, including:
— A COVID safety marshal will be present in each store during busy times.
— A virtual queuing system and book time to shop.
— Contactless Click & Collect services still available.
BIG W
When: Wednesday October 28 from 9am.
Stores: Altona Meadows, Box Hill, Broadmeadows, Craigieburn, Doncaster, Eastland, Epping, Fountain Gate, Lilydale, Melton, Pakenham, Parkmore, Queen Victoria, South Yarra, Southland, Highpoint, Karingal, Sunbury, Sunshine, Water Gardens, Waverley Gardens and Werribee.
Safety protocols:
— Reduced capacity in some stores: smaller stores capped at 250 customers, medium stores at 350, and larger stores at 450.
— Staff will ensure COVID safe practices are followed.
— Social distancing at all times with clear 1.5-metre guides located throughout the stores.
— Limiting customers in store
— Entry to the store will be via a single queue lane.
— Mandatory wearing of face masks.
— Sanitiser stations are at the front of all stores and in service areas.
— Trolley wipes are available to wipe down trolleys.
— Frequent cleaning and disinfecting with hospital grade product is in place daily.
— Plexiglass screens all checkouts and service desks.
— Optional QR code sign in is in place.
— All team members temperature checked when they arrive at work.
MYER
When: Wednesday 28 October.
Stores: Chadstone, Doncaster, Eastland, Frankston, Fountain Gate, Highpoint,Knox City, Melbourne City, Northland, Southland and Werribee.
Opening times: Chadstone 9.30am, Doncaster 9am, Eastland 9am, Frankston 9.30am, Fountain Gate 9am, Highpoint 9am, Knox City 9am, Melbourne City 9.30am, Northland 9am, Southland 9am and Werribee 9am.
Safety protocols:
— Increased cleaning.
— Customers must wear face masks
— Hand sanitiser available for customers and staff.
— Hand sanitiser stations at the entrance and at registers.
— Sneeze guards at registers.
— Social distancing will be enforced.
— Face masks and gloves will be worn by staff.
— Change rooms open with extra cleaning and social distancing.
— Caps on the number of people in store.
— Contactless payments.
SPOTLIGHT
When: 11.59pm Tuesday 27 October until 8pm Wednesday 28 October 8pm.
Where: From midnight: Bayswater, Box Hill, Cranbourne, Essendon, Fountain Gate, Frankston, Hoppers Crossing, Maribyrnong, Mentone, Preston, South Morang and Watergardens. From 9am Wednesday: Carnegie, Roxburgh Park, Sandown, South
Melbourne and The Glen.
Safety protocols:
— One customer per two sqm.
— Fitted face masks mandatory.
TARGET
When: Wednesday 28 October at 7am and 8am.
Where: Stores opening at 7am: Highpoint, Knox, Southland, Fountain Gate, Northland, Doncaster, Chadstone, Werribee. 8am opening: Airport West, Brimbank, Caroline Springs, Chirnside Park, Craigieburn, Cranbourne, Dandenong, Eastland, Epping, Forest Hill, Frankston, Glen Waverly, Greensborough, Langwarrin, Melbourne CBD, Mornington, Pakenham, Plenty Valley, Point Cook, Rosebud, Somerville, Sunbury, Watergardens, Waverly Gardens.
GOOD GUYS
When: Wednesday October 28
Stores: All Melbourne stores. Trading Hours here.
Safety protocols:
— Mandatory face masks
— Social distancing
— Hand santizer available in-store.
— Customer limits according to COVID Safe practice rules one person per 4 smq.
— Portable payment devices to help avoid long queues.
— Click and Collect in one hour or less
— Express Pick Up
— Same Day Delivery.
BUNNINGS
When: Wednesday 28 October from 6.30am.
Extended opening hours: For next two weeks, all stores will trade from 6.30am to 9pm.
Safety protocols:
— Monitoring and limiting customers in store and in busier aisles.
— Increased cleaning particularly for counters, trolleys and baskets throughout the day.
— Deep clean of each store using disinfectants at least daily.
— Providing team and customers with hand sanitiser and gloves for team.
— Requiring team and customers to wear face masks in stores.
— Physical distancing measures, including taping floor to mark 1.5m, moving stock on pallets around to open-up space, trestle tables in front of service areas to create more distance.
— Encouraging customers to use Tap and Pay where possible.
— Acrylic register guards installed in all stores
— Roll-out of ‘Count Me In’ app to further assist stores with customer limits
— Launched the Product Finder App that lets customers search our product range before they leave home and create a shopping list shows which aisle items are located to speed up the shop.
HARVEY NORMAN
When: Wednesday 28 October, 8am to 8pm.
UNIQLO
When: Thursday 5 November.
Where: Chadstone, Emporium, Highpoint, Eastland, The Glen, Northland, Pacific Werribee and Docklands.
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