Brisbane Airport Woolworths overwhelmed by shoppers on Anzac Day

A strange loophole sparked chaos at one Woolworths on Anzac Day, with huge crowds flocking to the supermarket during the public holiday.

Brisbane locals caught short on essentials during the Anzac Day public holiday raced to the one Woolworths supermarket open in the state because of a little-known loophole.

Queensland law requires big chain shops including major supermarkets to shutdown for 24 hours over Anzac Day.

A minor clause in the legislation allows airports to keep shops open for airline travellers, which allowed the Brisbane Airport Woolworths to open on the public holiday.

Shoppers have lined up outside Woolworths at the #BrisbaneAirport this afternoon as it is the only major grocery store to open across the entire state today.

Do you think that Anzac Day trading hours in Queensland should be reconsidered? #9Newspic.twitter.com/dhpZdMOZop

— 9News Queensland (@9NewsQueensland) April 25, 2022

Savvy Brisbanites took advantage of the loophole on Monday, overwhelming the supermarket.

Some shoppers took to social media to share the wild scenes of crowds gathered at the supermarket entrance as the doors opened for the day.

“Are you kidding?” one Twitter user wrote in response to vision posted by Nine News.

“I live 109km from my nearest Woolworths, 250km from my nearest Coles,” they said.

“There is no need to be open 365 days a year and Anzac Day should be kept sacred.”

Huge crowds flocked to the one Woolworths supermarket open in Queensland on Anzac Day. Picture: Nine News Queensland

Twitter user Trish couldn’t understand why the rules were so strict in Queensland compared to other states where supermarkets are able to remain open.

“They were open in every other state,” she wrote.

“Why is Queensland different? At least opening at 12 would make sense.”

One Woolies... and a city of 2.5 million people. Picture via Google Maps

Steve Rumley said retail workers deserved the day off to pay respects on Anzac Day.

“Retail staff deserve the day off so they can pay their respects as well,” he posted on Twitter.

The crowd at the airport Woolies was reminiscent of the rush that followed the announcement of a short Covid-19 lockdown last year. Photographer: Liam Kidston

“They are only closed 4 days a year. They used to close every Sunday and people survived.”

Independent grocery stores are exempt from the rule and all other independently owned shops can open up after 1pm.