Panic buying hits Bunnings ahead of partial closure

Shoppers have flocked to Bunnings stores ahead of the closure to walk-in retail customers in greater Sydney.

Sydney Bunnings stores have been beset by panic buying as the hardware giant gets set to close its doors to walk-in retail shoppers on Monday.

There were reports of mammoth waits and queues as customers rushed into stores on Saturday and Sunday.

The NSW government has placed restrictions on retail stores as health authorities attempt to quell the latest Covid-19 outbreak due to the Delta variant.

A picture of the line up for the Kingsgrove Bunnings posted by a social media user. Picture: Supplied. Picture: Facebook

From Monday, retailers in 12 local government areas of concern are being forced to close their stores and only offer click and collect services.

However, Bunnings has decided to close all of its stores across greater Sydney to walk-in retail customers.

All stores will still be open for tradies.

“This weekend many of our Sydney stores have been busy, but we have used our ‘count me in’ app to cap the number of customers in store at any given time and help ensure physical distancing,” Bunnings regional manager Robyn Hudson said.

“This means that customers at some stores have had to wait for a short time before entering. We also have clear markings to indicate how people should queue, and our team are making sure that customers are physically distanced.”

Ms Hudson added that in all advertising the company had encouraged shoppers to use its “click and collect” and “drive and collect” services.

A picture of a packed Bunnings store posted by a social media user. Picture: Facebook

Despite all customers still being able to shop via click and collect and delivery services, there were reports of massive line-ups and packed stores on Saturday and Sunday.

One Sydney resident Paul Ridder said he went to his local Bunnings to purchase seedlings for his balcony garden and got in early, mindful of wanting to avoid the crowds.

“It was quite busy, without being out of control,” Mr Ridder said.

“Not wishing to be caught ‘browsing’, and looking at an already long checkout queue, I went straight to the plant nursery.

“Stock was down to maybe 25 per cent and little quality was left, so I made some quick decisions and turned around to join the line, which had reached the plant section, half the store length.”

Mr Ridder said there was a 15-minute wait on the checkout line.

“OMG Bunnings was a 25min wait, lines to the other end of the car park, had an argument with the guy checking QR codes because he didn’t believe I checked in,” one Twitter user said.

Another said: “Just rang my local Bunnings to check on my click n collect from yesterday morning.

They have over 900 orders to process!!!”

Another user added: “Live scenes at the car park of the Bunnings I just drove by #packed”

Facebook users posted pictures of massive lines out the door and in the aisles.

“Bunnings kirawee already jammed. You idiots know you can click and collect still all week. Good luck tradies,” one said.

“Last opportunity to be a part of a Bunnings superspreader,” said another person who posted a picture of a line of people pushing trolleys towards the checkouts.

“So this is Bunnings Kingsgrove. We’re rigorously screwed,” said another with an image of a line out the door to be let into a store in southwestern Sydney.

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A post on a Fairfield community page claimed that police were inside the local store enforcing public health orders which prohibit two members of the same household from shopping at the same time.

“Warning: police are inside Bunnings checking and booking people who are together,” the person said.

“You must be alone, or at least pretend you are.

Looks like being single has some benefits after all.”