Mum unleashes at ‘criminal feeling’ after Coles self-serve rule

A mother who was struggling to balance her baby and a pram filled with items from various stores has slammed her Coles experience.

A mother who was struggling to balance her baby and a pram filled with items from various stores says she was left “feeling like a criminal” after her experience at a Coles self-serve check-out.

Carissa McHolme had just finished shopping at Kmart when she headed into Coles to pick up various items.

But she was left frustrated over her experience when a staff member didn’t help her at the self-serve counter. She claimed she was forced to use the self-serve check-out because manned check-outs were closed.

Carissa said what the staff member did after watching her struggle was the big issue.

Carissa has vented about her experience at Coles. Picture: TikTok/@carissa_mcholme

“Coles are really making all of their customers feel like they’re criminals,” Carissa told her TikTok followers.

“I went to the self-serve check-out because there was no check-out open. I was literally carrying my baby in one arm, he refused to be in the pram.”

She said the pram was instead filled with things from Kmart and in the seat area were the items she was planning to pay for at Coles.

“I’ve struggled in scanning all of my items. The Coles check-out operator, mind you, was watching me struggle through this whole thing and not once did she offer to help,” she said.

She said she finished scanning her items and paid for them but but the security gates would not open on her way out. That is when the checkout operator finally engaged with Carissa.

The woman asked for Carissa’ receipt and went through it all, before eventually opening it.

“I literally felt like a criminal because these boomgates were shut. I’m struggling, I’m scanning everything — no one is offering to help,” she said.

“This is not OK. Whatever new system they have in place, it’s not working Coles. Do better than this. Don’t make your customers feel like thieves.”

The gates that Carissa came up against. Picture: 7News

A Coles spokesperson told news.com.au they were saddened to hear about the customer’s experience.

“We actively encourage and train our team members to assist customers who may need additional help – which may include customers with prams, young children or elderly customers,” the spokesperson said.

“We are disappointed to hear about that this hasn’t occurred in this customer’s experience and encourage our customers to come to us directly so we can address this with our team.”

Social media users expressed their own experiences of frustration when it came to their treatment by Coles staff.

She said people shouldn’t be forced to use self-serve if Coles wasn’t going to trust them. Picture: news.com.au

“I had a bottled water on my pram that I purchased from another shop and the gate literally closed on me,” one said.

“I had to open up my bank app and show I just purchased like $4.80 water 20 minutes ago from a machine.”

Another said: “I went to Coles today after I shopped at Aldi. They wanted to look through every single bag and she made me scan my nappies and toilet paper in front of her lol F**K COLES.”

“I had a Coles worker yell at me in front of everyone ‘scan ur big items first’ after I’d scanned a few small items. Tbh if they want us to use self service then let us scan how we want,” another vented.

One social media user added: “I went to coles yesterday and they made me scan the Nappies first and watched me do it before letting me scan my other items … wtf”