Woolies slammed for sign targeting kids

Woolworths is under fire for posting a sign banning students from entering one of its stores with their school bags.

Woolworths is under fire for posting an “ill-thought-out” sign banning students from entering one of its stores with their school bags.

One Sydneysider took to Reddit to share a photo of the message, which had been stuck on the supermarket’s entry gate - but he didn’t disclose which Woolworths location.

The sign, which was printed in capital letters and laminated, read: “No school bags in store between 7am and 5pm.”

It continued, “Please leave school bags at store entry gates.”

It’s believed that the store’s sign was an attempt to combat student theft, Kidspot reported.

But it may have inadvertently opened up another theft issue, namely, from the unattended bags.

The sign many were angered by. Picture: Reddit

For more stories like this, head to kidspot.com.au

The post was then inundated with hundreds of comments from parents, Woolies workers, and Aussies who were keen to share their thoughts.

“If they mandate that bags be left outside, then they 100 per cent do take responsibility for them,” one user claimed.

“My local one tries to enforce this, but nothing they can do. No way in hell my son’s leaving his bag with expensive laptop unattended at the door,” a mum wrote.

“For real. They may as well just put a sign up saying ‘Free MacBook Air Collection Area’,” quipped a third.

And someone else noted: “Not all school students are thieves, so this is just collective punishment for the few that are.”

However, others claimed that this was standard practice back in the day.

The policy has not changed. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

“Plenty of shops had signs like this when I was at school, and that was decades ago. We never had anything worth s**t in our bags, though,” one person shared.

“My local used to do this back when I was in school. We did just leave our bags in a pile outside, but it was visible from the cashier area, so no one tried anything,” said someone else.

A spokesperson told The Daily Mailthat the sign has now been removed from the store, and there’s been no change to its policy allowing school bags in stores.

This story originally appeared on Kidspot and reproduced with permission