'Makes me feel sick': 3yo's close call with Coles safety gates

EXCLUSIVE: "I shouted 'stop' as soon as I saw the gates closing but my daughter's face/head were already in line with them."

A mum from Melbourne wants to "get the word out there and help other parents keep their little ones safe," about a safety scare she had with her toddler at a local Coles.

The woman, Anna, who needs to remain anonymous because of her job, exclusively spoke to Kidspot about the terrifying incident.

"I visited my local Coles at Cranbourne Park in Melbourne last week with my nine-month-old son in a pram and my three-year-old daughter Mackenzie walking beside the pram," she says.

"After paying for my groceries, we exited the store through the silly gates which have been installed in, as far as I know, all Coles stores."

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"She was a step away when the gates began closing"

Anna says she watched what happened next in "almost slow motion."

"As far as I understand, these exit gates are meant to stay shut unless someone approaches them.

"But this gate was already wide open as we started to approach it from about 4-5 meters away, despite no one walking through it.

"I told my daughter to walk in front of me as I know she wouldn't have been able to walk beside me and hold the pram (which is what we normally do) because these gates are not wide enough, especially when I have a bag of groceries hanging on the side of the pram."

Anna says she has had previous experience with similar safety gates at other stores and has witnessed them glitching.

"I have seen and experienced these gates fail to open when someone approaches them plenty of times (you can even see it happen on the video) but I have never seen them close on someone."

Which is exactly what began to happen to three-year-old Mackenzie.

A photo of safety gates at another Coles, taken by Anna. Image: supplied

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"I shouted stop"

"My daughter was a step or two away from the gate when it started to close. I shouted 'stop' as soon as I saw the gates close, but my daughter's face/head were already in line with the closing gates.

"The only reason she didn't get hit by them was because the gates thankfully re-opened just before contact.

"The thought of her cheeks or ears being hit by the gates makes me feel sick in the stomach."

Anna called customer service as soon as she was in her car.

"A Coles representative rang me back later that day and assured me that their gates are safe, and a technician was scheduled to attend the site the following day."

But when Anna emailed Coles about the incident, their reply "doesn't say anything about a technician attending the site, what the outcome of it was, how did they keep their customers safe in the meantime?"

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Response to Anna from Coles

In a series of emails seen by Kidspot, Coles confirmed it had witnessed CCTV footage of the incident.

"They acknowledged that the incident took place but all they are telling me is that their gates are vetted, approved, compliant and safe. Yet, my daughter nearly got injured by one of them!" Anna says.

The Coles email says:

"We have reviewed the CCTV footage, and are very sorry this incident occurred. The gates do have safety features which should prevent this type of incident occurring.

"[We] thank the customer for bringing this to our attention. We will have a maintenance technician attend site to review the gate and confirm the safety radar is working as it should.

"We want to assure you that the smart gates installed in our Coles supermarkets have been meticulously reviewed and certified to meet all necessary regulatory requirements. Our installation process adheres strictly to the building codes and local standards set forth by regulatory bodies, as confirmed by our building certification and approval which has been done for every installation.

"In regards to your comments about the gates being 'too narrow', we have conducted a thorough external review specifically focused on Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) compliance. This review has confirmed that our smart gates fulfill all requirements to ensure accessibility for all customers, including those with disabilities.

"The gates themselves have been vetted by our supplier, who has provided a declaration of conformity affirming that the products meet all Australian regulatory standards. This declaration underscores our commitment to using only equipment that meets the highest safety and compliance benchmarks."

"Gesture of goodwill"

Coles finally offered a $50 gift card for her experience.

"As a gesture of goodwill for any inconvenience you may have had, we would like to offer a gift card of the value $50. Kindly provide us with your postal address if you choose to accept it."

Anna did accept the gift card on principle, but says it does not remotely address horror of the moment.

"Their email made me really angry as they are obviously just trying to shut me up with a pathetic gift voucher," Anna says. 

"I want other parents to be aware of how dangerous these gates are, and keep their little ones safe around them. Thank you for getting the word out there to warn other parents."

Response to Kidspot from Coles

Statement attributable to a Coles spokesperson:

“This new smart gate technology is designed and tested to the highest global and Australian standards and has inbuilt sensors to detect any objects nearby, ensuring the gate re-open automatically to avoid closing on customers.

“Safety is always our priority, and we take all concerns seriously. However, with this incident, we have fully investigated and can confirm that the gates operated as they should; they did not come into contact with this customer or their child.”

Originally published as 'Makes me feel sick': 3yo's close call with Coles safety gates