Coles shopper slams ‘filthy habit’ in supermarkets

A Coles customer has taken aim at pampered pooch owners after he saw a dog being pushed around in a trolley at a store in an up-market Brisbane suburb. HAVE YOUR SAY IN OUR POLL

A Coles customer has vented on social media after he witnessed a pet dog being pushed around in a shopping trolley at the New Farm supermarket.

The New Farm resident posted in a community group that he was “rather alarmed” to see the dog, which he claims was not an assistance dog in the supermarket let alone “riding in the trolley”.

“Don’t know of any food safety standard that would deem this acceptable...and fairly sure this contravenes Coles official policy on animals in stores,” the concerned customer wrote.

“I often put my fresh fruit and vegetables in the trolley to avoid using single-use plastics...Now I can’t be sure that they aren’t being contaminated by filthy habits of some shoppers - Completely unacceptable”.

The post, which has since been pulled, received a mixed reaction from other local residents, many of which admitted they too had brought their pets into the store or suggested that children are arguably “dirtier”.

“Dogs are at farmers markets and cafes every weekend and there doesn’t seem to be any issue with food safety...so why is there a double standard with supermarkets,” a woman wrote.

Meanwhile, other residents agreed that dogs should not be allowed in supermarkets. 

“I agree. I don’t go to a dog park to shop. These dogs in shops are out of control. It’s a pandemic”, a resident wrote, while other suggested dogs had become “substitute children”. 

“I love animals but I don’t think it’s okay for them to be mixing with food...I understand some people don’t like children but they are human and they don’t lick their genitalia and anus and then lick food,” the resident wrote. 

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The concerned shopper said that he immediately informed the store about what he had witnessed and claims the manager agreed the situation was “entirely unacceptable”.

He claims the store manager told him that staff would be “more vigilant in future”.

“It appears to me that there is a certain part of the population that seems to think dogs have greater rights than humans - there are certain places where animals should not coexist with humans,” he said. 

A Coles spokeswoman said assistance and companion animals are “welcome to accompany their owners in our stores if they are clearly identified by a collar, coat or harness”. 

“We do not allow for everyday pets or animals to enter our stores,” she said.

Woolworths supermarkets also allow guide dogs or registered companion pets.

Meanwhile, Bunnings stores permit everyday pets that are “secured safely in a vehicle, on a lead and wearing a muzzle, carried or sitting in a trolley.”

Originally published as Coles shopper slams ‘filthy habit’ in supermarkets