Coles is experiencing the PR nightmare of the decade after it announced, in all its dystopian glory, that it would be rewarding its hard-working staff for the $1.1 billion in profits it raked in this year with… a red Coles branded water bottle and 5 mythanks points. And even then, there’s a catch.
The gift ignited outrage from workers, who have been enduring a rise in verbal abuse, $25 million in unpaid wages, and intense surveillance from their own employer in response to an increase in shoplifting. Though, it appears increase of theft made little impact on the company’s yearly earnings.
A Coles worker has since told Nova 100’s Ben, Liam & Belle that the reward was somehow even more pitiful than initially reported, because staff can’t actually redeem the $5 they were so generously promised.
“The five mythanks points is $5,” the worker said. “Which you can’t redeem until you make $10.”
After a bit of confusion on how that could be, the worker then went on to describe how mythanks actually works.
“So mythanks is like a promotion,” they said.
“So if you do something good, it’s like a mythanks.”
They then claimed that only when you reach 10 mythanks points, can you redeem the points for $10. Since the staff had only been given a measly five mythanks points in their gift, they now have to earn five *more* mythanks points before being able to redeem their $10.
If this is true, it effectively means staff have to do more work to redeem the $5 they were gifted. Which sounds a lot like incentive to work harder, not a gift for already working hard. Yikes.
How did Coles react to the backlash from its Christmas gift?
Coles, for its part, has no remorse for its pathetic Christmas gift, doubling down and defending it in a statement responding to the backlash.
“We offer increased team member discounts in-store and online during December and January,” a spokesperson said.
“We also offer our team increased discounts on exclusive liquor brands and increased Flybuys points as we head into the holiday season. Each of our stores also has a Christmas gathering, which includes a shared meal to celebrate as a team.
“Our store team members have also been offered a small additional gift of the water bottle and mythanks points to show our appreciation for their work.”
It shouldn’t go without notice that in-store discounts, branded merchandise and mythanks/Flybuys points would all cost the corporation pretty much nil to give employees, and in fact actually require staff to spend money at Coles.
If anything, the Coles water bottle also actually functions as free advertising, since anyone who uses it in public would be repping the brand.
So, yeah, this is a pretty shit way of compensating frontline workers who have been enduring all sorts of nonsense in the name of Coles. Just give them a bonus and time off, you monsters.
PEDESTRIAN.TV has reached out to Coles.
