Coles’ shitty Christmas gift saga continues after the grocery store chain released a statement that reeks of IDGAF. Boy oh boy.
In case you’ve missed the whole Christmas tale: The supervillainmarket giant was recently dragged through the mud after its plan to gift its hardworking employees with branded water bottles and five sad mythanks points — equivalent to five buckaroos — went viral on Reddit.
The Reddit post — which was uploaded to r/Australia — was a lengthy email about the water bottles, how to care for them and the mythanks points.
The Redditor who made the post called out the company for the shit gift and pointed out that it made “record profits” this year. Keep in mind the company reportedly made a whopping $1.1 billion in profits this year.
Since then folks have completely slammed the supermarket giant.
In response to the brutal hullabaloo surrounding the store’s attitude during the giving season, Coles has seemingly defended its gift choice.
“We offer increased team member discounts in-store and online during December and January,” a spokesperson from Coles told Daily Mail Australia.
“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.”
IDK, how about, like, offering some cashola from the $1.1 billion?
“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,” the spokesperson continued.
Unfortunately, the spokesperson didn’t address the public outrage head-on or provide a solution. Instead, they just provided a stale answer which basically echoed the first “statement” they put out when folks were first pissed off.
The Reddit post that sparked outrage
News of Coles’ Christmas gift was first made public on the good old news site Reddit — specifically the glorious r/Australia subreddit.
Redditor u/Ok_Cable1689 posted an email from Coles that revealed the disappointing Chrissy gifts.
Coles Christmas Gift to Staff
byu/Ok_Cable1689 inaustralia
“Despite a year of record profits, the executives at Coles decided that the frontline staff who work their asses off and cop abuse on the daily are only worthy of a Coles branded water bottle and 5 “points” (equivalent to $5) for Christmas this year,” the Redditor wrote.
They continued to describe the Xmas present as a “kick in the face” and “an absolute joke”.
Outrage soon poured out under the thread, with some folks labelling it as “cheap merch” and a “punt to the c*nt”.
Secretary for The Retail and Fast Food Workers Union (RAFFWU) Josh Cullinan slammed the supermarket giant in a statement to Yahoo News.
“Coles workers cannot afford the food they sell. They are subjected to vile threats, abuse, assaults and intimidation daily,” Cullinan began.
“This rotten response, a second-rate drink bottle, is a slap in the face for our pandemic essential heroes.
“They can keep their drink bottles and instead give us living wages, safer workplaces and secure jobs.”
You’d think after the strikes over pay, safety and job security, bag checks and the yuge profit it has made this year, Coles would’ve given more to its hard workers. But nope, here’s a branded bottle and five bucks to spend on mints.
I expect to see a news story about how the big dogs at Coles were visited by the ghosts of Christmas past.
