All Coles stores across Australia have reopened after having to temporarily shut down due to an IT glitch, that caused stores to be closed for hours.
The glitch caused cash registers to malfunction across the country, with many people having to abandon their shopping in the aisles and unable to pay for their groceries.
However, Coles Express and Coles Liquor were not affected by the glitch.
BREAKING | Coles confirms ALL supermarkets are being closed temporarily due to a technical issue with processing payments. Express and Liquor remain open #ausbiz #onthemoneysbs
— Ricardo Gonçalves (@BUSINESSricardo) October 9, 2020
Coles customers will now receive triple FlyBuys points on their foo and groceries this weekend as a thank you for their patience.
“And to help customers who were unable to complete their shopping on Friday afternoon, Coles Online is offering free home delivery on orders of $50 and above until Sunday 18 October,” a spokesperson said.
The Coles shutdown meant that many shoppers were turned away, with some on Twitter joking that they would go to Woolworths instead.
Our payment systems are up and running. All stores continue to trade as normal.
— Woolworths (@woolworths) October 9, 2020
Even Woolies was in on the joke, but when questioned on their intentions they denied it was a joke and said: “Certainly not our intent, Geoffrey. We were just keen to clear up some initial misinformation doing the rounds.” Yeah, C’mon Geoffrey.
The malfunction caused chaos throughout Coles stores in Australia, with someone calling it a “standstill” and wondering how long their salmon could remain out of their fridge until it went off.
Eftpos machines are down at Coles supermarkets across the state, possibly the country. Stores have come to a standstill. No word on when the issue will be fixed. Also, how long can salmon remain out of a fridge before it goes off? 😐 pic.twitter.com/T7xCp5tYIq
— Elizabeth Henson (@Eliz_henson) October 9, 2020
Poor @coles supermarkets… their systems are #DownDown pic.twitter.com/n8nhPn8sfD
— The Equerry (@TheEquerry) October 9, 2020
Halfway through a shop and we are told that cash registers at all Coles stores are not working due to IT issues. They’re not sure for how long. Off to Woolies. 😬 pic.twitter.com/7dDZKlZd8q
— Tracey Findlay (@tracey_findlay) October 9, 2020
Doors down @Coles Spencer Street. Staff say technical issue with checkout system has forced all Vic stores to shut, unsure when they’ll be back online. Shoppers have been turned away at registers across the country @7NewsMelbourne pic.twitter.com/1yS4Bp8pHb
— Jayde Vincent (@JaydeVincent) October 9, 2020
Shortly after the IT glitch happened, a Coles spokesperson let the public know of the temporary technical issue.
“Coles supermarkets are being closed temporarily due to a technical issue with processing payments in our stores,” a spokesperson said.
“Our team is working hard to fix the issue and stores will reopen as soon as possible.
“We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience.
“Coles Express and Coles Liquor stores remain open for trade,” they added.
