A young shopper was stunned to discover Kmart workers doing group stretches at the start of their shift.
Zane Ammar, from Sydney, was walking through the store when he noticed his 8am morning routine
“You’ll never believe what I’m seeing,” he said.
“There are all these Kmart workers stretching before a shift.”
He filmed himself approaching staff members as they stood in a circle, craning their necks.
“Excuse me, sorry to interrupt training,” he said before asking where the sporting goods were.
“Not at all,” a staff member responded. ‘Would you like to join today?’
Mr. Ammar then started participating in the group session.
Zane Ammar, from Sydney, invited to a group warm-up at a popular store
‘So what, you’re just warming up for the shift?’ asked.
“Yes, more or less,” the worker responded.
As the man continued to warm up, the staff member offered him an encouraging compliment.
Aren’t you a charming young man? Very handsome and everything. Great personality,’ he said.
They invited Mr. Ammar to join them every day at 8 am for the group sessions and wished each other a good day.
Many social media users found the interaction comforting and said the stretching was helpful to retail workers’ routines.
‘I laugh, but retail is an incredibly physically demanding job. Stretching mid-shift is the best feeling in the world,” one wrote.
“I work in retail and this is very important for all the back, neck and arm muscle strains you will suffer that day,” another agreed.
Ammar even received a number of praises for his efforts in the group stretching session.
Many retail workers said their employers required them to complete daily stretches to reduce the risk of injury and time off work.
“Where I work it is mandatory to stretch before starting our shifts,” said one.
“I work for another big Australian retailer and we do too, lots of people complain but I need those extensions,” joked another.
‘As a health and safety officer, it’s great to see this!’ wrote a superior.
One found the place chosen for the pre-shift warm-up interesting.
“(We have to) do this every 7 a.m. shift, but we usually do it in the back, not on the shop floor,” said one retail worker.
“I work in construction, we do this and many times I hope no one sees us,” joked one merchant.
Australian company Primal Physiotherapy advises workers to stretch and warm up before their shift to reduce injuries and minimize wear-related pain.
“When we begin to work, it is important to warm up the body and muscles so that the blood flows so we can move fluidly and reduce the risk of injury,” their website states.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Kmart for comment.