Australian shoppers were left outraged after seeing a sign at Big W alerting customers about a cancelled Christmas order.
Shoppers, who regularly flock to the store to do their Christmas shopping early due to its popular layaway scheme, were left panicking after a photo of the sign was posted on social media.
“For those asking, I saw this sign with the Christmas decorations!” one woman wrote in the caption.
The small sign read: ‘There will be no delivery deadlines for Christmas products after October 7, 2024.
‘Installment payments are not available for Christmas decorations, Christmas trees, Christmas lights, or Christmas wrapping products.’
However, Daily Mail Australia understands that the store’s sign displayed an incorrect date in relation to the ordering section. This has now been corrected.
Customers can make a standard payment on Christmas products until December 1, 2024.
A spokesperson told FEMAIL: ‘BIG W apologises for any confusion caused by incorrect signage displayed in our stores on Monday 16 September.
Australian shoppers were outraged to see a sign at Big W alerting customers to the cancellation of a Christmas instalment order. However, Daily Mail Australia understands this is a mistake by the store.
“We want to assure our customers that they will be able to deposit their Christmas products in a standard box until 1 December 2024.”
Instalment exclusions for seasonal ranges may apply towards the end of a season to ensure our limited range is available to all customers, even at Easter and Halloween.
The terms and conditions of the installment payment plan can be found on the BIG W website.
This didn’t stop frantic customers from posting their disappointment, especially those who thought it meant the end of the program for good.
“It’s a little sad because not everyone can afford things at the moment, BUT on the other hand it’s completely understandable,” one wrote.
“This really bothers me. What about those people who can’t afford to buy them directly and don’t have a card or credit card payment facility?” said another.
“Makes sense. The last thing they need is a bunch of cancelled products that expire in mid-December and won’t be back on the shelves until it’s time to put them on clearance,” reasoned a third.
But others were more understanding.
“I don’t understand why people need to reserve them. It’s not that there isn’t time to buy,” said one.
“This is nothing new,” added another.
Instalment payment exclusions may apply for seasonal ranges towards the end of a season to ensure our limited range is available to all customers, including Easter and Halloween.
Some of the supermarket’s major investors are also urging Woolworths to divest its Big W chain and spin off the New Zealand operations into a new business.
Dushko Bajic, a portfolio manager at First Sentier Investors, told a forum in Sydney this week that he had suggested the changes to Woolworths’ new CEO Amanda Bardwell at a recent meeting, the Australian Financial Review reported.
“We would love for you to be just a simple Australian supermarket,” Bajic told Bardwell, who replaced former chief executive Brad Banducci this month.
Bajic said Woolworths, which is bigger than its main rival Coles, should also generate significantly higher profits, but that was not the case.
Coles has streamlined its business into two main divisions of food and liquor, while the Woolworths group has suffered significant losses as Big W and New Zealand stores struggle.