In the latest Australia Day mishap, supermarket giant Coles had a bit of a boo boo with its in-store Aussie flags.
While patriotism was ripe within a central supermarket in Brisbane, Queensland, one very important aspect on our dear old flag was rather bent out of shape.
The flags have the Southern Cross on them, but the fifth star was on the wrong side.
Below is the picture supplied to the Brisbane Times.
And here is what our Australian flag is supposed to look like.
The flags were only displayed in one store, it wasn’t a national thing.
A Coles spokesperson told B&T: “Coles has confirmed that all of our Australia Day merchandise including Australian flags are correctly designed.
“The incorrect flags which were displayed at a single store were purchased by a team member from a local retailer.
“Our team removed the flags from display as soon as the incorrect design was pointed out.”
Social media users were quick to have their say on the matter, and while many lampooned the chain for not realising the mistake, others questioned Coles’ decision to put them up in the first place, as Australia Day is not a celebratory day for many. Coles has responded to many complaints.
@janerankinreid hi Jane, these flags were in one of our stores & have all been removed. We’re sorry for any offence caused.
— Coles Supermarkets (@Coles) January 24, 2016
@Coles #auspol I hope you have pulled these flags,disgraceful you don’t even know what our flag looks like https://t.co/sxpsTw9omB
— Tony Magrathea (@dickybeacholdie) January 23, 2016
.@Coles, I’m not complaining about the flags being wrong I’m complaining about them being blatantly propagated when not everyone celebrates
— Cameron Summers (@mr_solivigant) January 23, 2016
@phbarratt @willybach2011 I believe Coles has ironic back-to-front flags for those of us waving ironically.
— Caspar Fairhall (@PixelsAndAtoms) January 24, 2016
Nevertheless, Coles isn’t the only supermarket giant that’s been in an Australia Day pickle.
Woolworths caused a social media stink when it brought out some Aussie Day caps to sell, that were missing Tasmania.
After being alerted to the error, Woolies removed the caps and began issuing a one-lined statement to media outlets that ended up being labelled “robotic” and “rotten” by industry experts.
“Instead of ‘fessing up and apologising for the mistakes, their statements seem dismissive and defensive,” Geoffrey Stackhouse, managing director at media training and crisis company Clarity Solutions, told B&T.
“Woolworths’ fumble with the map of Tasmania is the third in a series of merchandising and promotional blunders that suggests the Fresh Food people just don’t get the Australian public. And that should be setting off alarm bells with analysts and shareholders because picking the Zeitgeist is a core competency for any retailer.”
