Australia has witnessed a Lord Of The Flies dystopia in its toilet paper aisles as people fight (check out the footage below), get knifed and tasered as they battle for the country’s last bog roll. Apparently it’s become so bad, supermarkets are now employing security guards to protect shoppers and enforce limits.
Now Australia’s second largest grocer, Coles, has taken out full-page ads in newspapers to explain its toilet paper limits as customers continue to strip its shelves amid coronavirus fears.
Despite assurance from supermarket chiefs, toilet paper manufacturers and even the PM that there’d be no shortages, Coles has now been forced to revise its roll limit down from four to one per customer.
The ad’s come in the form of an open letter to Coles customers from company CEO, Steven Cain.
The ad reads: “Following the unprecedented demand for toilet paper we reluctantly introduced a temporary four pack limit last week. Unfortunately, many stores are still selling out within an hour of delivery.”
“We have therefore made the decision to change the limit to one pack per customer so that toilet paper is available for more of our customers, particularly the elderly and people who are unable to purchase in large volumes.”
A message announcing the new limit posted on Coles’ Facebook group over the weekend has gathered over 12,000 reactions, some 2100 shares and more than 3500 comments.
The ad comes following a brawl over toilet paper at a suburban Woolworths in Sydney that lead to two women being charged by police.
The women, aged 23 and 60, both from Bankstown, spoke to police at Bankstown police station on Saturday. They were later issued with summons to attend the Bankstown local court on 28 April on charges of affray. Check out the ding-dong below: