All 181 Countdown supermarkets across the country are offering free fruit for children.
The fruit is intended for harried parents to offer to children to keep them occupied while shopping in the supermarkets - it is not intended as fruit to be taken home as a replacement for paid shopping.
Supermarket spokesman James Walker said the initiative was trialled at its Botany store in August and was rolled out nationwide on Tuesday following "overwhelmingly positive feedback".
Great idea - this will create at least 1 more job at each of the 181 Countdown supermarkets across the country.
They will need to employ someone who cleans the trollies of all the sticky banana bits and collect half eaten apples :)
letitia,
Oct 23, 8:13pm
I hope the fruit has been well washed before being offered to children.
uli,
Oct 23, 9:27pm
You bet!
nauru,
Oct 23, 9:30pm
I noticed a few weeks ago that our local NW are doing this too.
uli,
Oct 23, 9:42pm
More jobs for the cleaners then LOL :)
I just loved that second photo in the article where you could see the banana is going to fall out of the kids mouth any minute .
What also impressed me was "We know it can be a challenge to do the shopping with hungry kids in tow. " - now why would you drag hungry kids across a supermarket in the first place?
We all know how kids (and adults) can get cranky when hungry in a supermarket (and buy far too much). Surely you can feed kids regularly if you have hours in town?
awoftam,
Oct 24, 12:01am
Oh that made me chuckle lol
uli,
Oct 24, 12:30am
Well just look at that second photo and you will see what is going to happen in the next minute or so LOL - the banana is going to fall out of the kids mouth any minute .
awoftam,
Oct 24, 12:33am
Yea, I know. Giving food to kids to keep them quiet is not a good thing to me so I would never take advantage of the offer in any event. And I have never taken the kids shopping when they are hungry. I don't shop when I am hungry - cos if I do, as I have done in the past I wind up with a ton of food I don't need because everything looks amazing!
wendalls,
Oct 24, 3:55am
Well I say good on them! I'm sure most parents don't plan to bring their kids hungry to the supermarket. I was at countdown tonight with my mr 7. A toddler started demanding stuff (sausages) from its mum in a very rude way. My son asked me did he behave like that when younger. I said. um no but then remembered a pre Easter visit and a terrible tantrum of wanting chocolate. The staff probably get this every day so no wonder they are trialling this idea. I agree it has huge mess potential. I wonder if they'll have to offer free wipes after.
uli,
Oct 24, 9:09pm
yeah - I do not blame parents for forgetting to pack snacks for toddlers - and going shopping with hungry kids is not a good idea - so it might appeal to some. Interestingly enough i rarely see parents with kids in Countdown - too expensive up North I guess - they seem to all congregate at Pak'n'Save here.
However if no-one is going to clean the trolleys after 'the event" then we will have a huge mess on our hands (literally) and i will rather shop at Pak'n'Save who actually clean trolleys regularly (at least our one here does) than to Countdown where my backpack might get stuck on that front seat.
jubre,
Oct 28, 9:25pm
Our local New World gives kids a peice of belgium, when mum or dad is buying some meat from the deli.
uli,
Oct 28, 9:49pm
What is "belgium"?
sapphire152,
Oct 28, 9:54pm
also known as luncheon
uli,
Oct 28, 10:01pm
oh, thanks!
daarhn,
Oct 28, 10:32pm
also known as polony to aussies
uli,
Oct 28, 11:23pm
A highly processed meat we should not consume from now according to the WHO! Can you sue the supermarket for pushing it onto kids making them ill later I wonder :)
samanya,
Oct 29, 1:48am
Why contemplate suing the supermarket, when it's the parents who make the decision whether to let their kids eat it, or not?
uli,
Aug 6, 12:46pm
nah - the supermarket "gives" the kids that stuff (read post # 12) - what could the parents do? Wrest the processed meat outta the kids hand and trample it into the floor? Imagine how that shopping experience is going to go! Remember it is "intended for harried parents to offer to children to keep them occupied while shopping in the supermarkets. "
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