Australian shopper calls for ‘boomer hour’ at supermarkets Coles and Woolworths

An Australian shopper has demanded supermarkets introduce a ‘boomer hour’ for older customers after claiming they take too much time at the checkout.

The shopper, from the Mornington Peninsula, southeast of Melbourne, sparked debate after sharing their concerns on Facebook, saying baby boomers needed to be “more considerate of time-poor workers and busy parents.”

They added that older generations took up too much space in the aisles to stop and chat, making it difficult for other hurried shoppers.

Consumer behavior analyst Barry Urquhart labeled the idea as “ageism personified.”

“It won’t work because they are the main driver of the market at the moment,” he told Seven News.

“At a time when the cost of living and doing business is acute, you cannot turn around and marginalize any consumer group.

“The Australians who have the money and are spending it are 50 and over, they are very attractive to retail businesses in general.”

Mr Urquhart explained that Australia, with the exception of Sweden, has the highest debt burden in the world and spending should be encouraged.

‘This is ageism personified. People want to say, ‘let’s marginalize the elderly, let’s make them invisible,’ and they say, ‘no, we’re asserting ourselves in tourism, hospitality and flight purchasing in general,'” he said.

“Follow the money and money in Australia is currently aimed at people aged 50 and over as they have less mortgages, make and spend more discretionary purchases.”

During the height of the Covid pandemic, Woolworths and Coles introduced exclusive opening hours for older people to shop so they didn’t miss out on essential items.

Both stores opened between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. for seniors and people with disabilities so they could shop before the morning rush and avoid crowded aisles.