An Aussie pharmacy and health food chain has been praised for introducing colour-coded shopping baskets, but other retailers have been warned about following suit.
Customers walking into select WholeLife stores can use a grey basket if they’re happy to shop without interruption, or a green basket if they require assistance from staff.
It’s ideal for those who don’t want to be approached by staff members while browsing the aisles.
Damian Young, CEO of WholeLife, told Yahoo Lifestyle the system was designed with customer needs in mind.
“We know that every one of our customers shops differently and that is why we introduced our dual basket system,” he said.
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“With over 12,000 pharmacy, health foods, natural beauty, vitamins, supplements and much more under the one roof, this provides our customers a more comfortable, personalised experience from the moment they walk in store.”
WholeLife has 21 pharmacy and health food stores spread across NSW, Queensland, Victoria, and WA.
The company didn’t confirm with Yahoo Lifestyle how many stores had these baskets deployed.
But the “clever” strategy was celebrated by many Aussies who preferred to shop without being stopped.
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“I just think it’s neat. My Millennial brain heaved a sigh of relief when I walked in to a store this week and saw these – I now wish every single store had this system,” one said.
“I wish this was in every shop!” one wrote.
“That’s a really good idea,” another declared.
“I wish more grocery stores had this…this would be really helpful when I have to go down to the shops to find stuff and I don’t have a support worker with me because sometimes it’s a lot,” a third added.
“I can see this benefiting a number of elderly folks as well if they want to do a little shop while picking up a prescription. It’s always nice to have more accessibility,” another said.
However, others weren’t as convinced, as some people might not even notice the baskets have different meanings.
“I’m the idiot who would probably get the no help one, realise halfway through shopping I did need help, and have to return to the entrance to swap all my stuff into the other basket,” one said.
“We all know the types of people who won’t read that, grab the wrong one, and still complain when they do or don’t get help,” another agreed.
Customers should use a grey basket if they’re happy to shop without interruption or a green basket if they require assistance from staff. Photo: Reddit
Should supermarkets and other retailers adopt this?
While the pharmacy chain had good intentions, consumer behaviour researcher Professor Nitika Garg told Yahoo Lifestyle the strategy could backfire in other retail environments like supermarkets or clothes stores.
“People like to be perceived as independent, but this doesn’t show that,” Professor Garg warned.
“For example, elderly people typically don’t want to come across as needing assistance.
“Some do, but a lot of them don’t. They want to do their chores and go to the shops independently.
“Sometimes well-intentioned methods or strategies can backfire, and I see that potential with this particular strategy.”
While some customers wished the strategy was available at bigger retailers, Professor Garg issued a warning to those brands.
“If bigger retailers do want to implement this, this is absolutely a great plan. But it should be implemented discretely,” she said.
“But this is one of those strategies which has inadvertent, at least negative consequences for the retailer and consumer.”
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