Supermarket forced to apologise over ‘offensive’ Mother’s Day display
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: Instagram / @siobhanbossy / martin berry / Alamy Stock Photo
An Australian supermarket has been forced to apologise over a Mother's Day display which many have deemed 'offensive'.
Of course, all supermarkets put out big displays for the big annual events like Christmas, Halloween, Father's Day and Mother's Day.
It is a chance for creatives of the big supermarket brands to think outside the box in order to try and sell products during that special celebration.
But for Aussie supermarket Coles, many people believe they got it terribly wrong when it came to promoting their Mother's Day range.
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That is for just one particular store though, as Coles has confirmed it was an 'isolated incident' to Yahoo.
A picture posted on Instagram shows an aisle of a Coles supermarket in Adelaide filled with gift ideas for moms - pretty common, right?
Well, not really, as Coles have been accused of 'living in the 60s' as the aisle was packed with cleaning products such as washing liquid and cleaning spray, plus sanitary products like menstrual cups.
Completing the questionable aisle were some fluffy slippers, a home rug, and some gift packs.
The photo was shared on an Adelaide-based satire page, with a caption mocking the display saying: "Happy Mother’s Day from Coles.
"We hope your mum loves the bottles of Pine O Clean, the peg basket and the incontinence pads."
Many have flocked to the comments section of the Instagram post, and it is fair to say the majority are not best pleased.
"Don’t know what’s worse, the fabric softener down the bottom or the period undies on the top shelf," one angered person wrote.
A second added: "l have to send the kids there to pick up my present, can’t wait to find out if I’m doing laundry or disinfecting the bathroom for Mother’s Day."
Meanwhile, a third simply remarked: "I can’t even look at this offensive photo."
Coles has since issued an apology over the aisle, saying in a statement to Yahoo: "We are grateful this has been drawn to our attention and our Coles team in Adelaide apologises for this error.
"This was an unintentional human error where recently discontinued products, including sanitary and cleaning supplies were placed along the seasonal 'flex aisle.'"
They continued: "Celebrating Mothers and Mother figures is such an important occasion at Coles and we are committed to providing the best value and range of gifts to make this weekend extra special.
"We wish for all Mums and Mums-to-be and those who are remembering their mothers this weekend to have a memorable, and special day."
UNILAD has contacted Coles for further comment.