A photo of a dirty supermarket shelf covered in broken eggs has left shoppers divided over who is to blame.
While doing my weekly grocery shop at my local Woolworths over the weekend, I saw a very sad sight.
As I approached the egg section, I was expecting to be disappointed due to the months-long egg shortage we’ve been experiencing, but I wasn’t prepared for the state of the shelves.
Empty cartons were scattered throughout the refrigerator and cracked eggs lay tossed with their yolks smeared everywhere.
It was disgusting, but I could see how this situation could happen.
When you find a cracked egg in a carton, you can replace it with another egg from another carton, leaving the broken one behind.
With the continued egg shortage, fewer cartons are available, which I assume is leading people to abandon the cracked eggs instead of looking for another box to put them in.
But surely there must be a better solution than leaving the shelves exposed that?
When I was if others shared my concerns, I decided to vent my frustration on a popular supermarket group on Facebook.
I posted photos of the cluttered shelves, asking, “Has anyone noticed this in supermarkets lately?”
Responses poured in, with many condemning the behavior which has also been seen at Coles and Aldi.
“Yes, I recently saw a lady do this and I called her out on irresponsibility! I told her she wouldn’t throw an egg on her floor or in her fridge, so why would she do it in the shops?” one commenter wrote.
“It is disrespectful and disgusting behavior from an adult and she is teaching her child bad habits. I also told him that he had to clean it, not the new staff members. She was not very pleased.”
“I’m telling you, the public gets worse every day! someone else remarked. “Disgusting.”
“Who on earth does that?” asked another Aussie.
“I’ve even seen cracked eggs on the floor before,” admitted another member of the group.
“It’s so sad that people do this,” wrote another, while others described the act as “righteous” and “selfish.”
“A lot of people think they can do whatever they want, and someone else will clean up after them,” claimed another shopper.
“If only they were named and shamed for all to see,” someone else commented.
Meanwhile, some theorized the reason for this act and suggested better alternatives.
“Sometimes you have to switch a few eggs to make a full box if the other boxes have broken eggs. However, I put the broken eggs in the carton with the other broken ones, not just leave them on the shelf,” one user explained.
“With the lack of eggs, I assume people are doing this to get an intact carton. Sometimes the shelf only has one carton, so they can mix eggs from different brands or batches to complete a carton,” another user said.
“If this keeps happening, you’d think the store manager would put up a sign and provide a container that says ‘Put broken eggs here,'” suggested another.
“This definitely seems to need attention. Why isn’t the staff on top of this?” someone asked.
A Woolworths spokesperson told news.com.au they are “concerned to see the condition of this shelf in one of our stores”.
They assured customers that it has since been thoroughly cleaned by the store team.
“As our customers know, this single case does not reflect the usual state of our stores. Our teams work hard to keep our stores clean and tidy for our customers,” they added.
They also mentioned that they have strict supply chain protocols to handle eggs “carefully to minimize breakage and ensure they arrive in the best possible condition.”
Customers are encouraged to notify staff if they encounter broken eggs in the store.
News.com.au has also contacted Coles and Aldi, who both declined to comment on the matter.
I can’t help but draw parallels to what happened during 2020’s #ToiletPaperGate, when Austrians collectively panicked and hoarded toilet paper, leaving the shelves empty and in disarray.
People took far more than they should have, as common sense seemed to disappear amid the perceived scarcity during the lockdowns.
It got so extreme that supermarket chains had to implement a two-pack limit on toilet paper, as they have done again with eggs after the bird flu outbreak.
It seems that when our country faces such problems, social norms are put to the test and people often abandon basic etiquette and consideration for others.
Yes, Covid poses a much more serious threat than the current egg shortage, but the underlying trend remains the same – when resources are limited or perceived to be limited, people instinctively prioritize their own needs, often at the expense of others.
According to consumer psychologist Adam Ferrier, a phenomenon called “social norming” may be to blame.
In the case of eggs, people may see others leaving cracked eggs on shelves and be encouraged to do the same.
“We are herd-like creatures. We find solace in doing what others are doing,” he said Umbrella during the pandemic.
Also, during times of scarcity when people feel powerless, there is often a “strong internal urge to do what we can to regain a sense of being in control.”
In this context, things like collecting eggs and exchanging items can be seen as attempts by humans to assert this control.
As with most things in life, if we just take a few extra moments to think about our actions, maybe we’ll come up with a better solution.
Call a member of staff, report a broken egg – or if you don’t have time – maybe just forget your omelette for the week.
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Image Source : nypost.com