The wild moment an angry customer confronted the Woolworths CEO about the supermarket profiting during a cost of living crisis has been caught on camera.
Chief executive Amanda Bardwell was walking around a store in Wollongong, in NSW’s Illawarra region, when the heated exchange took place.
A customer started to fire off questions after catching the CEO and several staff members in the fresh fruit section.
‘What do you have to say to the fact that your company is profiting of price gouging during context of the cost of living crisis?’ the shopper asked.
‘Thank you for reaching out to us we’re doing everything we can to recognise that customers are doing it tough to make sure that they’re able to get great prices,’ Ms Bardwell replied.
The young shopper continued to question the CEO about Woolworths’ profits.
‘Your company has just bought a full extra supermarket chain through a vulture capitalist venture, so that you can continue to make big bucks while working class people suffer. Can you sleep at night knowing that?’ she asked.
Ms Bardwell replied: ‘Our team are doing everything that we can to support our customers. We understand that it is an incredibly difficult time right now.’
‘If you understood then maybe you would be prepared to give up the billion dollar that the company has been making, the shopper shot back.
A staff member was forced to intervene.
‘We have lowered prices and you see that right throughout our store… that’s great value for our customers,’ she said.
Ms Bardwell thanked the customer for sharing her views and said Woolworths was doing ‘everything we can’ to keep prices low for customers.
The interaction abruptly ended after the shopper and a man recording the interaction were told it was illegal to film people without permission in NSW.
‘Shame,’ the man behind the camera shouted as Ms Bardwell led the group of staff members away to the back of the store.
Many Aussies commended the young woman for her efforts.
‘I’m sick of paying nearly $300 a week on groceries. That’s choosing the cheapest products. My fridge still looks half empty when I unpack,’ one said.
‘I’m sure Coles and Woolworth management don’t have cost of living crisis as they are getting bigger and bigger bonus year after year,’ a second wrote.
A third shared: ‘The supermarkets are in it to make huge profits. They don’t care about their customers, they never have.’
Other Aussies blasted the CEO’s ‘AI generated response’ to the shopper.
‘Not the verbatim email IN PERSON? Wow,’ one person said.
A second wrote: ‘”Thanks for reaching out to us” omg she should’ve just said “I hope this email finds you well”.’
Daily Mail has contacted Woolworths for comment.