Supermarket chain Coles has announced a big change days after a shocking incident saw one of its employees in Queensland allegedly stabbed in the store by a 13-year-old boy.
It is understood the employee, 63-year-old Claudia Campomayor Watt, was stocking shelves at the Coles in Yamanto Central Shopping Centre, Ipswich on Monday evening when she was allegedly stabbed from behind.
She was subsequently rushed to hospital and is believed to be in a critical but stable condition.
The 13-year-old was arrested shortly after and has since been charged with attempted murder.
Following the incident, Coles has come out with a policy change, announcing on Wednesday it will withdraw its range of kitchen knives for sale from its supermarkets across the country.
However, due to an ongoing promotion, the sale of Smeg kitchen knives will still be available for redemption until January 21 at the Coles service desk.
As reported by the ABC, the supermarket giant said it complies with all legislation regarding the sale of kitchen knives and the withdrawal is “being taken out of an abundance of caution” as it conducts a review.
“The safety of our team members and customers is our number one priority across all aspects of our business,” Coles said in a statement.
But this isn’t the first time a supermarket has made such a move. If you recall, way back in 2021, Woolworths took similar action to withdraw knives and scissors from its stores after a security guard and a customer were allegedly stabbed at a store in Melbourne.
It eventually resumed the sale of knives in a select number of stores the following year.
This week, a Woolworths spokesperson told 7News the company’s thoughts are with Watt and her family during this tragic time.
“There is no place for violence like this anywhere in our community, and all retail workers deserve the right to a safe and respectful workplace,” it said.
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