BIG W worker's urgent Christmas plea to parents: 'Baffled every year'

In case you somehow missed it, Christmas is soon. Like, really soon. Sure, we still have Halloween before we can get to the YuleTide season but it's going to be here before you know it. Hallelujah...?

With cost of living pressures affecting almost every Aussie, it's understandable that some families may be trying to plan ahead for the holiday season in order to make sure their kids don't go without. For some people that may mean putting aside a set amount of money each week, for others it could mean keeping a keen eye on sales and great deals on coveted Xmas items.

For those who prefer to make sure their gifts are secured in time for the big day while not having to pay a huge amount upfront, most retailers offer lay-by options so you can avoid the rush closer to the festive period and also avoid the disappointment of discovering that Bluey toy your kid has not shut up about all year is sold out.

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BIG W employee's plea to shoppers

However, as one BIG W employee has reminded their fellow customers, there are a few things to keep in mind when picking these purchases up from the store - particularly treating the staff members with respect.

Hey everyone," the person wrote on Facebook. "Just a friendly reminder that with Christmas around the corner and the toy sale lay-bys being picked up at the beginning of November, please remember that everything is in clear bags, and has done so for the last 4+ years. If you do wish to pick up your lay-by with kids present, I'd recommend taking your own black bags inside and asking the team member to put them inside for you."

They concluded the post by writing, "Please do not abuse the staff and tell them you’ve ruined Christmas."

The OP later clarified in the comments that they themselves worked at the affordable retailer and had been told just that day that they had "ruined" a shopper's Christmas due to the colour of the bags.

'People need to remember to stop abusing retail staff'

The post was met with hundreds of likes and several customers sharing their own experiences and disgust at the way retail staff are often treated.

"I’m baffled every year at the amount of people who say this and how it’s ruined etc, I don't even layby and I’ve known it’s in clear bags for years now. People need to remember to stop abusing retail staff," one shopper wrote.

"I always take my own bags in there, I also try and make sure I am as polite and patient as possible because I know how stressful it can be for them. The amount of people I have seen abuse the poor workers is shocking," another shard.

"Unfortunately, people still will," someone else said. "It's the same every year. I abused a lady at my local last year because she was screaming and screeching at the workers because of the plastic bags."

Other people came to the conversation with tips on how to avoid disappointment if you do need to have your kids with you when you go to pick up their pressies.

"The classic ‘you’ve ruined Christmas’ line I’m so sorry it’s started already - my mum always had to take us kids with her to pick up Christmas lay-bys growing up and she’d just tell us that Santa is really busy so she was going to send them to the North Pole to help him out and we believed it," someone wrote

Reason behind clear bags explained

"Our Big W has signage that states this at the lay-by area. It's been that way for a while now and I like the fact I can see the items coming out to know if I've gotten it all, or if I need to return something which bag it's in. We take those ugly big cheapo cross stitch looking big shopping bags and put them inside that," another shopper shared.

There were also some people who tried to offer an explanation about why the lay-by bags are clear.

"For all those against it, the only reason it was changed was because people were shoving things into the black bags and stealing. Hence the clear bags now so staff on the door can see and match the items to the receipt," one said.

"A reminder to customers that the see through plastic bags are a big benefit for the employees to make sure your orders are correct," was another response.

Abuse issue not just at BIG W

The issue of retail workers copping abuse from customers has been a growing problem in Australia with the BIG W employee's plea coming not long after a teenage Woolworths worker opened up about the harrowing abuse they suffer from customers on a nearly daily basis. They penned a note detailing how they've been spat on, hit with trolleys and had verbal abuse directed at them simply for doing their job.

The 19-year-old, who works part-time at the supermarket, said 40 per cent of their interactions with customers were now "outright abusive".

"I have been physically jammed in the back with a trolley by a customer, due to not opening a register, as I was the self-serve attendant, spat on because I couldn’t offer a refund for a product purchased at Coles, had things thrown at me because we didn’t have an item in stock, called a C-bomb because I couldn’t serve smokes to a young boy without proof of age, threatened in the car park after my shift because I work for the 'price gougers', and more," the worker, who wanted to remain anonymous, said.

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The note prompted other Woolies workers to share their own horrendous experiences working at the retailer, with one person agreeing the abuse is "getting out of control."

"I worked for Coles and Woolworths, got things thrown at me, ducked a punch from a guy on a high from drugs, spat on, yelled at, cornered by an angry customer who couldn't find the use by date on honey, almost hit when doing the trolley in the car parks....list goes on!" wrote another.

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