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Coronavirus: Kmart fans react to Melbourne store closures

Kmart stores across Melbourne will close after it was announced the Stage 4 lockdown in Victoria would now include all retail stores in the metro area apart from those deemed essential.

Fans of the popular store were quick to take to social media after the announcement to share their dismay at the news, although others thought Kmart should have been closed much sooner.

Melbourne, Australia - January 2, 2015: Kmart store in Burwood in suburban Melbourne. Kmart is a discount department store owned by Wesfarmers.
Kmart stores across Melbourne will close as new restrictions announced. Photo: Getty

Taking to Twitter, plenty of Kmart shoppers - particularly mums - didn’t seem to take the news of the closure too well.

“Kmart I miss you already,” one person wrote.

“Kmart mums need to get away from their kids too,” was another response, while a third was grateful she didn’t live in Victoria.

“Kmart just shut down in Melbourne, thank f** I don’t live there,” she wrote.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said on Monday however retail stores could still offer contactless ‘click and collect’ and delivery services.

And there were plenty of people who agreed the closure was long overdue.

“Good. I never understood why Kmart remained open,” one person said on Twitter.

“Who needs to go to Kmart every day? Just curious. Like click and collect will still be available,” another agreed. “You have no right to make people sick and browse around just because you’re bored.”

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While a third said he was left ‘disgusted’ after a recent visit to a crowded store.

“Don’t know what it’ll take some people to bloody get it,” he wrote.” I went to Kmart and I reckon I was in there five minutes - the mums shopping together, and teens with skateboards, and people shopping for the hell of it was disgusting.”

As of 11.59pm on Wednesday all stores will close for the next six weeks.

Supermarkets, grocery stores, bottle shops, pharmacies, petrol stations, banks, news agencies, and post offices are expected to be the only retail stores that can remain open.

Hardware stores will remain open onsite, but for tradespeople only.

Victoria reported 429 new cases on Monday and 13 more deaths, taking Australia’s death toll to 221.

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