Shoppers create chaos at Kmart Albany. Video / Supplied
We all love a Kmart shop late at night on a Thursday, whether it's finding the perfect storage containers for the Pinterest pantry of your dreams or a stroll down the clothing aisles for activewear to make you feel #fitspo.
But how much of a steal is a pair of $7 leggings if you have to rifle through six piles of discarded clothes on the floor to find your size?
That's the very issue one customer faced who went on to slam Kmart for the "appalling" condition of their Westfield Albany store.
An Auckland shopper sent images of the store in disarray to the Herald along with a complaint she originally sent to Kmart and was angered to receive no reply.
"It is quite appalling to see, with very little respect, how society is treating our produced goods [sic]," she wrote.
"Your management staff are overworked & couldn't care less ... hence, they can only do so much during working hours ... So you save your peanuts on staff, but in the end you punish us, the customers who look at this mess & will shop elsewhere!"
A clothing shelf in disarray. Photo / Supplied
And while she acknowledged Kmart is full of great everyday items on a budget, she also asked, "would you bend down to try on an item that has been lying on the ground for several hours, costing you $$$?"
The photos were snapped on Labour Weekend Saturday, showing the frenzy caused by shoppers on the holiday weekend.
"The only other photos I forgot to take were the number of dust flakes lingering in the changing rooms," she said.
She told the Herald that Kmart hadn't responded within the 10 days since she sent them her complaint, saying "it perfectly reflects the attitude of the managing department towards their store presentation.
"Rapid change is needed, otherwise I will go elsewhere."
Video taken at Kmart's Westfield Albany store by a Herald journalist last night shows shelves in disarray and piles of shoes and clothes scattered on the floor in the aisles.
One of many abandoned trolleys spotteed in the store. Photo / Supplied
The journalist also noted that the majority of staff she observed stood chatting to each other, simply observing the mess around them. While some staff were seen stocking shelves, none that she observed could be seen attempting to clean any of the mess which she labelled "out of control".
Among the mess were piles of clothing stuffed under racks in other departments, food waste and general rubbish on shelves, piles of broken product and abandoned full trolleys blocking aisles.
The Kmart New Zealand Facebook page revealed another customer who faced issues with the sanitation of an online order:
"I won't be ordering again after finding chewed gum in my delivery!!!" an angry shopper shared. She went on to add that she was frightened to receive the order in such a state with a child in her home who is medically dependent.
Another shared their concerns with the Manukau store: "Went to Manukau to find it and of course they didn't have them. The Manukau store is such shambles!"
One of the shoe aisles in the Albany store. Photo / Supplied
Kmart ranked high in Tearfund's annual ethical fashion report released on October 28, alongside AS Colour, Hallensteins/Glassons, Kathmandu, Macpac and Icebreaker.
