Customers rush back in to Pak n Save Albany this morning after being evacuated due to a fire alarm going off. One shopper was concerned at the lack of physical distancing. Photo / Supplied
Customers rush back in to Pak n Save Albany this morning after being evacuated due to a fire alarm going off. One shopper was concerned at the lack of physical distancing. Photo / Supplied
A woman was concerned about the lack of physical distancing among fellow shoppers after a fire alarm went off at an Auckland Pak'nSave supermarket.
The woman, who did not want to be named, said while staff and security did advise people to keep out of the way of arriving fire appliances, neither said anything about keeping their distance while outside.
She said it appeared people now seem more relaxed as the country tomorrow finds out when it will be heading into level 2.
A Foodstuffs spokeswoman said they had strict protocols to follow around fire alarms and the store's evacuation was its first priority, while a balance had to be struck as customers waited outside.
The woman said she was doing her shopping at the Albany Pak'nSave this morning when the smoke alarm went off.
An advisory over the in-store speaker reminded shoppers to keep their two-metre distance as they shuffled outside.
But once outside the woman was shocked at how customers stood around, breaking the distancing rules as advised under the lockdown.
Pak'nSave Albany shoppers and staff mill around in the carpark after being evacuated after a fire alarm went off. Photo / Supplied
"The main thing for me was that inside, they were saying over the speaker to stay two metres away from the shopper next to you but as soon as we were outside standing around in the fire waiting area in the carpark there was no directive and everybody was crowded.
"And as soon as it was safe to go back in, it was just an 'okay everyone can go back in now' and everybody just rushed in at once to get back in."
Staff and security were outside in the carpark, and some asked people to keep clear of the roadside to allow emergency vehicles through, but she was surprised there weren't stricter procedures.
"There was no directive from security guards, there was a whole bunch of staff standing around and all they were telling you to do was to get off the road."
She estimated about 100 people were milling around at the time.
"I think there should have been more directive from staff. If they were telling us to be two metres away inside, I think that should probably translate to outside as well, especially when going back into the store.
"That could have been handled a bit more carefully.
"It was just an absolute free-for-all to get back inside. I myself, and a few others, hung back because we could see what was going on, but there was no distancing at all."
She said people now appeared to be adjusting themselves to more relaxed rules under level 2, which is yet to come into force.
"Yeah I guess they just kind of see the finish line close, even though we're still on level 3 and there's no official word on when we will move.
"But I'd hate for it to back to where we were."
Foodstuffs spokeswoman Antoinette Laird said staff had strict protocols to follow when a fire alarm sounded and store evacuation was the first priority.
"The team are then able to determine the source of the issue - fortunately a false alarm in this instance."
She said the evacuation point was about 20m from the store entrance.
Shoppers at Pak'nSave Albany head back inside once the all-clear is given after a fire alarm sounded and the store was evacuated this morning. Photo / Supplied
"Safety here is a consideration as it is in the carpark so a balance was taken between maintaining social distancing and making sure shoppers were out of the way of harm's way from moving traffic.
"There was a period of not more than five minutes where customers returning to store created a bottle neck at the entrance - but once inside two-metre distancing resumed again.
"In situations like this it is a balance between ensuring customer safety and maintaining social distancing.
"With large numbers of people to manage and direct the store made safety calls that prioritised overall customer safety and we are comfortable all practical measures were taken," she said.
