“You have left 100’s of young kids upset. and their parents too. I will NEVER EVER shop in your store again. COLES ALL THE WAY!”
When Woolworths was forced to cancel the Disney Ooshies collection prematurely, little did they realise the violent backlash from their disgruntled customers.

The Disney Ooshies campaign was pure marketing gold for Woolworths. Coles shoppers switched to Woolies. Even Aldi shoppers swapped over to Woolworths to get their hands on the princess, superhero and Star Wars plastic characters.

But then it all backfired and Woolworths was forced to end the campaign early due to lack of supply. The giant retailer was left with a trail of vicious parents and disappointed kids who weren’t able to complete their collections. The success of this collectable campaign was tainted with bitterness as mums and dads ripped into the Woolworths social pages with all their pent-up vitriol.

This Is Disgraceful!

“You owe me 8 Disney Ooshies, I purchased extra branded products to achieve this and suddenly it’s all gone! Seriously you make the kids want this stuff and cannot figure out how to service your clients, you keep all the promo stuff up in the store etc, this is disgraceful,” one parent wrote on the Woolworths Facebook page.

Another was furious that she has spent hundreds on shopping, only to be told her local store had run dry of Ooshies.

“I have receipts totalling $681.99 with 24 earned Ooshies. Was told to hold onto receipts and bring in with me on next visit to collect when new stock arrives. Now I’m guessing this stock won’t be arriving, so I’m left empty-handed? Guessing I can’t return some of my shopping for refund? This is disappointing! Will think twice on future promos from now on,” the customer shared.

Many accused Woolworths of being “deceitful” and not having the foresight to realise how popular the campaign would be.

You Are All Pathetic!

However, there was a camp on the other side of the issue that was fuming with all these “pathetic” reactions.

“Wow! People are dying and your biggest concern is an Ooshie? Unbelievable what humans have become,” one disgusted shopper wrote.

“People should just build a bridge and get over it. Promotions like this always state ‘While Stocks Last’,” said another.

“So many Adult snowflakes having a cry over a piece of rubbish designed for children,” wrote another.

What Woolworths Had To Say

Woolworths’ reaction was regret that they had underestimated the crazy demand for the Ooshies.

“At Woolworths, we’re always looking for ways to create a bit of fun and excitement for our customers,” A Woolworths spokesperson said to news.com.au.

“Our Disney+ Ooshies have proven extraordinarily popular with customers, to the point we had to conclude the program early due to customers collecting the last of our stock.”

“These collectibles take more than 12 months to plan and the quantity produced is based on our experience of running many collectable campaigns that we’ve previously offered,” he added.

“We attribute much of the success of our Disney+ Ooshies to customers of all ages connecting with the Disney+ universes, across Marvel, Star Wars, Disney, and Pixar, there was a character for all types of Disney+ fans to collect and enjoy,” he said.

“To our customers, we thank you for your excitement and engagement with the Disney+ Ooshies and apologise for any frustration or disappointment caused by running out of stock.

“For those who are still looking to finish their sets, we recommend safely swapping extras or duplicates with family and friends who have also been collecting.”

The Hack Was The Issue!

We reckon the true issue here was that Woolworths didn’t take into account how many shoppers would be taking advantage of the bonus Ooshies hack to come out with 20 or more collectables with a minimum spend of $30. Perhaps next time, they’ll make this a bit more restrictive to ensure shoppers can’t claim bundles of Ooshies in one transaction.

How do you feel about the early ending of the Woolworths Disney Ooshies Collection? Tell us in the comments below.

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