Woolworths Cop Criticism Over New Christmas Collectable Range

Woolworths launches a new collectible just in time for Christmas.

The Christmas Pop-Outs launch on Wednesday, and feature 12 cardboard characters.

Customers will receive one for each $30 they spend in-store or online.

The characters include Santa, Reindeer, Elves, Gingerbread Man and Snowman. The pieces “pop out” from the cardboard frame and can be assembled using the instructions at the bottom of the board.

Three characters will be released each week for the next month. For an additional $3 collectors can buy a Christmas Tree Stand to house the characters, reports news.com.au.

woolworth pop out

And in a not-so-subtle dig at Coles’ Little Shop Collection, Woolworths said customers would “also be able to see what they are getting” as the pop-outs “will not come in ‘blind plastic bags’ to help avoid duplication or disappointment and minimise waste”.

“Our commitment every Christmas is to continue to deliver fantastic fresh food at the best prices and this year, we are adding something a little magical to the mix,” Woolworths managing director Claire Peters said in a statement.

“We are really excited to be able to offer Australian families a small gift that captures the fun, imagination and festive spirit of the season with the Woolworths Christmas Pop-Outs.

“Christmas is all about spending quality time with family, friends and loved ones and this is a great way for everyone to get together to workshop, build and play with their favourite Christmas characters.

“We believe that kids, parents, grandparents and individuals will be captured by the wonder and imagination of the range and will find ways to make them their own this Christmas — whether that’s as a place card for the dining table or an additional festive ornament around the Christmas tree.

No Plastic

Coles also received a fair bit of criticism from its customers due to the amount of plastic produced by the Coles Little Shop, especially in light of the plastic bags ban.

However, Woolworths has assured its shoppers that their collectibles are plastic-free:

“Our team has also spent a great deal of time ensuring that we considered the environmental impact when putting this together and we are proud to say that the range is 100 per cent Aussie made and fully recyclable.”

Customers claim daylight robbery!

Retails shoppers are already claiming the new collectables are a total ripoff.

One persons commented on social media that it was just “fold-up cardboard crap that will be crushed and torn, I’d hardly say it competes” with Little Shop.

“Yeah no thanks, cardboard? It will last five minutes!”

Another said, “I was excited until I saw them,”

Meanwhile someone else added, “$30 for a piece of cardboard.”

“So it’s gonna cost me $30 to get a piece of cardboard? I can probably make them? If it was 1 for every $10 I wouldn’t mind as much,” one shopper said.

Another said, “ I am disappointed they are just cardboard”. “Plastic figures would have been great.”

Are you keen to collect the Christmas range?

Share your comments below

We may get commissions for purchases made using links in this post. Learn more.

49 Comments

- - meedee said
  - 18 Dec 2022
    8:44 am
I heard nothing about these at the time but agree that they are total rubbish and it seems super odd that you would have to spend $30 to get one.

- - mom19782016 said
  - 30 Nov 2019
    5:19 pm
Good on them for thinking about recycling options post the hype!

- - Ellen said
  - 13 Jan 2019
    7:55 am
My kids loved them.

- - ella12 said
  - 10 Jan 2019
    12:25 pm
We used this over the Christmas period but have since tossed it out.

- - natct said
  - 24 Nov 2018
    10:30 pm
I already spend that much so no skin off my wallet. My kids love them and want me to get glue to make them more stable…. Whatever they create with it is fine by me. We can’t afford anything much this year and this with it’s ginger bread man story my kids are loving and it’s bringing a smile to our house which I thought might not happen this year. It’ll last till Christmas and that’s all they need.

- - mom81879 said
  - 24 Nov 2018
    5:36 pm
I’m not the slightest bit interested. At least there will be no issues with these washing up on a beach in Bali lol

- - mom111059 said
  - 21 Nov 2018
    12:16 pm
Won’t last long and not much incentive to buy from Woolworths.

- - mom81879 said
  - 18 Nov 2018
    10:23 am
I remember having pop out cardboard dolls as a kid, they came with interchangeable paper outfits. They didn’t last long. After a few plays, they were damaged and no good anymore

- - mom70876 said
  - 17 Nov 2018
    9:14 pm
people need to stop. YOu are spending the money anyway. It’s a cheap environmentally friendly toy which will last as long as your child’s interest.
- mom19782016 replied
  
  23 Nov 2018 , 2:07 pm
  Agreed. Everyone needs to calm down! They are recyclable and not going to end up in land fill. If they are not going to last long, perhaps your child is too small to play with it as an unsupervised toy!
- - cherz said
  - 16 Nov 2018
    4:38 pm
OK OK Now I am a complainer tooo but I got the Christmas Tree and Elf yesterday and when I actually got home and had a good look the perforation around the elf was way out so if you punched out the elf it would be half colour and half plain white but then again it may turn out to be valuable this way.

- - tessie said
  - 16 Nov 2018
    10:31 am
At least they can be thrown out after Christmas if people don’t want to keep them. They aren’t plastic which is a good thing. You aren’t paying for them, it’s just a little extra you get for shopping with Woolworths. I think it’s a great idea.

- - Misshenry said
  - 15 Nov 2018
    8:48 pm
Some people can be so needy the main thing is they thought of the environment

- - mom109199 said
  - 15 Nov 2018
    11:43 am
OMG. People will whinge about anything. They pop-outs are free (as in no money invested). You can get them or not when you shop at Woolies. I got my three yesterday and they are really cute. Will they last, maybe, maybe not, but so what. I was shopping anyway so it is just a nice little extra. I can’t wait to have the whole set so I can put them up to decorate for Christmas. People really need to find real problems to direct their outrage toward….not this.

- - rovermum said
  - 15 Nov 2018
    8:38 am
For the collectors, I think they’ll love them. You’re not being asked to pay $30 for cardboard… if you spend $30 you have the option for them. No outrage required.

- - rachel1970 said
  - 15 Nov 2018
    6:23 am
I think it’s cool that they came up with a Christmas range, should be a $20 spend though not a $30 spend. I know I’ll be happy to collect these.

- - SweetSprouts said
  - 14 Nov 2018
    11:43 pm
Well done Woolworths for at least considering the Environment and offering these collectables that are also a Christmas item. Most people will need to buy food for Christmas and let’s face it this is a freebie, you are not paying $30.00 for each one, you get it free when you spend your money, it’s a bonus gift for Christmas. It’s a shame Humans have to always be sooooo negative about every little thing, DAMNED IF YOU DO, DAMNED IF YOU DONT.
- mom93821 replied
  
  15 Nov 2018 , 7:20 am
  Well articulated and such good points. Our family will enjoy the range and look at the positives and upside.
- - MisChip said
  - 14 Nov 2018
    9:38 pm
I’m still happy to collect these for my son. I will definitely need multiples though as they will be ruined!

- - mish06 said
  - 14 Nov 2018
    9:02 pm
OMG. No matter what they released, there are people who are going to complain. If you don’t want them or think they are useless – don’t shop at Woolworths and/or don’t collect them!

- - mom7108 said
  - 14 Nov 2018
    7:41 pm
Initially I had an image of my young children shredding these into oblivion but then I thought, well less plastic. I agree with the comment 1 for $10 is more reasonable. They don’t have to copy Coles to that extreme

- - mom93821 said
  - 14 Nov 2018
    7:40 pm
People complained about plastic collectibles at Coles and people are now complaining about cardboard – honestly some people seem to just want to complain. Solution – just don’t buy these things. Luckily we live in a country where we get to make lots of choices which includes purchasing products or not purchasing products.