Kmart is clearly not equipped to cope with the influx of online shoppers so the discount retailer will be closing stores across the country to cope with the online demand.
Earlier this week, we published a story about Kmart disappointing shoppers all over Australia as they failed to deliver Easter eggs and left parents in a flurry of stress as they rushed around trying to find last-minute chocolate bunnies.
Despite Kmart’s fervent guarantees that Easter deliveries would be made before Good Friday, some irate shoppers have reported that they are still waiting for their elusive orders, days after the package was supposed to have arrived.
Not Able To Cope
Other hints that Kmart was just not built on an online shopping foundation was the decision to introduce virtual queues to cope with the hoard of customers flocking onto their website.
“Thanks for your patience! You’re in the queue,” the message on the Kmart website said.
“We’re experiencing a high volume of traffic due to COVID-19, so we’re trialing a queuing system. When it’s your turn, you’ll have as much time as you need (as long as you aren’t inactive for more than 20 minutes).”
To give the company more capacity to fulfill online orders, Kmart will be temporarily closing stores in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.
Stores Closing
The retail chain is starting with the closure of three stores to allow it to focus on the demand for online deliveries.
“Over the past few weeks, we have seen a huge surge in demand for our online services and we want to continue to support our customers with shopping in a way that’s most convenient for them,” a Kmart spokesperson said.
“We’ve made the decision to temporarily convert a few of our stores into order fulfillment sites to help support the growing demand for our online home delivery services.”
“Our store teams will continue working instore, as part of this fulfillment team; ensuring that our Kmart customers and communities have easy access to the products they need, at the time they need them most. ”
“We will continue to offer free delivery on all online orders over $45 to help support our customers during this time.”
Which Stores Are Closing?
The three stores affected are Brandon Park store in Victoria, Top Ryde in New South Wales and Caboolture in Queensland.
“We recognise that this is a unique time and we are here to support our customers, teams and communities, while we all adjust to this new way of life together,” the spokesperson said.
“Our deepest appreciation and thanks to the local communities for their understanding and support.”
Do you think Kmart closing stores is a good decision? Tell us in the comments below.
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