Mum's 'genius' idea to fix common Woolworths, Coles problem for parents – but will it work?

An Aussie mum has called on Coles and Woolworths to bring in "parenting bays" or a drive-thru lane to help solve a common and frustrating problem. Shauna Alexander came up with the idea after arriving at her store to buy “one thing”, only to realise her young daughter was fast asleep in her car seat.

“We need a parent’s bay for moments like this,” she said in a TikTok. “(You) pull into the parent’s bay, press a button, a worker comes out and you say, ‘I need a roast chicken, I need an onion, I need some milk. And then they can go in and get it for you.”

However, while parents may be all for the idea, retail expert Gary Mortimer, told Yahoo News Australia that the idea may not be feasible.

Alexander said supermarkets already had pickers and packers, and she would happily pay a surcharge for the service which would help parents unable to leave their vehicle due to a sleeping child.

“I’m not going to wake her up after 10 minutes of sleep and I don’t want to sit in this car park for two hours,” the Queensland woman added. “And so, I'll probably end up driving home and just making something else for dinner and having a black coffee instead.”

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Retail expert reveals challenges with proposal

Mortimer, from QUT’s School of Business, said supermarkets already offered multiple shopping, delivery and pick-up models and questioned how feasible such a service would be for a relatively small customer base.

“My position is, how much are consumers willing to pay for their groceries when there’s often a call for another optional innovation to service a small or fragmented market?” he told Yahoo News Australia.

“Currently there are multiple options in how consumers can shop for food and groceries.

“You can walk into a store, order online, have groceries delivered the next day or the same day, hyperfast delivery like Milkrun which can deliver in about 15 minutes, click and collect or direct to boot. What’s being proposed is a sixth or seventh option.”

He said a drive-thru lane or "on demand" parking bay service would not be commercially viable for supermarkets and difficult to deliver.

“The challenge for supermarkets is they are really large, they can have over 15,000 different products from groceries to the deli. It’s not a small KFC with a small kitchen and the space where you can facilitate this option.”

While some social media users suggested this could be a good idea for petrol stations, Mortimer said this also posed problems as quite often there was only one team member serving customers.

Supermarkets offer many fast grocery collection options

Woolworths, operator of Milkrun which delivers in under 30 minutes for a $5 fee but is only is available in select Aussie cities and suburbs, declined to comment specifically on Alexander’s idea. Groceries from Woolies, Coles and IGA can also be delivered within an hour from Uber Eats and Doordash at an extra cost.

But Woolies pointed out it had recently introduced Direct to Boot Now, an express service which allows customers to place a minimum of $50 order online and pick it up within 60 minutes for a $5 fee. The popular Direct to Boot is free for orders made within three hours.

A Coles spokesperson told Yahoo News: “Our Rapid Click and Collect option could be a great solution for this customer, which is fast and convenient".

"This is ideal for customers who need their order quickly, there is a small $5 fee on these orders, and a minimum spend of $30,” the spokesperson said.

Rapid Click and Collect can have orders ready within 90 minutes, and the retailer is looking at expanding Coles Online to include a rapid delivery offer allowing shopping to be at your door in under two hours.

Aussies brand parenting bay idea 'genius'

In the comments on the video fellow Aussies raved about the idea. “I’ve had this thought a million times, they need a drive-thru grocery store,” while another added: “You’re a genius!”

“Why have drive-thru bottle-o but not drive-thru essential items stores?” a third said. One more said, ”Your idea is so much more accessible for so many people not just parents, the elderly, disabled.”

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