Australian supermarket giant Woolworths is introducing a dedicated shopping hour that will only allow elderly and disabled people to purchase items.
Starting March 17 shopping between 7 am and 8 am will be exclusive to elderly and disabled people with government-issued disability and pension cards. These actions are a direct response to the chaotic panic buying and hoarding of essential items by other greedy shoppers which has left older people struggling to get their hands on food and toiletries. Woolworths shared news of this amazing initiative last night via their social media channels. Last week Woolworths announced they had also begun working with Meals on Wheels in New South Wales to deliver toilet paper directly to elderly community members. A number of privately run supermarkets have also decided to follow suit. Could rationing ever be reintroduced? During World War II, federal restrictions were imposed to control access to essential goods including petrol and food.At the time, Australia was regarded as a giant food basket providing vital supplies to its allies, and many Australians accepted the restrictions without too much grumbling.
“Starting in 1942, certain foodstuffs were officially rationed,” Melbourne-based food historian and author Jan O’Connell said. They principally were tea, sugar, butter and meat. Rationing didn’t end completely until 1950.”
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