A Woolworths shopper recently observed an intriguing detail on price tags while in-store, and many other Australians confirmed they had noticed it too. The customer spotted something unusual about the price sign for Hass avocados in the fruit and vegetable section. However, it was not the $2.50 price that caught their attention, but rather the tiny flashing light above it.
What Is the Blinking Light?
'What's that light? That little thing above the $2.50 price tag? It blinks green or red sometimes. Is it a sensor or camera or something?' the shopper asked in a Reddit thread. Some speculated it was a tiny surveillance camera, but several Woolworths shoppers quickly responded with simple explanations. According to supermarket insiders, the light helps employees fulfil online shopping orders by precisely indicating where to find items on the shelf, speeding up the packing process.
'It's to make it easier for online team members to pick orders,' one explained. 'They blink to indicate the location on the shelf. No more reading each individual tag to find the correct item – just look at the blinking light, grab the product, scan and go to the next item.' Daily Mail has contacted Woolworths for comment.
Staff Confirm the Purpose
Another store worker confirmed: 'It's to help the online team locate items.' A third worker added: 'Seems silly for avocados, but trying to locate the correct toothpaste out of three dozen in a few seconds... yeah. I appreciate the blinking light.' Another employee noted: 'They're digital tickets – it helps team members locate the products. It's not a camera.'
One eagle-eyed shopper had even picked up on this detail, saying: 'It's so funny shopping in busy online stores, half the store is blinking.' Several Woolworths shoppers were stunned at this explanation and loved learning a new supermarket fact. 'That's really interesting, thank you for teaching me something today,' one said. 'I too find joy in learning things that have zero use or importance to my day-to-day life,' another agreed.
Customer Confusion and Humour
However, some workers understood customers' confusion over the unexplained flashing lights and had even heard funny stories of them sparking a frenzy among shoppers. 'A team member asked if they could stop using them as whenever the light blinked, she swears all the customers crowd around and start buying the item,' the store worker said.
Several shoppers saw the funny side, offering wacky avocado-related conspiracy theories. 'The Government is keeping detailed records on avocado eaters. Better watch out,' joked one reply. Another laughed that the light was there 'so the avocados don't get scared at night'. Someone else jokingly insisted it was all about testing ripeness: 'It's a sensor that measures how much pressure is used when you test the avocados' firmness.' One person made a self-checkout quip: 'That sensor reports to the teller how many avocados you took. If you press one in checkout and take two, you get reported.'
How RF Units Work
A recent Woolworths TikTok video demonstrated some of the little-known capabilities of the RF devices used by staff, including for online orders. 'Have you ever wondered what these RF units can do in our stores?' asked staff member Liam. The short clip showed how the units are used to fulfil online orders and, surprisingly, to set up digital price tickets. Despite the pricing label having the appearance of paper, the video revealed that the shelf tags with blinking lights are actually e-ink displays, similar to a Kindle screen. As Liam demonstrated, the RF unit is pointed at the price tag, and with a button press, the price information appears on the shelf. The employee also noted that the portable RF units can be used in place of a microphone to make announcements over the in-store PA system.
