6 Kinds of Woolies Cards Collectors

We needed milk this morning. Because I only bought three litres two days ago. So, unsuspectingly, we popped into Woolies. And there they were. The newest lot of Woolies cards. I succumbed.

woolies cards

I reckon there are six kinds of Woolies cards collector families….

  1. Woolies you are dead to me.
    There seems to be a growing cohort of families eschewing the cards. Basically it goes a bit like this “F*n Woolies with your f*n cards that clutter up my house and make my life hell because we can’t for love or money find number 23. Screw you and your attempt to make me spend in lots of $20 via pester power. I’m going to Coles.”  I used to think Coles was mad for not creating a similar promotion. Now I see where they are coming from – they are offering refuge.
  2. The avid collector.
    These collectors can be found hanging out in Facebook groups and throwing numbers around. They say things like “I have 1,1,2,5,7,11,15,15. Will swap for 3,9,16,17,20, 21, 22.”  They carry a list at all times of missing card numbers. The aim of the game is to collect the full set as quickly as possible so it can be crossed off the list and tucked into the “done” corner. And lest you think I am poking mean fun, I am definitely poking fun at myself here.
  3. The accidental collector.
    They didn’t mean to start collecting. But they were at Woolies and the cards were thrust at them. And the baby was crying. And the ice-cream was melting. And it was too hard to say no. And now they are stuck with the damn things.
  4. The late collector.
    Either through sheer luck or an early commitment to avoid the whole shebang, this family managed to ignore the cards for the early part of the campaign. But then someone found out about them and the kids are insistent. Probably at school during the first two weeks before they were banned. Now they are in an impossible catch-up situation and are begging for cards and/or a spare album on Facebook, even though they suspect everyone might be laughing at them.
  5. The opportunistic collector.
    The first lot of animals cards were an unexpected hit. Complete sets were selling for ridiculous amounts of money on eBay. While I doubt Woolies is going to let that happen again, I reckon there are still some opportunists out there looking to offload sets to late collectors for obscene amounts of dosh.
  6. The “remember the first lot” collector.
    First thing I did was buy one of those albums this morning. Because those damn cards go everywhere. And I haven’t forgotten the first lot of animal cards when it was practically impossible to lay your hands on an album. Without spending obscene amounts on eBay.

And while we are at it, there are four kinds of Woolies employees who hand out the cards.

  1. The lovely kind who see you have a couple of kids and hand the things out like lollies. “You only bought $2 worth of watermelon? No matter, here have 20 cards.”
  2. The kind that must somehow have their pay docked when they hand the cards out. “You spent $38.54, so you get one card. What’s that? You have two kids? I don’t care. $20 minimum spend for one card. You want to argue? NO CARDS FOR YOU.” (you can cue the Seinfeld soup nazi there if you haven’t already). I have a conspiracy theory that these employees may moonlight as opportunistic collectors.
  3. The kind who think cards are well beneath them. You ask for the cards and you get kind of a vague look and a sigh. You may or may not get cards.
  4. The kind who have kids themselves, are feeling your pain and give you a wry smile with an extra card or two.

Arrow 2

Are you collecting this time around?
What kind of collector are you?

38 thoughts on “6 Kinds of Woolies Cards Collectors

    • Robyna says:

      I do wonder how much it costs – in terms of resources, time etc. I am sure it could be put to better use – but then there is so much we can say that about isn’t there?

  1. Karin @ Calm to Conniption says:

    Bahahaha! This is spot on with all of it. I think I have been nearly all of these types, each one for a different collection. All past releases are hidden in places around the house because… ENOUGH! It seems we are collecting as I received a text from my Mum this morning telling me she had picked up the projector and had a heap of cards for the kids… there is no avoiding. We are in!
    Karin @ Calm to Conniption recently posted…Super Room Signs with Epson EcoTank (FREE PRINTABLE)My Profile

    • Robyna says:

      Mums are wonderful like that aren’t they? My mum, my sister and my sister in laws all collect for us, so we are in the same situation – no avoiding it!

  2. mark says:

    These woolies cards are a pain in the arse the kids want them then get them then after they have them they go in a draw never to be seen again.

  3. Cristin @ Between Roots and Wings says:

    So funny. This current batch is particularly annoying to me – 1 card per pack? What a huge waste if packaging!! Thankfully, my kid isn’t old enough to know she’s supposed to be collecting, so is just happy for the nice cashiers to hand her something at the checkout.
    I did go all in for the Jamie Oliver cards, though!

    • Robyna says:

      The 1 card thing is very stingey. Though I have noticed that I keep getting loads from the people handing them out – they would have been better off doing the four cards thing.

  4. Shannon@ my2morrows says:

    This is gold! Love it! I’m the accidental collector but also a bit of #1. But how can I say no to Classic Disney! I Do love when you’re behind and older person in the checkout who see you have kids and offer theirs to you. Love when that happens! Xx

  5. Liv @ eeniemeeniemineymum says:

    Bahahaha no card for you.

    I’m definitely number one. In fact I just refuse the cards altogether now. My kids grandma is a big collector tho, ever since Ye olde days of the Beverley hills 90210 cards from when I was a girl she’s been a card collecting addict. God knows what she’s gonna do with all these albums of cartoon animals sitting around her house ?

  6. Bronnie - Maid In Australia says:

    Love this post. I wrote a ranty one a few collections ago because I was sick of spending a small fortune at Woollies for those damn cards only to find them littered all around the house. And the employees who would only give you one or not offer. And the people before you who wouldn’t collect them. And I’d say nicely: ‘Oh well, could we perhaps have their cards then please?’ and the employee would say it wasn’t allowed. Grrr. The lovely people who would give us their cards, I just wanted to hug. My kids are too old for it now, but I still collect the cards for the neighbours’ kids. I can’t escape …

  7. Eva says:

    Oh this is such a bug bear of mine! Apart from the monumental waste of resources, they capture my children’s attention for perhaps a day or two, and then I find myself picking them up from every nook and cranny for the next month. No cards here, thanks!

  8. Lisa | The Notorious MUM says:

    Oh, it’s a minefield! My heart sank when we went to get milk (of course) this week and saw the signs for the cards. It never turns out well. Never.

  9. Hugzilla says:

    Oh LOL!!!! This is the only time where I am glad we have ONE supermarket up here, and that it’s Coles. I’ve seen some of the avid collectors in my online mothers group and it’s hilarious to watch. I feel like I’ve dodged a major bullet here. My kids have no idea these things exist. Yay Coles monopoly!!

  10. Life, kids and a glass of red says:

    My seven year old and I went to grab a few items from Woollies today – he saw the sign about cards, and before I could blink, he was asking if we could collect more cards. No. No. No. Not going to happen. Screw you Woollies. Not this time. I managed to throw one set of collector cards away when we moved house, poor dude still thinks they might be in a box somewhere or that the removal guys lost them. One set from another collection has been hidden in the depths of the linen cupboard, because no one else uses the cupboard or even knows what is in it (might start hiding chocolate in there), and the prehistoric ones still have pride of place next to his bed. Imagine playing 52 Pickup, with a toddler involved, with what seems like 1000 cards… This is what will happen if the cards are rediscovered or another collection joins the house…
    Life, kids and a glass of red recently posted…Being judged over goldfishMy Profile

    • Robyna says:

      Ah, if only it were that easy! These are sealed and you can’t see the card without opening the packaging so there is no such thing as “mint condition”. But if you are desperate for a particular card they have open ones behind the counter and you can swap the one you have twenty of.

  11. Vanessa says:

    What bugs me are the amount of parents collecting for kids on an informal email list at work. Normally it’s a hive of second hand buying/selling or great places to find info like a car service/tradie. During the effing Woolies card seasons it turns into parents collecting for kids. That really bugs me.

    I’m pretty anti-woolies these days as it is because they kept increasing the price of a few items I relied on them for and then bragged in TV ads about being cheap. But this whole card thing seems like a last ditch effort by a badly managed company to avoid going down the drain by using kids.
    Vanessa recently posted…NormalNess Is InvadingMy Profile

    • Robyna says:

      Yeah, that would be pretty annoying. I like Aldi’s approach of offering great prices and wholesome food – seems to be a better longer term strategy.

  12. Michelle says:

    I could then be in an eighth category, the mum who acquiesces to her sprogs’ wishes to collect the cards even though she knows they’ll look at them once then just scatter them, forgotten, throughout the house, then collects and recycles them without the sprogs even noticing. I have kept the dinosaur ones though, as they showed uncharacteristic interest in them, albuming them and quoting dino factoids at me 🙂
    Funny post – I laughed out loud at the first category – I’m pretty much there!
    Michelle recently posted…Tykes on Bikes 2: Tasman Great Taste Trail, New Zealand.My Profile

  13. Lara at This Charming Mum says:

    Fantastic post! And yes, we’re doing it. AGAIN. I’ve even bought the brands that give you double amounts of cards to solve the whole 3-kids-1-pack furore. I am mostly an accidental collector, but moved on to ‘avid’ for the ones the kids got really excited about (Dreamworks and dinosaurs). This time I’m determined not to buy an album and not to care which numbers they have. They’ll end up in the bin eventually anyway!

    • Robyna says:

      I am fanatical about getting the albums so that they don’t go everywhere (even though they inevitably do!) Thanks for sharing on your page too – really appreciated it.

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