ROYAL COMMISSION FINDS HAMILTON KMART 'TREASURE HUNT' WAS, IN FACT, LOST STOCK
After 14 months, 47 witnesses, and one weeping assistant manager, the Commission has reached its findings.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Te Rapa Kmart Treasure Hunt Promotion (2024) today released its 312-page report. It concludes that the 'treasure hunt' was not a retail event but a quantity of lost stock the store had stopped looking for.
The Commission heard evidence from 47 witnesses. These included 12 customers, 9 staff, 3 regional managers, a logistics consultant flown in from Mt Wellington at public expense, and a Khandallah woman visiting her sister in Hamilton who was 'frankly just trying to buy a bath mat'.
Finding 14 states that an air fryer located behind the trampoline display had been written off as shrinkage in the 2023 stocktake. By the time customer Brendan Walsh found it, it technically belonged to the insurer. Finding 17 notes that a single Bluey lunchbox was found inside a beanbag.
Counsel assisting, Ms Priya Adhikari, put it to the regional manager that calling lost stock a 'treasure hunt' may breach the Fair Trading Act. The manager replied that it was 'more of a vibe than a promotion'. The Commissioner described this answer in her summary as 'deeply unhelpful'.
Recommendation 23 calls for Kmart to either find its stock or stop pretending it meant to lose it. Recommendation 24 retires the words 'treasure hunt' from retail marketing nationwide. Recommendation 25 reads, in full: 'Hire someone to count things.'
The report has been tabled in Parliament. It will be debated once a Beehive staffer finds it. It was last seen behind a beanbag.
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Reader Letters
Sandra_McKay
Typical Kiwi humour, calling chaos a treasure hunt!
laughing_lucy
Mate, next time I need a bath mat, I'll just check behind the beanbags.
Diesel_Dan
Mate, what a piss-take. You can't make this shit up.
OldSchoolGarry
Back in the day, stores knew where their stuff was. This 'vibe' nonsense is just an excuse for sloppy management. We never had such things when I worked retail in the 80s. Every item accounted for, no slip-ups, no 'lost' stock. It was about diligence and responsibility, not blaming the vibes!
Trev_Hornby
Bloody hell, Hamilton! This is why we can't have nice things.
Worried_Wanda
I laugh, but it's concerning. Imagine if healthcare or education lost track of things like this? We'd be in serious trouble!
couchgremlin
Hire someone to count things? Groundbreaking stuff!
Inquisitive_Ian
But was the air fryer any good?! Priorities, people.
Conspiratorial_Colin
They say 'lost stock', I say conspiracy to boost sales. What's next, ASB burying cash in the park for 'lucky finds'?
Cynical_Sue
Can we no longer trust a reliable retailer like Kmart? Found stock, lost insurance claims. It's really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to commercial behaviours these days, isn't it? Makes you wonder about other promotions we've been subject to over the years.