Woolies’ PC cake sparks customer outrage

The common supermarket mud cake is loved by many Aussies for a tasty treat on a special occasion without the effort involved in baking or the cost, but one cake that appeared on shelves at Woolworths on Father’s Day has sparked outrage. 

People on social media have slammed the supermarket giant for the cake which is iced with the words “Special Person’s Day”. It appeared on shelves next to other cakes with messages for “Dad” and “Pop”, and is clearly intended to be a PC offering. 

There had been calls in the lead up to Father’s Day this year to change the name of the day to “Special Person’s Day” in an effort to be inclusive for children who may not have a father in the picture, but the controversial idea was slammed by many – and Woolies’ offering is literally the icing on the cake for the outrage!

Multiple angry customers uploaded images of the cake to Woolworths’ Facebook page on Sunday, and were met with hundreds of outraged comments calling for the supermarket to apologise to Aussie dads. 

One man commented: “Are you implying that fathers aren’t special?”

Others brought the same-sex marriage debate into the equation and threatened to boycott Woolworths following the stunt. 

“Woolworths once again it was Fathers day why should it be shared with days that are not recognised or have anything to do with that day. Yes you are welcome for sharing that disgrace, maybe you should make cakes that celebrate homosexuality on Christmas day and Over the Easter festivities. Cant you see whats wrong with that photo i will make sure none of my family ever buy anything from Woolworths again.”

One woman begged them to leave Father’s Day alone: “Woolworths I am so sad you politicalised a traditional day put aside to pay tributes to Fathers. No, not everyone has a Father in their lives, but for those who do, whether its a biological one, a step-dad, an adoptive one or just a key male figure in our lives who has taken on that role, this day has been put aside to thank them. Complaining that the photo was cropped and there were other cakes available with more appropriate wording on doesn’t cut it. We’re not numbskulls and all aware of the recent call by some groups to do away with Fathers Day and the call for a Special Persons day. Well have a Special Persons day by all means….but don’t hijack a much loved tradition from the rest of us to do it.”

No everyone was offended though, with one woman writing:

“I think the Special Persons Day cake is great. It’s all about options for the shopper. Nothing is being taken away from dad’s. Buy the cake that says Happy Father’s Day or buy the other. Please do this for Mother’s Day too.”

A Woolworths representative responded to the drama via Facebook, pointing out that there were also “Dad” cakes on offer. 

“We’re currently looking into this display with our store teams. We want to reassure you that we’re helping all customers across Australia celebrate Father’s Day as seen from our store displays, products and recipe ideas. Cropped out of this image are a range of decorative cakes that have different messages on them, including ‘Dad’ and ‘Happy Father’s Day’. Thanks again for sharing.”

What do you think? A disgrace, or just trying to cater for everyone?