As a record-breaking heat wave grips France, chaos erupted at discount retailer Lidl when shoppers swarmed stores for discounted air conditioners priced in the 300,000-won range, leading to scuffles and police intervention.
Reports that some stores had only one or two units for sale triggered a wave of consumer anger, with many shoppers returning empty-handed after waiting in line for hours.
Lidl sold approximately 200,000 cooling appliances, including air conditioners and fans, at discounted prices across its stores in France on Wednesday, according to AFP and French outlet 20 Minutes. Long lines formed outside stores nationwide from the early morning after word spread that air conditioners normally sold for several hundred euros were available for 179 euros (about 310,000 won). Forecasts of another heat wave across France after this weekend were also cited as a reason shoppers flocked to the stores.
But confusion quickly took hold as reports spread that each store had only one or two air conditioners available for sale. Customers rushed in to grab the units first, leading to shouting and physical scuffles, and police were called to some stores over line-cutting and disputes. Protests reportedly also broke out around people buying multiple fans.
"Waited 7 Hours to Barely Get One"... Six Hours in Line, Home With Only a Fan
Shoppers at the scene sharply criticized the retailer, saying the number of units for sale was far too small. Moussa Traore, who had waited in line for more than an hour with about 200 others at a Lidl store in Paris, told AFP, "I was told there were only two air conditioners for sale." He added, "The police came and said there was no more stock left, and some even said the officers might have taken them."
At a store in northern Paris, a resident named Razana waited in line for seven hours starting at 4 a.m. and barely managed to buy one of the two air conditioners on sale. In contrast, Fatou, a 69-year-old who waited six hours at a store in Paris's 19th arrondissement, was unable to get an air conditioner despite being third in line and turned back after buying only a single fan.
Some shoppers claimed that Lidl created confusion by promoting the sale as if it were offering more units than were actually in stock. Brahim, who was in the waiting line, vented his frustration, saying, "Do they take us for fools?" He added, "They knew crowds would come, yet they prepared only one air conditioner and packed people in like cattle."
In France, 78% of respondents in an Ipsos poll early last month said air conditioners have a negative impact on the environment. But with demand for cooling appliances surging during a heat wave that has lasted more than 10 days, air conditioner stocks at large retailers and electronics stores have largely run dry.
France's national weather service has forecast that the heat wave will return nationwide after this weekend. The heat has eased somewhat for now, but three wildfires have broken out in the southern region since the previous day, with fire authorities continuing efforts to contain them. Meanwhile, lawmakers from the Green Party and the far-left party La France Insoumise (LFI) submitted a no-confidence motion against the government, saying its response to the heat wave had been inadequate. The motion is scheduled to be put to a vote at a plenary session on June 6.
