Coles will follow Woolworths’ lead in imposing a purchase limit on its half-price rock lobsters after the luxurious seafood began flying off shelves.

A limit of four lobsters per customer per transaction has now come into effect at Woolworths supermarkets nationally while Coles will bring in the same limit on Wednesday.

A Coles spokesperson said it was great to see so many customers wanting to support the local seafood industry.

“Coles has an Australian first sourcing policy and we are proud to source seafood from across the country, particularly at a time when our suppliers are restricted in their ability to export their seafood,” they said.

“More lobsters will be arriving in our stores throughout the week and up until Christmas.

Within the first four days of selling the $20 WA rock lobsters, Woolworths sold more than twice the amount of lobsters sold during all of last year's Christmas season.

A Woolworths spokesman said the limit was placed on the item to ensure as many customers as possible could enjoy the seafood in the lead up to Christmas.

“Since introducing our WA Rock Lobsters across Australia last week, we‘ve seen incredible customer demand,” they said.

“We have good stock levels to draw on and our teams are working hard to continue replenishing lobsters as quickly as possible. Customers can expect to see increased lobster availability in the days ahead.”

Signs have been erected at some Woolworths stores, apologising for any inconvenience.

One social media user pointed out the similarities in purchase limits imposed on toilet paper which was panic bought across the nation.

“2020: The year Australia went from panic buying toilet paper to panic buying lobsters,” they wrote.

Woolworths and Coles both recently announced they were selling the half price WA rock lobsters after purchasing more than needed to help out fishermen who had their stock rejected by China.

Woolworths predicted customers would eat more than 35 tonnes of lobster this year, compared to just 6.5 tonnes last year.

Coles also purchased 29 times the amount of lobsters it did last year.

Woolworths head of meat and seafood Tim Dudding said purchasing more was a “win-win” for the industry and consumers.

“Our support in purchasing more rock lobsters this year will give WA producers an avenue to move more volume into the domestic market which would have traditionally been exported,” he said last week.

“Lobsters have traditionally been considered a luxury item on the Christmas table, so we’re pleased to be making them accessible to more families this year, while also supporting the local industry.”

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