Woolworths converts three of its stores in Melbourne into 'online only hubs' and adds 10,000 extra pick up slots to deal with a surge in orders
- Dandenong Plaza, Watergardens South, Mountain Gate Woolworths online only
- The stores have alternate Woolworths sites close by for customers to shop at
- The move aims to help shoppers who don't feel safe going to supermarkets
- More than 240 Woolworths staff members walked off job at distribution centre
- The staff stopped work on Monday after a colleague tested positive on Friday
Woolworths will temporarily convert three of its Melbourne stores into online hubs as the city enters stage four lockdown with a strict curfew.
From 7.30pm on Tuesday, Woolworths will close its Dandenong Plaza, Watergardens South and Mountain Gate supermarkets to the public.
The stores - which were chosen to 'minimise the impact on local shoppers' as they are close to alternate Woolworths supermarkets - will focus on online orders.
Staff will either be deployed at surrounding stores or will deliver the online orders, with 10,000 new pick up slots added to deal with a surge in demand.

Woolworths will convert three of its Melbourne stores into online only to help customers who feel unsafe leaving their homes (pictured shoppers line outside Woolworths metro store in Melbourne on Sunday)

The Mountain Gate Woolworths (pictured) is one of the stores being closed for deliveries only
Woolworths' Victorian General Manager, Andrew Hall, said online orders had doubled since March.
'(The online stores) will create over 10,000 new pick slots per week for our customers during the six week lockdown to ensure people have got a choice whether they want to come to the supermarket or stay at home and order the goods online,' he told the Today Show on Tuesday.
'We are confident that we are doing everything we can to ensure that our vulnerable customers can have the option of a home delivery or pick-up service in our super-markets and our intention will be to continue to run that throughout the six weeks of lockdown and ongoing.'
The moves comes after stage four restrictions were announced for metropolitan Melbourne with a curfew enforced from 8pm to 5am.
Woolworths, Coles and Aldi stores will now close at 7.45pm every night.
More than 240 staff members at a Woolworths distribution centre on Monday walked off the job after a co-worker tested positive to the deadly coronavirus.

Woolworths' Victorian General Manager, Andrew Hall, said online orders had doubled since March and the move would enable more at home deliveries
The staff at the site in Laverton North in Melbourne's west stopped work on Monday after a cease work notice was issued at the warehouse which supplies liquor to BWS and Dan Murphy's stores.
A colleague had tested positive to COVID-19 on Friday after working their last shift at the site on Tuesday.
Mr Hall said staff had since returned to the liquor warehouse as of 3.30 on Monday afternoon.
'We did have a challenging liquor distribution centre yesterday, that's all been cleared up now and we're working with our partnerships with WorkSafe, the authorities and our team,' he said.

More than 240 staff members at the Laverton North distribution centre walked off the job on Monday after a worker tested positive to COVID-19
A Woolworths spokesperson said the centre was cleaned overnight on Friday and that the site underwent a deep clean every Sunday.
'Our Melbourne Liquor Distribution Centre (MLDC) has been cleared to re-open after WorkSafe Victoria overturned a cease work notice with no significant adjustment to our response plan,' the spokesperson said.
'Stock is now being picked and will be dispatched to stores from this evening, but there will inevitably be some impact on our stores after 11 hours of lost production at the DC.
'This is incredibly disappointing for our Victorian customers, liquor store team members and the many transport carriers who were unable to unload deliveries this morning.'
Product restrictions have also been placed again in Woolworths.
Customers can only buy two packs of items like toilet paper, tissues, hand wipes and disinfectant.
Pork, lamb, beef and chicken have also been restricted to two packs per shopper.