‘Absolutely disgusted’: Auckland crowd outraged after Safety Warehouse ‘$ 100k cash drop’

An Auckland crowd was angered after a security equipment company announced a “cash delivery” of $ 100,000 that included a gift of “fake money.”

Safety Warehouse, an online provider of personal protective equipment, announced on social media that it planned to give away “real money” at Aotea Square starting at noon today.

“We are the company of the people and we are proud of it, which is why we are dropping $ 105,891.40 in value from the sky at Plaza Aotea at 12 pm on Saturday the 5th. Yes, REAL MONEY will fly from the sky,” he said.

People who attended the event posted video of the crowd chasing the company car in anger after what they said was fake money “was dumped.”

“The crowd started attacking the organizers’ vehicle as it tried to leave the venue … I even saw a jandle and a safety boot in mid-flight … the crowd smashed the rear window,” one person posted.

But the director of GreenBack Capital, which owns the Safety Warehouse brand, Andrew Thorn, said the company gave away $ 100,000 in real cash and “counterfeit cash” that offered discounts on company products such as hand sanitizers and masks.

“It was $ 100,000 in real money, and the fake money discounts on top, I think it was $ 40,000 [fake money] notes that were printed, “he said.

Thorn said some of his staff were bruised when the crowd was enraged, and a man in the back seat of the car was rushed to the hospital after an object thrown out the rear window scattered glass in his eyes. He still didn’t know if the injury to the man’s eyes was serious.

Thorn said it started the Safety Warehouse business before Covid-19 to supply work clothes in Australia and New Zealand, but then moved to masks, hand sanitizer and other personal protective equipment when the pandemic began.

“We did really well during the Covid period supplying the Australian and New Zealand market and we just thought, why not host an event and do a giveaway?”

He said all the “fake money” notes offered discounts for products that people could buy on the Safety Warehouse website.

“Some products were free – enter a code and you were 100 percent off. There were a variety of things,” he said.

Green Congressman Ricardo Menéndez March, who was attending an event across the street, tweeted that he was “absolutely disgusted with The Safety Warehouse.”

“It was a free event. People came with tickets,” he said.

“There was music. It was incredibly strong, it was almost like a rave.

“It was like a really bad scaffolding in Aotea Square, and people were throwing confetti and glitter on it and eventually fake money.

“There were people who had traveled from Palmerston North, from Levin, from the north, so things got really unsafe when the commotion started.”

He said people drove away the Safety Warehouse car as he was leaving.

A police spokeswoman confirmed that the police were called.

“Yesterday afternoon [Friday] Police learned today of a promotional event that was talked about in Aotea Square, “he said.

“The police were present for security reasons.

“After the event there were a series of reports of disorder in the Aotea square area. Additional units were called into the scene to help ensure the safety of everyone involved.

“Investigations into the incident are ongoing.”

The Safety Warehouse Facebook page was taken down after many people posted angry comments about the event.