Thousands of shoppers created chaotic scenes as they flocked to discount retailer Panda Mart’s latest store, despite ongoing safety warnings and legal action over items sold at the chain’s other outlets.

Photos and videos shared on social media showed an overflowing carpark and queues of people waiting to get into the new outlet when it opened in the Brisbane suburb of Rocklea on Monday, with just as many more lining up at the checkout counters.

Hundreds of heavily-discounted items appeared to have been thrown from shelves and strewn across the floor by over-eager bargain hunters in what one social media user described as “diabolical” scenes.

“Not for the weak,” laughed a TikToker alongside a reel of the packed warehouse.

“I think I got rammed by at least 10 trollies tonight,” commented another.

Panda Mart – founded in South Africa and  dubbed “real-life Temu” – already has two stores in Victoria and began spruiking the opening of the new outlet in Brisbane last month.

Further fuelling the hype were social media posts from influencers who attended a soft launch and shared photos of shelves packed with cheap items ranging from homewares and tools, to beauty products and toys.

“We got lost between 60 aisles!!!” gushed one, adding: “Our own backyard Temu for sure!!”

@mslaka9 INSANE lineup 🤯 #pandamart #rocklea #brisbane_australia ♬ Saxophones getting louder – Sped Up – AntonioVivald

The new opening comes just a few months after Victorian shoppers were issued with a fresh warning about “dangerous items” being sold at Panda Mart’s Cranbourne and Preston stores in Victoria.

In a statement in March, Consumer Affairs Victoria said the products included flammable candle burners that were banned in Australia because they could cause fires or burns, keychains with button batteries that can prove fatal or cause serious injuries if swallowed by children, and portable pools and flotation devices without required warnings.

It was the latest in a series of similar warnings from the watchdog, which was granted a court injunction in December to temporarily stop the Victorian Panda Mart stores from trading after its inspections found hundreds of items they claimed failed to meet mandatory standards.

A month later, the retailer was charged with 147 criminal offences following the earlier seizure of items from its Cranbourne store.

Consumer Affairs Victoria director Nicole Rich said at the time of the latest warning that under Australian Consumer Law, retailers were responsible for the items on their shelves.

“It is extremely concerning to find new products flouting product safety laws on the shelves of Panda Mart, so soon after our previous action to shut down the stores to remove dangerous goods from sale to the public,” she said.

“We’ve issued this urgent warning to urge any customers who have bought these products to stop using them and store them securely out of reach of children.”

In a separate case, Panda Mart is facing 130 charges for electrical safety offences after Energy Safe Victoria allegedly found dangerous lamp models and other non-compliant household electrical goods at the retailer’s Cranbourne store and Dandenong warehouse.

The opening of the Cranbourne store – Panda Mart’s first Australian outlet – early last year created a similar scenes to those in Brisbane this week, with police called in to control large crowds, shelves stripped bare, and staff forced to close earlier than intended on the first day.

Nine newspapers reported at the time that the retailer had sourced 28,000 “ultra-cheap” items from an export manufacturing hub in China, with examples including $1.50 mugs, $3 stuffed toys, and $7.50 knock-off Crocs.

They quoted store owner John Chen as saying Panda Mart wanted to differentiate itself from online discount retailers such as Temu by having only a bricks-and-mortar offering.

“We want customers to feel the real goods, to see the real price. So they pay, and they know what they are paying,” he said.

The new Rocklea Panda Mart has 18 checkout counters, with a staff member estimating that he served more than a thousand customers over the weekend.

One shopper told Nine News she had travelled four hours to get to the store: “I’m a bargain hunter, so anything that’s good, cheap, we’re looking for.”