While waiting for my turn in a queue at a franchise shop at a new mall in Plumstead just before the festive season, it was understandably busy.
I noticed a mother with two daughters in front of me.
The mother had put her purchases on the conveyor and then crossed her arms and stood stock still, only speaking to snap at her two young daughters to pack the trolley.
The young cashier was struggling to keep up with scanning and packing so, as I have done many times in the past as well as having people do it for me too, I offered to pack, let the girls load the trolley and the cashier could scan items less frantically.
It all went well and we finished in less than two minutes … then when I asked the mother: “Ma’am, there are two large items left, do you want to take them separately or would like more bags?” she turned on me in fury and started shouting at me that she could have packed her own bags, just who did I think I was, ad infinitum.
I stood speechless. I said after a few seconds: “Ma’am I was simply trying to help the cashier and your daughters and you stood back and simply crossed your arms.”
She stormed off swearing and performing all the way out the store and mouthing obscenities through the store window.
At no time did anybody intervene, not security who were 2 metres away, no floor manager in sight, management at the booth, nothing.
The store’s manager called me and apologised – what am I supposed to do with that? In civilised countries, they take a still shot of a customer like this and ban them for life.
I will never set foot inside this franchise again and I have heard many other people complain about its service in the two years since it opened.
To that woman I say: I feel really sorry for you because you must be very miserable to act the way you do, but guess what, the ones I feel most sorry for are your girls. I hope they don’t grow up with such hate and vitriol in their hearts.
* Ellen Fedele, Plumstead.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
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