"You could have been stealing!?" A young Sainsbury's employee addresses a customer in Smart Shop area today at 17:33. This is witnessed by another employee, a mature lady.
My only purpose to visit Sainsbury in BEACONSFIELD today was to process my child's prescription where the pharmacist told me that this will take 10 minutes. Although I did not want anything in particular from the store, I went on to pick up a handset since it was a good time for reductions. I also looked at magazines to kill time. When I returned to Lloyds pharmacy, my child's prescription was ready for collection.
Then I went to Smart Shop and paid for all my 11 items, which I had packed in my rucksack (I did not have my shopping bags with me this time). On leaving the Smart Shop area the alarm went on exactly when my trolley with my rucksack in it passed. I looked back concerned and asked the staff there: "Are you okay?". Then a young member of staff approached my trolley and asked:
"Do you have alcohol?" "No," I answered.
"Do you have meat?" "No," I answered.
Then to my surprise, he has reached for my rucksack and without my consent put his bare (no gloves) hands and started to empty all the food items from it.
"I do not want you to handle my food with your bare hands," I told him.
"I just washed my hands!" was his answer, which was followed with:
"Do you have chicken?" "No" I answered.
"You could have been stealing!?"
"How dare you?!" I responded.
I was bewildered and become distressed and upset, asking for a manager's intervention. The young employee pointed out at his colleague nearby who swiftly came out with excuses like:
"This is the procedure!"
I kept asking for a store manager to help me in this oppressive for me situation and I was told to go to Customer Service. The young employee’s comments followed me with:
"Nobody will tell you are right!!!"
After a while, in Customer Service, a manager came, and I explained to her what just had happened. I was feeling sick and I was upset. Her response was indifferent, and she could not have cared less. Another manager joined her shortly.
"We are sorry you feel this way." was the best they could do. However, he said:
"I promise you that this will never happen again. I am his line manager, and I will deal with it after you are gone."
It was clear that they wanted me out of sight and out of mind.
Both managers were not interested in how to contact me with their feedback following their investigation of an incident where I was abused and offended by their member of staff.
I explained to them that them saying sorry is not a satisfaction to me after an unwanted ordeal which I was just subjected to by their member of staff. There is obviously a problem with some members of staff behaviour towards customers in this store which reflects poor leadership and inadequate staff training.
When I expressed that the only way a store can satisfy an abused customer is a financial reward which by the way will never remove the damage caused in a form of distress, bad feeling, upset and so much wasted time, just waiting for the managers to turn up and then talking to them in a public space.
Then, he, the manager pretended, in my opinion, how indeed disgusted he was with me even daring to mention a financial reward to compensate a customer who just spends some money there, and at the same time is drawn into an abusive incident.
When I realised the manager's applied avoidance tactic, I informed both managers that herewith was my oral complaint to be recorded please as a complaint and I provided them with my postal address due to receive a response.
I look forward to hearing from you, Sainsbury in BEACONSFIELD.
All customers please stand up for yourselves if subjected to appalling customer service at SAINSBURY'S IN BEACONSFIELD.
Take care especially if you have an ETHNIC MINORITY ACCENT!