Edgars store refusal to exchange a gift

On December 8th 2019 I made a purchase for my niece at Edgars Centurion for R382.92. These were few items that totaled that amount. I gave my sister the clothes and kept the receipt as I was satisfied with sizes and all. I must have discarded the receipt as I was not longer going to use it. My Niece received a lot of gifts for her birthday and it only happened that she only wore her shoes I bought her on the 14th of Feb 2020. When she came back from school, the shoes were damaged due to quality. When my sister took the shoes to Edgars store in Centurion, she was sent back as she did not have a receipt for the purchase even if she explained to them that the shoes were a gift and that this was a quality defect not an exchange. The manager on duty that day sent her packing as He/She demanded the receipt. I want this complaint taken serious and my sister assisted. This is the reason this company is going under as the quality of service has dramatically dropped.