Incompetence and Indifference at Pick n Pay Constantia Village

I have been suffering when shopping at Pick n Pay Constantia Village for many years, with the grossly *********** management at the store. Either there is no performance management in Pick n Pay, or the leadership of Pick n Pay tolerate incompetence regardless of its impact on their customers, and thereby demonstrate their utter disregard for the customers. The halcyon days of Raymond Ackerman and their slogan of being "the housewife's friend" are long gone.

Today is the day of the national shutdown called by the EFF, which has been answered by business and political leaders by calls to operate and behave as usual, so that our country and its people do not suffer even more. However, the staff at Pick n Pay are obviously fully in support of shutting down.

If you shop there today, as I did, you will find yourself faced with all but 2 of the tills with "Close For Now" signs, while the attendants stand by them chatting. If you look for the manager, as I did, you will probably find him hiding away somewhere. I found him and told him of the situation, to which he responded that it wasn't true, and and didn't I know it was 'national strike day'. I called on him to follow me, which he very reluctantly did, and I showed him all the closed tills, and the staff standing around doing nothing while the poor customers of Pick n Pay waited in vain for service.

The manager then did realise that there was a major problem and something was done, as the tills began to open. He returned to hide away again.

This experience was very different to that in Woolworths Constantia Village, just a short minute's walk away, where the manager was in full view, ensuring all was working as it should and that their customers received proper, very efficient service. Well done to that manager.

The incompetence coupled with complete indifference to customers of the manager at Pick n Pay is becoming intolerable. It brings shame upon what was, and perhaps still is in some places, a fine store that cared for its customers. This is particularly sad in this year which is a celebratory year for Raymond Ackerman. He must be dismayed to see his legacy destroyed at Constantia Village by the manager. It is high time the leadership came down from their ivory towers and took the proper action to bring about positive change at Pick n Pay Constantia Village.