Misleading Pricing and Unprofessional Conduct at Pick n Pay Hypermarket Soweto

I would like to formally raise a complaint regarding my experience today, the 25th of July 2025, at Pick n Pay Hypermarket in Soweto. I left the store extremely disappointed due to both misleading pricing and the unacceptable conduct of a staff member who identified herself as Nontokozo, a supervisor or manager.

I had gone to the store during what was advertised as a “Burger Friday” promotion. The signage clearly stated that if you are a Smart Shopper and bank with FNB, you get all five items needed to make burgers for R60, or for Smart Shopper customers only, the bundle costs R110. However, the individual items were also priced separately on the shelf. Specifically, the cheese I selected was marked R14. There was no signage or indication stating that the R14 price only app**** if all five items were taken together as part of the combo deal. When I got to the till, the cheese scanned as R27, which is nearly double the displayed price. Similarly, the burgers also had a shelf price that did not match what was charged at the till, although I unfortunately do not recall the exact difference. I believe this kind of pricing is misleading and violates the Consumer Protection Act, which requires that displayed prices be clear and accurate to avoid deceiving consumers.

When I raised the issue at the till, the cashier called over a woman named Nontokozo, who identified herself as either a supervisor or manager. Her conduct was highly unprofessional and rude. She spoke in isiZulu, and as a Zulu speaker myself, I clearly understood her comments. She imp**** that customers like me are stupid and think we know better, which was both offensive and degrading. I had approached her calmly and reasonably to question the pricing based on what was visibly marked on the shelf, but instead of addressing the concern respectfully, she dismissed me with condescension and a disrespectful tone.

As a loyal Smart Shopper customer, I am disappointed by both the misleading pricing practices and the poor level of customer service I experienced today. Every customer deserves to be treated with respect and dignity, especially when a pricing issue originates from the store’s side. I request a formal apology from Pick n Pay Soweto, a thorough review of their pricing displays during promotions to ensure transparency and fairness, and that appropriate disciplinary or customer service training measures are taken against Nontokozo so that no other customer has to be treated this way.

Sincerely, Banele Zakwe