Pick n Pay are ******s and Support Violence against Women and Children

On Thursday 18 March 2021, myself, my husband and our 8 month old baby attended at Pick ‘n Pay Shelly Beach in order to do some grocery shopping.

There was a group of about 6 – 10 women standing at the back of the store, blocking the aisle. I said sorry to one women, and tried to get past with my trolley. She gave me a dirty look and did not move.

My husband commented to me, “Just bump her fat ass.” I ignored him an carried on walking. The women then proceeded to shout at him. I carried on with my shopping.

When we entered an aisle, the group of women ambushed us. One of them was not wearing a mask. I requested that they back off. They began to shout and swear at me. I repeatedly requested them to back off. They kept approaching us. Eventually, they got so heated and so close to us that my 8 month old baby, who was at that point in my husbands arms, began to cry. I then pushed the women back and away from my child.

One of them then hit and scratched me on my upper arm. At this point my husband handed our child to me and moved between us and the group of women with his arms outstretched so that they could not reach us, and he called for security. I walked away with our child and also asked several staff members of Pick ‘n Pay to please go assist him.

I moved to the front of the store and stood there waiting for my husband. When he came to the front of the store, the woman who was not wearing a mask followed him, and began to verbally attack me, shouting about how I better tell my husband not to call people fat ass etc. I requested that she put her mask on and continually backed away from her. She continued to approach and refused to put her mask on. Eventually, a staff member of Pick ‘n Pay stepped between myself and the woman.

That was when a female security guard, employed by Smart Secure, who also did not have her mask on, began to verbally attack me, shouting at me that me and my husband must get out of the store. I continually asked her to put her mask on and she said to me, “I don’t care, I won’t put my mask on, it doesn’t matter.” I attempted to back away from her, even bumping into multiple people to do so, and she continued to approach me, while verbally attacking me and blocking my way out of the store.

Eventually I managed to get out of the store and waited at the entrance for my husband. He then spoke to the assistant manager, Rishi. My husband requested that your staff take a look at the camera footage and Rishi said he would be happy to provide this once we had opened a case with the SAPS, when we had never requested the footage. When we requested that he call the police to attend at the scene, multiple times, he would only carry on about how “the police take very long hey,” and never actually made a move to go and call them. No move was made by any staff member to alert centre management or centre security as to the altercation. When my husband requested a counsellor as I was hysterical after the incident, Rishi refused.

While we were speaking to Rishi, the women who had verbally and physically attacked me, more than once, continued to do their shopping, with no consequences from Pick ‘n Pay or its staff.

When I requested that action be taken against the security guard who verbally attacked me and refused to wear her mask, I was told that it would be reported to the security company and that I would be given feedback regarding the outcome. It is now 5 days later, and I have not heard a word from anyone.

To say that I am disappointed in Pick ‘n Pay is an understatement. I did not do anything to those women, and yet I was told to leave the store whilst they continued to do their shopping. I was completely traumatised by the incident, and your staff could not have cared less. I do not know whether there will be lasting psychological effects on my 8 month old baby who had to experience this, whilst your staff did nothing.

This complaint was emailed to Vaughan Pierce of your head office on the 23rd of March 2021. To date hereof, I have received no response from him

On the 29th of March 2021, my husband received a phone call from a woman that claimed that she had investigated the incident and she stated that there was no video footage of the incident. I find this extremely unlikely, and should it be true, I find it quite shocking that Pick 'n Pay Shelly Beach has no cameras throughout the store.

After my husband informed her of what exactly had happened, she claimed that she would read the email which I had sent on the 23rd of March 2021, and that she would then come back to us. It has now been almost a month and we have not heard a word from anyone at Pick 'n Pay.

It is very clear to me that your store could not care less about the psychological trauma myself, and my then 8 month old son, had to experience in your store. This makes me wonder if perhaps Pick 'n Pay doesn't care because we are white? Or do you just not care about any of your customers, point blank? Either way, I am utterly disgusted in Pick 'n Pay, and specifically in the fact that I have to go to social media to get a response.