Pick n Pay’s Poor Management

I’m writing to formally raise a complaint about the consistently poor customer service and unprofessional conduct I’ve experienced at Diepkloof Square, particularly involving two store managers: Caden and Nkosi.

First Incident – Caden: I visited the store to purchase Deep Heat and Aspirin. To my surprise, I discovered that the store keeps empty product boxes on the shelves, which I assume is due to theft concerns. However, this wasn’t communicated in any way.

I proceeded to the till to pay for the items, but the cashier was extremely slow, despite long queues forming. The staff seem disengaged and inattentive, often appearing lost in thought and neglecting basic duties. Unfortunately, my paid items were not packed, and I only realized this when I got home.

As I rely on Uber for transport, I had to pay for a return trip to fetch the items. Upon raising this with the manager, Caden, I expected a professional resolution or at least an apology. Instead, I was met with indifference, a poor attitude, and what I perceived to be discriminatory behavior. I had to wait an unreasonably long time for staff to review camera footage to confirm my payment—something that should have been a priority. There was no sense of urgency or empathy. When we would like to redeem our points we are told that we should have the physical card. No valid reason was given for that. I am used to redeeming my points digitally but Caden was rude and unprofessional.

Second Incident – Nkosi: On a separate occasion, I purchased items that were advertised as being on special. However, at the till, the total was higher than expected. When I questioned this, Nkosi responded with an unprofessional and dismissive attitude, saying, “That is the price—take it or leave it,” without even checking which items were on promotion.

This behavior reflects a deep lack of customer care and professionalism. The store staff seem to mirror the poor attitudes of their managers. There is no greeting, no courtesy, and no accountability. It’s clear that customer service training is either inadequate or non-existent at this branch.