Unfit to shop

I was appalled while shopping at Pick n Pay, Ipic Centre Vredenburg yesterday. I went there to stock up both my boys’ wardrobes as we are moving soon and wanted that sorted. To my shock, I couldn’t find a single pair of underpants or takkies for my 12–13-year-old son. When I asked the assistant, she simply said they don’t cater for that age. At least I managed to find him some swimming trunks, but that is not my main concern.

The state of the children’s section was **********. It looked more like a storage room or dumping ground than a shopping area. I couldn’t move freely, and shopping for my younger son felt like playing Tetris — shifting heavy boxes and step ladders just to reach shoes, clothing, and underpants.

Even worse, my 5-year-old found a box cutter lying among the underpants. Thankfully, he handed it straight to me, but I was shocked that such a dangerous item was left within reach of children. On top of that, there was spit on the floor that looked extremely unhygienic, and the smell in the section was unbearable — a choking plastic odor.

To make matters worse, yesterday was a heatwave, yet there was no air conditioning or cooling in place. My eldest son nearly fainted from the heat.

This experience was unacceptable. The store environment was unsafe, unhygienic, and completely unfit for families.