Unprofessional staff behaviour

Good day, On July 01 2020 I visited a Pick&Pay store at Lakeside, and observed that for the 20 minutes that I stood in the queue outside, nobody were either attending to the trolleys, or even cleaning and sanitizing them.

I did observe the fact that their security person, a female handing trolleys used by previous customers to the next customer arriving in store. I was one of the customers about to enter the store, and the security simply pushed the used trolley to me telling me and told that I MUST use the trolley to maintain social distancing. I also observed a sign outside whilst queing telling us that P&P has a 'must use' trolley policy in store to maintain social distancing between customers and staff.

When she gave me the trolley, I explained to her that I had a kidney transplant, and that simply giving me a used trolley was placing me at a fatal risk of corona virus, as she could not guarantee me not becoming affected by touching and handling your dirty trolleys. She was extremely unfriendly, and said that she will call the manager, and by asking somebody in the store from where she was standing, she told them to call a manager. She then told me to stand aside outside the store stoep while they called the manager, in the meantime allowing everyone behind me to go into the store as if I had all day to stand and wait further for a manager.

My safety was compromised. I explained to her that I did discuss this factor with Marlin, one of their managers just when they invented this policy, and he assured me that I would not be coerced in using a trolley if I FELT UNSAFE, which I did. The manager did not pitch, so instead, I ended up speaking to a general staff member as this was the mentality of the security to ask anybody wearing a P&P uniform what to do, and to explain to me why the trolley policy was needed.

I explained to the staffer, Keenan about my situation, and was compelled to call him aside, as he began to shout and raise his voice toward me, ranting about the fact that no manager can authorize any customer in store without the trolley. I did not want to implicate Marlin, because at the time we spoke, the policy was only implemented, and nobody was sure as to the seriousness of their policies around trolley adherence.

He then went on further, loud and in front of customers in the queue telling me to read the sign about trolleys being used in store to avoid social interaction. I told him to not speak to me in a condescending manner, which he denied doing at the time, but everybody could see how unprofessional and unsympathetic he was. He also told me that P&P has online shopping, and asked why I did not purchase in that manner. I only wanted to buy rolls and a drink, and when I told him that your company policies about trolleys places me at risk with enforcing their trolley policies, he simply told me that if i feel this way, I should not come out to the shops. He was loud, did not listen, condescending and after all that, he was a shelf packer. The security can't tell the difference between staff and management. Seriously??

As he walked away, their liquor store manager Shaun came on, and I explained my situation to him. Unfortunately after hearing my complaint, and feeling the whole negative energies around their main entrance, he left the conversation and began sanitizing trolleys for customers. The person who regularly did that eventually pitched up.

My wife, who suffers with a pinched nerve, had to get put of the car to go into the store to make our purchases. I felt really bad for her, as she was already in pain at that moment, hence the reason for me being in the queue.

So, in summary, I went to their LS store, given an uncleaned, unsanitized trolley, told that it was an enforceable policy from P&P on its customers, not guaranteeing my safety, by a clueless security person. I asked for a manager, she give me a shelf packer, who too have no idea how to treat their CUSTOMER, condescends on me by ridiculing me about their policies on the board which I read all the time in being in the queue. I checked up on enforceable policies, and surely did not find that enforcing a visitor, called a CUSTOMER was part of any government enforced policies. In my opinion, they have some paranoid smuck who clearly don't consider their customers fears about the virus, who cannot guarantee their customers safety and who believe that they are doing the "right thing".If this was a government enforced policy, then why is Checkers, Shoprite, Spar and others simply allowing their customers into their stores without the necessity of having a trolley between them.

Their actions call for review about these ridiculous expectations on their customer. We are sensible and adult enough to know what our limitations and responsibilities are in any store we enter. Only P&P has this policy, which begs the question...Do they really want to lose customers, because they employed an over-zealous Covid-19 consultant? They have just lost this customer after this incident today, with clueless security, rude staff and ridiculous isolated and non- governmental policies in their stores.

Yes, they also suffer double standards, as their Blue Route store certainly DO NOT apply these policies in their store, for some reason. Pick&Pay should get their act together, either we are forced to push trolleys around in a small store, or allow us to shop freely and in peace without ridiculous expectations.

Their customer services responded to me a few days later, a person by the name of Liesel. She gave me a breakdown of their Covid-19 policies in stores which includes the trolley policy, as directed by WHO, as advised. I doubt that WHO would suggest retail policies in store, as they are a health group, and Liesel promised to take up the issue with their Head Office, but to date, customers are still forced to use trolleys to buy a loaf of bread. As Liesel wonderfully phrased it" we don't force our customers to use the trolley, but we urge them in doing so" the big lie. Clearly we are told no trolley, no entry.