BAD EXPERIENCE AT SPAR THORNHILL POLKWANE

<p>On Thursday 30 March 2017 I went to Spar to do some groceries. I was pushing a trolley entering the shop. A female security guard came rushing to me and grabbed my grocery bag violently without even telling me why she was doing that. She walked away and I asked her why she was grabbing my bag she said that I was not allowed to take my grocery bags inside. In the meantime I had just saw a white woman entering the store pushing the trolley with a luggage bag full of stuff inside. This was not a grocery bag but a luggage bag. Nobody said anything to her.<br />I asked this security person how am I going to do my grocery if she takes my bags. She said that I will get my bags when I come back. I objected and insisted that she give me my bags back. She came back and gave my bags back. I was very upset because this is the kind of racial treatment that I always receive at this store. The reason being that every time I am there, security people will follow me where ever I go treating me like a *****. As if that is not enough when i go and pay the same security person will come and stand in front of the till to see if the tellers give me things for free or if I am paying for the grocery.<br />Back to the story of what happened on Thursday 30 March 2017, I asked for the manager. The latter came and I explained the incident to him. I told him that I had never been asked not to use my grocery bags anywhere in this country or in the whole world. Where have you ever heard that a customer is not allowed to enter a grocery store with their grocery bags? His attitude was not helping. I had reason to believe that he knew about why the security person treated me the way she did. I asked for a written apology because I felt that I was treated like a ***** and ******** and I was being discriminated against. This manager promised me that I will get a written apology which was to be written by the owner. He told me that the owner will come the following day, Friday 31 March 2017. I told him that I will fetch the written apology on Saturday 1 April. When I got there on Saturday the manager told me that the owner won't write an apology letter as the security person told him that she talked to me nicely and asked for my bags nicely. This is completely false and fabricated. I vehemently deny that this security person asked the bags nicely from me. The video clip will show her conduct if they show such a video clip. I asked for the contact number of the owner. When I called him he was very impolite, arrogant, defiant and contemptuous. He told me that he will not give me a written apology because he did not see the need. He said that if I wanted an apology, he said :" well apology". This apology was not sincere, ice cold and it was sarcastic. I told this owner that I can't even shop freely at his shop because the security guards are always following me as if I was a ***** or ********. I also told him that I realise that only black people are subjected to this kind of treatment. He told me that he is the one who instructed his security personnel to do that. Even the reason why the security person grabbed my grocery bags from me he is the one who gave those instructions. He said that he gave his security people instructions to monitor suspicious people or if they see anything suspicious. I asked him how could i have been suspicious when I had not even started my shopping. I told him that I took offence to the fact that he calls me suspicious , that when I told him that his security people only target black people he says that he is the one who gave those instructions. He arrogantly told me that he will not give me a written apology I can do what I want to do and go where I want to go. When i said to him that I was going to lodge a complaint he said that he did not care. I told him that the fact that I am black did not make me a ***** or ********. I told him that I am a law abiding citizen, a decent black woman. I work very hard for my money and I can afford to buy groceries. He hung up on me. This is completely unacceptable. It seems this owner welcomes my money but does not welcome me as a black person but I am suspicious. Those South Africans of colour, who shop at this store should know that they are being called suspicious. They can pay with their money but they are suspicious.</p>