Super Spar Umhlanga sells expired product.

Today, Sunday, 4th July, 2021, outside the entrance to the Super Spar Umhlanga, I encountered the owners wife, who had loitered into the complex, engaged in conversation on her cell. She came to a halt in front of the sanitiser machine. I waited patiently a few minutes, then ide died to nterve. Angry at the disruption, she lashed out at me. I responded with “ don’t fight with me, fight with your husband.” I had arrived at the Super Spar Umhlanga to return a container of 5 boxes of long life milk which were off. The package was heavy and I was eager to return them. Earlier that week I had purchased eggs and pork neck along with other groceries. I found 4 of the eggs were cracked on opening the package of 30 extra large Spar eggs, and the pork neck I had purchased had passed expiry date, but was still in their fridge, and was now off. Only after cooking the pork neck, tasting the cooked product did I realize it had expired, as had the milk that I was then returning.

When I reached the till point with the new package of 6 long life milk cartons, I was approached by the Indian lady manager dressed in a white overall. She suggested that I purchase only 5 cartons of milk this time, which would make the exchange easier. I insisted that I actually required 6 boxes of milk, and not 5. She rolled her eyes at me, muttered under her breath in a disrespectful manner and walked away, leaving the supervisor Jessica to sort out her mess. Jessica however, was efficient, and a pleasure to deal with. Upset with her ugly attitude, I told the manger, who was dressed in a white overall, that I would email a complaint to management. She said that was absolutely fine and happily tried to provide me with the email address. I wondered just why she was so arrogant, secure with how the management, her boss, would handle a complaint….. ? However, only seconds later, he arrived at the checkout point…… and I knew. He began to chastise me, a 67 year old woman, I was astounded . I had been shopping in Umhlanga since 1995 and never, not ever, had anyone told me in no uncertain terms that I had been rude to his wife, his staff, and therefore, basically, got what I deserved and should not shop at the Spar any longer. He said that I would be treated the way I treated his wife and his staff. I looked at him in amazement and said “ are you telling me not to shop at your store” and he said “yes!” In these dire economic time, it is commercial suicide to encourage a costumer, who shops in your store, on a daily basis, and spends an average of R18,000 per month, not to shop in your store because your wife is rude, your management rolls her eyes and insists the customer should purchase 5 not 6 items, and it’s all the customers fault the products have reached their sell by date and are still available in your store. How many customers can you afford to turn away because your aggressive wife engaged them negatively, told you a story in her defence, and in defence of chatting on her cell, encouraged you in her defence to loose business. Which in these uncertain time, you can sorely afford.