It’s been a week and the store does not care to say anything. Wow

On 19/09/2021 morning I visited the Woolworths Vaal Mall branch like I usually do for a quick Sunday essentials run. Greeted the staff in the food department because we’ve established that sincere and kind employees-customer relationship, and carried on with my shopping. The store was empty because it was quite early. Just as I got to the fridge near the queueing station, I changed my mind about buying the 1.5L still water that was in the fridge and instead opted for the 5L. Because there was no queue and therefore no sight of any other customer besides myself and the staff at tills, I then left my trolley at the queuing station to quickly collect my water. I’d left the trolley for not more than 10 seconds when I heard a sudden crash on the trolley which was followed by uncalled for remarks. “Stupid black *****”, where the words I heard angrily coming from a woman, Chriselda Du Toit, if I got her name correctly. As she walked through the aisle to pay for her stuff, I rushed through because I felt her remarks where unnecessary as she could’ve pushed my trolley aside to make way without any drama. I then walked up to the cashier station at which she was paying and calmly told her what she had done/said was absolutely unnecessary! She reacted in such an aggressive manner of which I also felt I needed to put her in her place and so went our altercation. We were both so loud and vulgar to such an extend the food department manager, Natasha Stander, intervened and asked me specifically to lower down my voice. In the heat of the moment, I asked why should I when I’m being disrespected? I then realized I forgot my bank card at my place of work and quickly rushed there to collect the card so I could pay for my groceries. On my way back to work, I found Chriselder seated, I walked passed her and assumed she was at my place of work to complete errands. I was later called by my line manager to let know why she was there and I explained the altercation that took place. I felt aggravated all over again because why is she at my place of work for something that took place outside work, at an establishment where I was also a customer? I then asked my manager to escort me back to Woolworths because I wanted to see the food manager to explain to her what had happened, remember I frequent that particular Woolworths a lot and I felt I needed to explain myself as the staff has only ever seen me happy and cheerful. To my surprise, in the manager’s office we’re Chriselda, her husband, the manager and the store’s security guard viewing footage of what had happened. We then all sat down, apologies were said and we called it a day. What stood out for me though in that office, and what aggrieves me is that I learned that Natasha approached Chriselda after I’d left the store to collect my card, and gave her MY PERSONAL details, as a CUSTOMER, that being my place of work. I’m under the impression that no store would give out another customer’s personal details or even any of the staff’s personal details without instruction from the law. So what baffles me is how Natasha, an entire store manager, managed to bypass her employer’s code of conduct in efforts to cause turmoil in another customer’s life. Was is because I’m black and *****, since Chriselda had already exclaimed that I’m a “stupid black *****”? Was giving out of my personal details an admission from the store’s manager that indeed I was a “stupid black *****?”. I deserve and explanation from Woolworths because this is the last thing I expected from their establishment. How safe must we feel as clients and customers of the store with our personal information, in light of the recently reviewed and updated POPIA act, if someone in her position can just freely do that.

I am highly disappointed and aggravated that I’m going to take this further with appropriate parties.