POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE

I visited the Clearwater Mall Woolworths store on Saturday, 9 May, to complete my Mother’s Day shopping while accompanied by my son.

As gift wrapping is usually a standard service offered by Woolworths during special occasions such as Mother’s Day, I enquired about having my purchases wrapped. I joined the queue at the gift wrapping station behind three gentlemen. When it was finally my turn, I was informed that there was no wrapping paper left. This was around 12pm, one day before Mother’s Day.

Understanding that the two young men assisting at the wrapping station were not responsible for stock management, I requested to speak to management. After waiting some time, a floor manager came through and said she would fetch the store manager. Approximately 20 minutes later, she returned and advised that he was busy assisting another customer query and would not be attending to mine.

While I appreciate that management can be occupied, I found the handling of my concern disappointing and dismissive. The floor manager then offered to look for leftover Christmas gift bags as an alternative. She eventually returned with an old-looking gift bag that was not suitable for a Mother’s Day gift presentation.

I find it extremely concerning that such a large Woolworths branch would run out of gift wrap so early in the day, especially on the weekend before Mother’s Day. What made the experience even more frustrating was visiting Woolworths at Maponya Mall the following day for a return, where there was an abundance of gift wrapping stock available.

I was informed by the Clearwater branch that they are only allocated a limited amount of wrapping paper. Whether this is true or not, the overall experience and lack of customer care I received at Clearwater Mall was disappointing and far below the standard I have come to expect from Woolworths.

I hope this matter can be addressed to improve customer experience in future, especially during important occasions where services like gift wrapping form part of the shopping experience