UNNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOUR FROM COUNTRY ROAD CASHIER NAMED LULU IN CAVENDISH SQUARE CAPE TOWN

I am writing to report an audacious and unpleasant encounter that my wife, Zukiswa Kaloli, experienced with a Woolworths staff member at Claremont Cavendish Square Mall. The incident occurred on Tuesday, January 30th, at approximately 5 pm. On this day, my wife had means of exchanging a new Country Road Blouse, that had never been worn, for something else, and also exchange a T-shirt of mine, also Country Road, that had been damaged due to colour discolouration. The t-shirt had been washed once, and the colours blended which led to discolouration and damage to the colour of the t-shirt. The Cashier who had been helping my wife called the manager for assistance. With the manager, a short and coloured male, there was some resistance and an argument between my wife and the manager, because he was refusing to make the exchanges. My wife then explained to them Woolworth’s policy, in detail, as if the staff members did not know their policy. The policy of both Woolworths Group and Country Road Group states that if a customer does not have proof of purchase, and that the clothing is new and has a tag, they must receive a gift card or make an exchange for something else. Besides that, my T-shirt garment had been damaged and it isn’t my fault but the fault of the company’s material. The manager then agreed to make the exchanges only because he was embarrassed that my wife told him, in front of a female white customer, that Woolworth’s staff members seem to change the policy when it comes to black customers, and seem to only apply their policy when it comes to their white customers. It’s a pity that my wife was granted the exchanges out of embarrassment and not because the policy allows her to. In exchange for my damaged T-shirt, I went and searched for a new T-shirt within the same price range, when I went back to the till, I was told that the manager had clocked off, and went home to authorise my T-shirt. In his place, a black young lady, who turned out to be an ill-mannered, derogatory, audacious young lady replaced him. The cashier notified her that the previous manager had approved the exchanges of both articles, but she had a rude attitude, and she told my wife that next time she would NOT exchange anything for wife if she did not have any proof of payment, though it was her first time seeing me and my wife, and assisting us. She said that in a condescending tone, and in a tone that depicted that she owned Woolworths. I and my family have been a proud customer of Woolworths and Country Road group for many years, way before she ever worked for Country Road. She didn’t seem to care about her attitude or tone as well as how it affected us- as long as she received her pay- right? She didn’t care whether Woolworths and Country Road lost customers or not, as long as she received her pay. I have my own company, and I wouldn’t want to lose any customers, or as little money as a twenty rand because that is enough to buy bread for my family. She was very rude, abrupt, and vulgar, because when my wife would raise her voice and argue, she would raise her voice too, and she always had a response. When we were leaving the store, in a high-pitched and mockery tone and voice, she said “BYEEEE” to my wife, after their argument. This shows that she is very ill-mannered and she was mocking my wife and the whole situation as if- again- she owned Woolworths. Wednesday morning, following the encounter with this cheeky young lady, my wife called the Woolworths store in Cavendish, seeking the name of this unknown vulgar young lady. My wife continued to describe her, as she wasn’t aware of her name, and the phone was handed to her, the rude young black lady from the day before. She then greeted her and asked if she was the one helping her the day before, the graceless lady agreed that it was indeed her, and when my wife asked for her name, she refused to give her name and surname, but said she’d give her the name on her tag, which was “Lulu”. She was rude in the way that when asked for her name she refused to give her name, and she still had an appalling and unpleasant attitude. My wife then instructed her to end the call because she was SO RUDE and Lulu refused to end the call stating that my wife was the one who called and that she should drop the phone, again in an unpleasant tone. My wife then asked for her manager, and she was shortly put on hold for a long time until my wife dropped her phone after a long period of waiting. Lulu did that on purpose and had never called her manager as instructed. She as a staff member of Woolworths is very rude, ill-mannered, and *********** in her job. Please do something about this, as Woolworths and Country Road Group will lose many customers because of her cheeky attitude and presence. We will continue to look into this issue, as we are not happy about this encounter, at all.

Regards Selone Kaloli