Woolworths? Managers opinion comes first, not the customer

Re: Horrible management from Sidwell Daniels (Waterstone Woolworths in Cape Town)

Today I had a terrible experience at your Waterstone branch.

Walking through the isle I noticed your newly laid out seeds shelf, and proceeded to take a pic for. my wife to let her know of the great range of products (happy to share the pic with you) when a voice shouted loudly at me.. "huh uh, you not allowed to take photos here"

I said excuse me? where does it say that... and from here we went back and forth.

Now Woolworths, before you think about your 'our policy response', the easy response would have been, sir, I noticed you took a pic there, can I perhaps let you know about our policy etc. ...not shouting huh uh, no photos allowed here.

I then did not back down, asking him where are his rules? Went back and forth, he got louder, and I got louder. My mother who was with me in the shop, having worked in retail for 20 years, told me she never heard a manager go back and forth with a customer, this confrontational ever. She said its unheard that manager argues with a customer.

A role of a manager is to facilitate the customers experience, listen to their thoughts and provide solutions, not speak in a arrogant threatening tone to why what you are doing is wrong, and then speak to you in . dismissive tone like your opinion does not matter.

In a digital age where people share everything via images, where you advertise your products and stores, where sharing an experience with one of your products, be it the actual product or design, should be something you should be proud of. Why can't I share a pic of your products?

My mother told me he spoke in the same tone to the staff packing the shelves, speaking rudely to them.

I told him he was embarrassing himself, at no point was he willing to hear what the customer had to say, just continuing to dismiss me saying its fine, its ok and mouthing off things, till one of his colleagues had to shush him up and put her hand on his arm to calm him down. Just because I did not back down to his arrogance. I told him I would take it further and his response was, in a 'I don't care tone' "go ahead, ja go and complain"

If you are going to argue with a customer, then at least know your own rules, know the values of your organisation, use your experience to find the best outcome for this situation, not continue to shout at a customer.

All his staff stood around a laughed, as I explained to them what happened they actual nodded their heads agreeing.

At this point, I am disgusted with Woolworths, and its sad that a brand can get affected by one persons action, but he acted in Woolworths stead as a manager, as a person that would have received training in your values and customer experience, and a person, I as a customer do not believe should be interacting with customers with such arrogance. He actually attacked me, and just today he attacked the wrong person.

It take such for me to complain, but this pushed me over the edge

Very very disappointed Woolworths customer