Shoprite Checkers review: Appalling service - shoprite dawn park (boksburg)

Good day

I am horrified at the level of customer service we recieved from your store at Shoprite Dawn Park. Last night at approximately 7am my sister, daughter and I visited your store to purchase a few items and after finding what we needed we proceeded to the till points. The queues were long at the tills so I left my sister and my daughter waiting while I walked about looking for a shorter queue and to my luck I found a cashier who was completely vacant and available. I approached the cashier in a friendly manner and asked him if he was available to take payments and after he replied "yes" I asked him to please give me a second to bring my items to him. I then walked just a few steps away from him but still within sight and with a hand wave I signalled my sister to come through to the cashier. To my dismay and while I was signalling my sister the cashier went ahead and assisted somebody else in my place in spite of having told me that he will wait for me. My sister was nearby so it only took her around 5 seconds, maybe lesser, to get to the till point. After being made to wait for our turn in line; when we got to the cashier I asked him very nicely why did he tell me he would wait for me to get my items but then go ahead and help somebody else. His response was rude and abrupt and he said to me that the customer before me had items to pay for so what do I expect him to do. Surprised at his response I said to him but you told me you would wait for me and I was just about 5 seconds and within your sight so why did you do what you did. His response was the same in a very abrupt and rude tone but then I was shocked when he had an audacity to also tell me that I must watch how I speak to him. Naturally I felt offended and upset so I asked him how can he speak to me this way because as a customer my business pays for his salary. He had a smirk on his face and just ignored me. I repeated myself to him but he just ignored me again...I was shocked at his blatant disregard for customer service so I asked him to please call for the manager...

- The manager arrived and instead of acknowledging my presence, greeting me or introducing himself to me he speaks directly to the cashier but he speaks to the cashier in Zulu not English.

- I am not racist in any way but I felt a sense of prejudice seeing as I do not understand Zulu and as such I could not understand a word that was being spoken. I felt the manager was being unprofessional this way and a sense of prejudice.

- After the manager spoke to the cashier he still lacked the common decency, etiquette and professionalism to introduce himself to me...instead I had to stop him while he was speaking to me and ask him for his name and designation to which he said he is Ntokozo the branch manager

- Ntokozo also did not bother to ask me what my issue was as a customer...he just spoke to the cashier and listened to the cashier's side of the story without even asking me for my side and when I asked him how can he be biased this way he replied that he could see what was happening from where he was standing. I find this completely illogical and unprofessional as he still took the time to ask the cashier for his story!

- Ntokozo still failed to apologise and ask me what my side of the story was so I told him to please stop speaking and listen to me.

- I told Ntokozo what his cashier had done and what he said to me and I asked Ntokozo in the context of being a customer who pays the cashier's salary...I was shocked at Ntokozo's response, being a branch manager, when he told me the person that hired the cashier pays his salary...I had to educate Ntokozo that the customer pays everybody's salaries and allows the business to continue thriving.

- It is no wonder why customer service in this store is non existent and leads me to wonder what type of customer service training, if any, was provided for the staff even more so the store manager Ntokozo! One has to lead by example and the cashier's behaviour is a reflection of the store leader's ignorance!

- Ntokozo failed to listen to me as a customer and showed no empathy whatsoever

- Ntokozo kept using Zulu words inbetween whilst speaking to me like "angiti" and "angisho" even after I told him to please speak in English because I don't understand what he is saying and that he wouldn't appreciate it if I spoke to him in a language he doesn't understand.

- No where did Ntokozo apologise for the way I was treated of spoken to by the cashier...in fact it felt as if he was defending the cashier

- Ntokozo was rude, arrogant and abrupt in his manner of approach and the manner in which he spoke to and treated me as a customer.

- I was getting now where with Ntokozo so I told him to please give me the Regional Manager's direct number because I did not wish to speak to Ntokozo any further

- Ntokozo returned after a few minutes and insults my intelligence by giving me a piece of paper with the number for the call centre. He said to me that this is how it works and that I must call the call centre so I said to him if this is the case the let's go call the call centre together. At this point he left me hanging and walked away from me without saying anything so I assumed he went to get a portable phone to call the call centre. After a short while he returned with the same small piece of paper and spoke in Zulu to me saying something to the effect of "nayi number." Once again I had to say to him I don't understand what you are saying to which he replied very abruptly saying "I said here is the number." At this point I was very upset and just turned and walked away from Ntokozo.

The service levels in your store is appalling and pathetic to say the very least! Your staff, especially your Branch Manager, lacks basic customer service etiquette and basic customer relationship management skills. I was made to feel less valued as a customer and as if you were doing me a favour when in fact it was I doing you a favour to support you by spending my hard earned money in your store and not elsewhere! I find the way I was treated and made to feel as a customer in your store totally unacceptable!

Terribly disappointed
Ashveer Sookraj
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