Unfriendly sale

To compound our misery, my favourite supermarket right across the road from our house, has been bought over and the new owners have hiked up the prices of everything and anything in their store. 

Which is fine, I mean, how can I argue with their personal business decision? But what gets me mad, and continues to give me a steady rise in blood pressure is their manner of doing so. 

The consistent theme in this brand-new store is the total lack of customer care; the concept is not understood somehow. All their salespeople have the same mindset, and it is as if they are obliging us by providing the goods. The fact that we pay exorbitant amounts of money to procure them simply escapes their notice.

Where “consumer is always right” philosophy is not assured what can one expect but continual bad service? I will recount one incident for you, dear readers, and you can judge for yourself. 

A week ago I went there to buy some groceries and picked up a packet of lentils. The price tag read one figure but when I went to pay for it at the cash till, the machine announced four times the amount! For that one item! 

We could not believe our eyes, the lady cashier as well as me. She swiped the packet again, and the result was also the same: JD2 on the packet and JD8 on the tiny computer screen. 

After complaining to the storeowner, an irritable man on a wheelchair, he proceeded to explain the error. Apparently, the price of the commodity had been raised and recorded on the computer software but had simultaneously not been increased on the labels of the products. 

Now, whose fault was that? Why should the buyer be made to pay for this oversight on the part of the mismanaged shop? I lost my temper and got into a heated argument. After much quarrelling, my overcharged money was returned to me, so I went back somewhat placated. 

If it were any other country my entire shopping would have been compensated. Client wooing strategies were different there. But in this shop such pampering of the consumer was unheard of. If anything, they were ready to chase me off their grounds. 

By now, a seed of doubt had settled in my head, and I simply could not shake it off. Supposing I had not noticed this swindling and deception on my own, would I have been cheated time and again? Perhaps yes, but did the management care? I don’t think so. 

Yesterday, I went back again, to pick up a shampoo. The manager they had recently hired was rude, obnoxiously so. What was the problem, said the voice in my head? Why was he so disinclined towards being pleasant?

The purchase I made was once more wrongly marked. Actually, it was not even marked but was placed on a shelf where it was not supposed to be. And the rack where it belonged had other, latest versions of the brand, which were at a higher price. 

I figured that out, but since there was no price-sticker on it, I was made to wait while they went and manufactured a new one. The person-in-charge did not have an apology to offer. He just snatched the JD10 note from my hand. And then thrust the pack at me.

I just wish I had pushed the shopping trolley over his right foot.