Shopping Experience Rant

Sunday is supposed to be a fun day. It’s for rest, enjoyment with the kids, and some time to prepare for next week. That’s why we decided to get to the supermarket to get supplies. So off we went to Robinsons Supermarket at BigR Junction. It’s the nearest one in our place.

We got some iced tea mix that the kids love, a big can of milk, and some of the usual kitchen items. We also got some cheddar cheese since we were thinking of making grilled pizza that the kids enjoyed. We already got some pizza crust and sauce at home that’s why all we need was sweet ham to top it.

We got all that and other things plus a whole roasted chicken for lunch. We then went to the check out counter. We chose the one with the shortest queue, of course. There was a mother and daughter tandem ahead of us. I decided to take the boys out of the line since they were already getting restless and stayed near the grocery entrance. So my wife had to take care of the purchase. When those ahead of us were done I thought it was only a matter of scanning all our items and paying the bill. I was wrong.

A few minutes later, the girl at the counter was gone. Our items weren’t scanned yet. I asked my wife what was happening and she said she doesn’t know. Just then the counter girl came and was finishing with some credit card receipts. It took some time again before she started scanning our items. When she was done my wife paid half of the amount (milk is quite expensive nowadays) and half paid through her credit card. It was always the same way we did it. Then there was trouble again. The counter girl had already punched the numbers and swiped my wife’s card when she noticed that they were out of thermal paper. Again it was taking the whole process too long. That’s strike two, I said to myself.

There was a guard nearby, so I asked him for the supervisor. It was obvious that the guard heard me since I was about a meter away. But he acted like he didn’t. He turned around, started talking to his radio. I asked him again. He turned to me and asked what the problem is. I said your counter girl hasn’t prepared her things and I’m asking for the supervisor. The guard said it’s their responsibility, not his. That annoyed me. I asked for the supervisor again. He turned away and left. No supervisor came.

There was this bagger boy at the counter. I asked him to get the supervisor since he wasn’t doing anything yet and we were still waiting for the thermal paper. He left and came back still without the supervisor. This is really frustrating. I thought since Robinsons is a BIG corporation, they can build this huge building, put in a security system complete with guards and surveillance cameras, and yet seem to forget one important thing: CUSTOMER SERVICE. It was obvious there wasn’t any.

After some time a small roll of thermal paper came and the counter was able to finish the transaction. And still no supervisor came. I went to their supposed customer service counter and asked for the supervisor. Another girl asked me what’s wrong. I didn’t tell them, I was really getting frustrated. They said they’ve already called the supervisor but it was taking so much time. After a while I gave up. I said I don’t want to get hypertensive on this one. I don’t think their supervisor is going to show up anyway.

I asked the guard at the exit what time it was. He politely said it was 11:25. I said thank you and we left.

If Robinsons, a big corporation, can’t handle this kind of thing then what’s the point of going to their store? I won’t mind if I get this kind of delay at a sari-sari store. Small stores don’t have all the resources that Robinsons has. But at the sari-sari store near our house, the tindera always tries her best not to delay her precious customers. Because that’s us to her, PRECIOUS. So what’s the point of returning to Robinsons? They may be the nearest large retail store, but they’re certainly not the best. I’ll take my purchases somewhere else.