The kind visitors to Plus in Bedum are being forced to use shopping trolleys
Translated by Alexis Veenendaal
“We work so hard. If a customer gets angry, then something breaks in us,” explains Jeanette Rozema. She is an employee of the Plus supermarket in Bedum. Three of her colleagues were so insulted this week that they shed tears.
“Those people got angry because they can only go into the store with a shopping cart. That system is designed to keep people 1.5 meters apart. It is for their own safety and ours. It is not acceptable that they get angry because of this,” says Rozema.
From this week, all supermarket customers must use a cart due to the Coronavirus outbreak. The Central Food Trade Agency (CBL) has imposed this measure on all supermarkets nationwide.
The neighbourhood supermarket in Bedum is 1,100 square meters. There are a hundred shopping carts available, which is also the maximum number of customers allowed in the store.
“Not all customers seem to want to follow these measures. Most people react positively and understand it. But, there are a few who get angry,” says Rozema.
Rozema (understandably) thinks it is unreasonable for people to get angry. “We’ve been working really hard to keep the shelves filled. When you have to deal with an angry customer, it’s understandable that you will feel overwhelmed and emotional,” says Rozema.
After these incidents, a worker has now been placed near the shopping carts to clean them and to provide each customer with a cart.
The supermarket owner has been made aware of who the angry customers are. If they still do not follow the rules, they will be banned from shopping.
Image: a Plus supermarket in Delft. Via Wikimedia user M.Minderhoud/Michiel1972. License here.
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