xprincessx
Mum to 5 beauties <3
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2010
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To whom it may concern,
I am e-mailing you to inform you of the unfair and embarrassing treatment I have recently received in your Hedge End store.
I am a 19 year old mother whose partner works Monday to Friday. This means that during the week I have no choice but to go to the store by myself. My son is only 13 months old and he is not yet walking which leaves me no choice but to take him in the pushchair. Taking the pushchair makes me unable to carry a basket at the same time so if I have to purchase something I put the items on the top of the pushchair hood where it is open and clearly visible for everybody in the store to see. I then immediately go to the checkout and when I reach the checkout I remove the items from the pushchair hood and put them directly onto the checkout counter. It is clear for all to see at this point that there are no more items on the pushchair. I then pay and leave the store.In the past 3 weeks I have been in your Hedge End store 3 times with the pushchair. The first time I went into the store I went with my partner, so he picked up a basket to carry around whilst I pushed the pushchair. We went to the new toy aisle to have a look at some christmas presents for our son. We chose two items and put them straight into the basket which my partner was carrying. At this point I noticed two staff members (Pearl Wellman and Benjamin Lewis) were stood at the top of the aisle looking down at us and whispering to each other. I did not think much of this at the time so I carried on looking at toys for my niece. After about two minutes my partner left me looking in the toy aisle whilst he went to look at books. At this time Benjamin Lewis followed my partner to the books whilst Pearl Wellman continued watching me. I felt something was going on and began to feel very uncomfortable so I went to get my partner so we could go and purchase our items and leave, which we did.
The 2nd time I went into the store was on Saturday the 26th of November. My partner came with me to the store this time as well. This time, as soon as we entered the store Benjamin Lewis was stood within view so spotted us immediately. We went in various aisles having a look round when we noticed that Benjamin Lewis and another male employee whose name I am not aware of were stood at the end of the aisle yet again watching us, very indiscreetly and making it obvious. Benjamin, in particular, was stood at the end of the aisle with his arms folded directly staring at us. I felt very intimidated by this so had to leave the store without making the purchases I wanted to make.
That night I went home and informed my mother of the previous two occurences. She assured me it was probably my imagination and it could not be anything serious as I know I have done no wrong. But my mother said she would come with me to the store and see for herself whether I was being paranoid or not. My mother waited outside when I went into the store. I went in with the pushchair and as soon as I entered the female member of staff on the checkout called for employees to come to the shop floor. I went to look at the drinks aisle. After about one minute my mother entered the store. At this time no staff members had come onto shop floor so they were called a second time. My mother was half way up the aisle when four male members of staff came to the bottom of the aisle and started watching me. I felt this very uncomfortable and intimidating because they were all male and I did not feel there was any need for all of them to watch me. Upon my mothers request I went into different aisles, each time being followed by the staff with no explanation. My mother had seen enough and realised it was not my imagination so she confronted the staff. As soon as my mother went up to them, one of the staff members went from the situation, leaving three members of staff standing there. My mother asked why I was being followed around the store and Benjamin Lewis replied with "She has been known to shop lift" I was absolutely gobsmacked when I heard him say those words. I have never once been accused of shop lifting, nor have I ever been searched or let alone actually stolen something. Benjamin Lewis also said that I am being followed because of putting items on the hood of the pushchair. This is something I have been doing in every store since the birth of my son and never in my life have I been degraded so much that I felt I needed to leave a store because of discomfort. I have seen many mothers putting items on the top of the pushchair in around the Hedge End store and it does not seem to be a problem for them. I have even seen elderly ladies putting items in there shopping trolleys from home which they then take out when they get to the checkout but they are never followed or approached.
I have been going in this store my whole life and I feel deeply saddened that I have been made to feel like a criminal and that all the staff members and customers who saw the employees watching me believe that I am a thief. I have never stolen a thing in my life and have never been accused of such. I feel I have been singled out as I am a teenage mother. I feel extremely let down by this store and the indiscreet attitude from the employees, most of whom I have either been to school with or known from the store for years. I believed this store to be very family orientated until this incident occured. I am not prepared to use this store in future due to the humiliation and discomfort I have been made to feel.
I look forward to hearing how you will resolve this issue to ensure it does not happen to other mothers in the future.
Yours sincerely,
Janet Keith
I am e-mailing you to inform you of the unfair and embarrassing treatment I have recently received in your Hedge End store.
I am a 19 year old mother whose partner works Monday to Friday. This means that during the week I have no choice but to go to the store by myself. My son is only 13 months old and he is not yet walking which leaves me no choice but to take him in the pushchair. Taking the pushchair makes me unable to carry a basket at the same time so if I have to purchase something I put the items on the top of the pushchair hood where it is open and clearly visible for everybody in the store to see. I then immediately go to the checkout and when I reach the checkout I remove the items from the pushchair hood and put them directly onto the checkout counter. It is clear for all to see at this point that there are no more items on the pushchair. I then pay and leave the store.In the past 3 weeks I have been in your Hedge End store 3 times with the pushchair. The first time I went into the store I went with my partner, so he picked up a basket to carry around whilst I pushed the pushchair. We went to the new toy aisle to have a look at some christmas presents for our son. We chose two items and put them straight into the basket which my partner was carrying. At this point I noticed two staff members (Pearl Wellman and Benjamin Lewis) were stood at the top of the aisle looking down at us and whispering to each other. I did not think much of this at the time so I carried on looking at toys for my niece. After about two minutes my partner left me looking in the toy aisle whilst he went to look at books. At this time Benjamin Lewis followed my partner to the books whilst Pearl Wellman continued watching me. I felt something was going on and began to feel very uncomfortable so I went to get my partner so we could go and purchase our items and leave, which we did.
The 2nd time I went into the store was on Saturday the 26th of November. My partner came with me to the store this time as well. This time, as soon as we entered the store Benjamin Lewis was stood within view so spotted us immediately. We went in various aisles having a look round when we noticed that Benjamin Lewis and another male employee whose name I am not aware of were stood at the end of the aisle yet again watching us, very indiscreetly and making it obvious. Benjamin, in particular, was stood at the end of the aisle with his arms folded directly staring at us. I felt very intimidated by this so had to leave the store without making the purchases I wanted to make.
That night I went home and informed my mother of the previous two occurences. She assured me it was probably my imagination and it could not be anything serious as I know I have done no wrong. But my mother said she would come with me to the store and see for herself whether I was being paranoid or not. My mother waited outside when I went into the store. I went in with the pushchair and as soon as I entered the female member of staff on the checkout called for employees to come to the shop floor. I went to look at the drinks aisle. After about one minute my mother entered the store. At this time no staff members had come onto shop floor so they were called a second time. My mother was half way up the aisle when four male members of staff came to the bottom of the aisle and started watching me. I felt this very uncomfortable and intimidating because they were all male and I did not feel there was any need for all of them to watch me. Upon my mothers request I went into different aisles, each time being followed by the staff with no explanation. My mother had seen enough and realised it was not my imagination so she confronted the staff. As soon as my mother went up to them, one of the staff members went from the situation, leaving three members of staff standing there. My mother asked why I was being followed around the store and Benjamin Lewis replied with "She has been known to shop lift" I was absolutely gobsmacked when I heard him say those words. I have never once been accused of shop lifting, nor have I ever been searched or let alone actually stolen something. Benjamin Lewis also said that I am being followed because of putting items on the hood of the pushchair. This is something I have been doing in every store since the birth of my son and never in my life have I been degraded so much that I felt I needed to leave a store because of discomfort. I have seen many mothers putting items on the top of the pushchair in around the Hedge End store and it does not seem to be a problem for them. I have even seen elderly ladies putting items in there shopping trolleys from home which they then take out when they get to the checkout but they are never followed or approached.
I have been going in this store my whole life and I feel deeply saddened that I have been made to feel like a criminal and that all the staff members and customers who saw the employees watching me believe that I am a thief. I have never stolen a thing in my life and have never been accused of such. I feel I have been singled out as I am a teenage mother. I feel extremely let down by this store and the indiscreet attitude from the employees, most of whom I have either been to school with or known from the store for years. I believed this store to be very family orientated until this incident occured. I am not prepared to use this store in future due to the humiliation and discomfort I have been made to feel.
I look forward to hearing how you will resolve this issue to ensure it does not happen to other mothers in the future.
Yours sincerely,
Janet Keith
I'd be mortified if that happened to me 
