A netizen wrote an open letter on Facebook to Havaianas after an unpleasant experience at its Tampines Mall branch.
Mr Hafiz Juremi wrote on Thursday (Sept 29) that a sales staff refused to let his 76-year-old grandmother take a short break by sitting down on the sofa at the outlet because, as the staffer reasoned, “this isnt a store, this is a boutique”.
His post about “such an awful experience” has gone viral, with over 500 people sharing it.
The company has since apologised, reported Stomp on Sept 30. TISG has reached out to both Havaianas and Mr Hafiz for comment.
He wrote that the incident occurred on Sept 28 (Wednesday) at around 6:30 pm. He asked one staffer permission for his grandmother “to take a quick rest from walking” on a sofa at the outlet.
“Your staff turned down my favour by saying ‘will u be long?’ I replied ‘not for long while i get something from Isetan’.
At this point my grandmother was already sitting on the sofa.
I was about to find something at Isetan while my sister has to change her baby diapers and since the toilet was relatively far, we thought it would be nice for my 76 year old grandmother to take a break from walking and use the sofa for a little help,” he added.
The sales staff said, however, that her boss would not allow “such thing to happen in the store,” which greatly surprised Mr Hafiz.
He then went on to tell the staff that he could explain the situation to the boss that his grandmother just needed to sit down while he and his sister left briefly and that he would come back to buy a pair of slippers.
Mr Hafiz also pointed out that the store was empty, and that his “76 year old grandmother wont scare the invisible customer in your store… I dont see why my grandmother couldnt use the sofa for a little help.”
The staffer, however, reportedly refused to back down and told them that the grandmother would be allowed to sit on the sofa “only if u are buying the shoes in my store.”
Mr Hafiz then asked why this rule had been set and who implemented it.
“She then gave me the worst reason i have ever heard ‘because this isnt a store, this is a boutique,’” he wrote.
“Really?! Even CHARLES & KEITH will allow us to sit on the sofa even if we are just trying on their product. Let alone i do think Crocs will even allow an elderly to take a sit on their sofa even if she is not going to buy any of their products,” he added.
The woman allegedly continued to show negative behaviour, “totally being disrespectful and stomp(ing) her feet into the back room,” as well as saying “ahh annoying” about the situation.
When Mr Hafiz asked to speak to a manager, she told him she was the manager of the store, which surprised him, as she did not show “any humanity and empathy, especially to an elderly.”
He said his grandmother limped out of the Havaianas branch, but fortunately found a place to rest at an “FNB outlet opposite Cotton On,” where she was graciously offered a chair “for as long as she need so she’d be able to have the energy and walk again. Or at least go home.”
Mr Hafiz added that his grandmother apologised to the Havaianas’ staff, but he feels that the company owes her an apology.
“In fact apologising wont even repay the damage uve done to my grandmother mother, an elderly!
Really wished she could do some help but to my advice if anyone of u wished to sit on Havaianas and not planning to buy any of their product, pls dont because the only help u get is humiliation.
So to the staff at Tampines Havainas if u think u wanna call yourself a ‘boutique’ u might wanna reconsider that!” /TISG