Below is the content of an email I sent to Asda on Monday. Followed by the response I have had to date yesterday.
Good Afternoon
I have just returned from shopping at your store in Dunstable and subsequently feel the need to write a letter of complaint.
On approaching the store, presuming it had a Covid Safe plan in place, I put my mask on and looked for an indication of what double doorset was being used for access. This was not easy to establish as there was no signage, no barriers or any form of demarcation to indicate this. Additionally most people were clearly using the same doorset for both access and egress causing clear congestion. Further observation made me determine that that set of doors was most likely meant to be the exit and I then entered through the other set of doors where inside there was a hand sanitiser and and cleaner for trollies station in place. As I used the sanitiser station I realised that as a consequence of the general public not knowing where the entrance was they were not sanitising as they entered through the exit doors.
This led me to approach the security guard who was positioned at a pedestal approx 20-30 feet inside the exit doors and I asked him a) does the store have a Covid Safe plan in place? b) could he advise me what it is? He responded by telling me he had never heard of it. I followed up by asking him if he had been briefed on the Covid Safe plan by the stores management, he told me he hadn't and advise me to go to the Customer Service desk where they may be able to help.
I went to the Customer Service desk and asked the same questions, the only answer I got was "we cant force them to wear masks". When I informed I was not referring to what the public were doing but more in regards to what the store, its management and its staff were doing I was told I would need to talk to a manager, so I asked to see a manager.
The manager arrived and I asked the same questions. The manager seemingly could not tell me what the Covid Safe plan was but instead asked me to highlight my concerns to him. I therefore explained and pointed out the access and egress issue, the lack of signage or demarcation and advised him that if the store does have a Covid Safe plan it was totally failing at the very place where it should be clear and transparent, namely the entrance. Anything else (floor stickers) becomes totally meaningless and ineffectual. As I was speaking to him the problem was being clearly observed with people entering via the exit, this included 2 staff members identifiable by there uniform. He told me he would sort it.
As I was walking round the isles the manager made a point of catching up with me to inform me he had had a word with the security guard who he had determined should be turning people away as they approach the exit to enter the store. I advised him it seemed unfair to lay the blame with the security guard and reminded him of the total absence of any signage or demarcation at the store entrance leaving the public with no idea what they should be doing or where they should be going.
This experience left me with the following thoughts and opinions
1. If the store has a Covid Safe Plan it is totally ineffective
2. If the store does have a Covid Safe plan then the management and staff either have no awareness of it, do not understand it and are in no way conversant on it.
3. Staff have clearly not been briefed on any Covid Safe plan or Risk Assessment that may be in place
4. There is a lack of sanitising at the store
5. The responsible people for this store are putting the general public, the store staff and themselves at risk, including those who may be more vulnerable to infection.
I may pass by to see if the situation improves but needless to say I shall not return to this store.
Please also be assured, I am 56 years of age and I have no recollection of writing a letter of complaint before, so you are not dealing with a serial complainer here. Simply a customer who was concerned by the very sloppy approach from this store during the current pandemic, which thankfully is not the general case with supermarkets.
Regards
Response
Hi
Thank you for your email to Roger Burnley.
I’m writing to let you know we’ve received your email, we’re currently investigating and one of our colleagues will be in touch as soon as possible.
Kind regards
Will be interesting to see what the reply is