Kmart shopper appalled by post-lockdown ‘savages’: ‘Lack of respect’
A mother dismayed to find an aisle in what looks to be a Kmart store completely trashed has questioned if people have "forgotten basic etiquette".
Dr Sara Marzouk wrote a scathing post on Facebook, which will likely resonate with anyone working in retail or the hospitality industry.
"Have we turned into savages in lockdown? Have we forgotten basic etiquette?" she wrote.
"Has our sense of entitlement grown so much that we think we can do whatever we want?"
Photos show different aisles, with clothes, shoes, bags and hangers cluttered on the floor, instead of hanging.
Dr Marzouk explained she had gone to her local shopping centre to get socks for her daughter and was "dismayed" at the disregard some shoppers have for retail staff.
'Complete lack of respect' for Kmart staff
"There is no reason for what I’ve photographed below other than a complete lack of respect," she said.
"Respect of the staff and respect of customers."
However, she noted this level of mess isn't just apparent in retail.
She said the way some people leave their tables at a hospitality venue could leave you thinking "they grew up dining with orangutans at the zoo".
"Maybe I’m the weird one, but just because I’m eating out it doesn’t mean that I’m entitled to leave an almighty mess for wait staff to clean," she wrote.
"Some might consider it their right given that they pay a goods and services tax when dining out. But the fact is that your rights won’t ever trump good manners and common decency."
Judging by the comments, Dr Marzouk is certainly not the "weird one", with many other people saying they too were appalled by the mess.
Facebook users slam 'mind boggling' behaviour
"I think you’re right, there seems to be so much self entitlement out there and lack of respect," one person said.
"The fact shops have to have signs up asking people to respect their staff, it's just mind boggling. Who have we become?"
One person who used to work in retail said this level of mess was standard even before the Covid-19 pandemic.
"People would even leave them on the ground as you were trying to pick them up," one person said.
"Now that I’ve left retail, I always still hang clothes back on the hanger or put things away where they came from if I decide not to buy it. It’s just common courtesy and respect."
Another person said they don't plan on going to the shops anytime soon, but they said they always try and lead by example, by returning items to the right shelf and wiping down tables at the food court.
"I’ve even wiped down the floors, collected the dropped food when my kids were younger," they said.
"That’s how I was raised and I expect no less from my kids."
After lockdown lifted in NSW back in October, Kmart stores were left in complete disarray, as shoppers were allowed back in stores.
"This is not how we do shopping," one TikTok video featuring the mess was captioned.
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