I had to get electricity today so headed down to my friendly neighbourhood Checkers, and surprise surprise, it just seems to get worser and worser. The local Nigerian drug dealers seem to love it though, so at least someone’s happy.
Anyone who lives in the area and has been in to this branch more than once or twice will know exactly what I’m talking about when I say that it’s possibly the worst store in town.
I used to live down the road from Checkers in Gardens a year or so back, and walked past their delivery entrance on my way to work. A highlight was once seeing a whole bunch of crates filled with fresh (well, they had been fresh anyway) vegetables fall off the back of the truck, which were promptly packed back into the crates and taken into the store.
You have to be crazy to buy any of their ready-made sandwiches or meals, and it’s rare to buy salad or vegetable packs that don’t have a rotten bit or two. The aisles have no markers, and unless you’ve been there often enough to know how the place is set out, you will wander around for a while before you can find anything.
Of course the real kicker is their wonderful staff. A while ago, it must have been over Christmas season last year, they set up survey thingies where the till staff were prompted to ask customers questions like, did you have a good experience and so on… which they flat out ignored. Tourists especially love the vibe there, almost every time I’m in there I see them having big fights with the staff.
Another reason I hate the place is that I invariably run into the creepy old caretaker who used to manage the hell hole I lived in, who is crazy, annoying and a dirty old man to boot, and does not bring back good memories at all – I still get flashbacks from that mad house.
The craziest thing is that despite it being the worst supermarket in the area, it’s also the closest and the easiest, so I continue to go there. Guess it’s just one of those places we love to hate!
Also watch out for the green chicken breasts. tasty.
the best is when you engage the staff with ‘how are you’ and ‘hows the day going’ friendliness. the answers I receive are generally along the lines of ‘what?, huh?, grunt, tired, bored, I hate this godforsaken place, controoooller, go away’.
Nice.
Yuk – it is awful that they seem to have such a good location and just sabotage their own business! I suppose as long as you just buy the essentials and nothing that you have to eat – it should be okay!
Can you say ‘salmonella’? LOL
You think Checkers is bad, the Kloof Street Spa used to really have the ultimate service before the new owner took over. You would go there to find empty shelves, the cashiers were stealing from the till and customers were walking out left right and centre in total outrage at the rudeness of the cashiers.
So maybe we should appreciate Checkers a bit more! Or, maybe I should haul ass down to P ‘n P in Gardens Centre and save myself the bad service and crappy products, dunno, lol.
I say INTERNET SHOPPING!I have yet to actually try it myself – I can’t quite get myself to commit when it comes time to confirm your order and pay! I also hate going to the mall over weekends – I usually walk out of there with the mentality of a mass murderer, hauling bags and bags of utter crap – so I think Internet Shopping might just save my soul!
Hehehe, I have often been tempted to order chocolate and wine online in times of desperation. Never actually get around to it, but used to order supplies online when I was an office manager slash PR assistant year and year ago…
I hated the job with a passion, but I did enjoy online shopping! It’s such a novelty, really fun and rewarding and takes all the grunt work out. Only downside is that if they don’t have an item on your list in stock, they can give you ‘next best option’.
Try it though, it’s totally worth it!
It never fails … after all these years, I still find it pretty amusing that the Capetonians “buy” electricity xD
Why, don’t you have pre-paid electricity in Jhb?
I had normal electricity bills at one flat only, and it was HELL. From setting the damn thing up to waiting 6 months to get first bill and then having to pay a huge lump sum… would much rather buy some pre-paid power and be done with it!
To be honest … first time i heard a Capetonian say they going to Checkers to “buy power” I literally thought of a person returning from the shop with a large Checkers bag full of power hahah… errr no .. Jozi’s do not know the concept or pre-payed powa haha
Paid* …. ohhh help me help me my spell check failed!
That’s insane, how come you people haven’t caught on to the concept yet?
It makes life so much easier, bills are so last decade!
Having to worry about buying power like airtime sounds like a hassle lol
I would worry more about waiting 6 to 8 months about getting the electricity in my name, and then getting bills each month. And then the real fun begins when you move again and try and get the account closed!
Been there, done that and no thank you – I’d rather just go down to Checkers and stock up for a month or two and be done with it.
Then again, I’m very anti-debt – I don’t have a credit card, I have top up cellphone contract and the only accounts I have are my iBurst and Teljoy ones.