HYDERABAD: Day after a customer - Akoijam Sunita from Manipur - took to Twitter and accused the Ikea-Hyderabad staff of racism, the multinational chain responded by saying that the checks were part of "mandatory billing protocol". On Monday, Telangana minister K T Rama Rao also highlighted the "appalling and absolutely unacceptable" incident and asked Ikea to issue a "proper apology". He appealed to them to "sensitise and train" their staff to respect all customers graciously.
Akoijam alleged that she was singled out, frisked, and checked at the exit counter post billing, while all other shoppers were allowed to leave the store. "We had completed billing at the self-checkout counter but at the exit a staff member stopped me. As a practice I had kept my bill ready, but she took me and my trolley to the side and opened my bags to check each item. It felt like very odd behaviour because so many people ahead of us and after us but nobody else was put through such a procedure," Akoijam said.
The issue escalated when she and her family were allegedly confronted by security staff. "When we tried to tell them that it was wrong to corner one person who looks different from the rest, the staff, instead of explaining or apologising engaged in an exchange of words which prompted us to call the police."
But even the cops, who arrived 30 minutes later, did not provide any relief, added her husband. "It wasn't the incident itself but their reaction to our questions that was more inappropriate. The Ikea senior executives said they are looking into the matter."
In a series of tweets on social media, Ikea India stated that it condemns all forms of racism and prejudice. "As a process, customers who self-checkout are requested for a final check before leaving the store to ensure the billing is correct and customers do not face any problems regarding double charging, repeat scanning of products etc."