KK Mart staff rue declining sales, scolding over socks controversy

 

Items at convenience store chain KK Mart are arranged by a representative from the supplier, not workers from the outlet, says a store supervisor at its Sunway Mentari shop.

Workers only check whether the stock that arrived corresponds with the number on the invoice, the supervisor said following the controversy over the sale of socks bearing the word Allah.

“The staff on duty will merely check whether the stock that has arrived matches the number stated on the invoice, and indicate accordingly on the documents provided.

“Sometimes, the stocks come in the form of cartons or parcels. We (outlet staff) only check for the number (of packages received) while the rest (sorting and arranging) are done by the supplier,” the staff member, who refused to be identified, told Malaysiakini yesterday.

KK Mart courted backlash last week after images of Miranosock socks bearing the word Allah sold at one of its outlets in Bandar Sunway went viral on social media.

Following the brouhaha, the company apologised for the oversight to its customers and the Muslim community, in particular. They have also stopped selling the product.

The manager of another KK Mart outlet near Sunway Pyramid shared with Malaysiakini about the process involved in the procurement of a product.

Some products, including socks, share the same bar code even though there are different colours and designs, he said.

This, according to the manager, could lead to workers at a store being caught unaware of offensive products that have been purchased.

Lower sales

The socks with the name Allah were reportedly found at several KK Super Mart premises in Petaling Jaya.

Umno Youth has called for a boycott of the convenience store chain despite an apology from the latter. The Batu Pahat-based supplier which supplied the socks, Xin Jian Chang Sdn Bhd, had also apologised over the matter.

Checks by Malaysiakini at three KK Super Mart outlets where the socks were reportedly found revealed declining sales following the boycott call.

The supervisor at the first outlet expressed regret over the controversy the issue has courted.

“The boycott movement has hit us hard. Our daily sales used to average between RM8,000 and RM10,000 (before the controversy) but now, we only get between RM5,000 and RM6,000.

“The fact is, our outlet was not even involved. The ones involved were in Sunway Mentari, where a pair of the (controversial) socks, while the remaining were found at another shop in Bandar Sunway 2 (near Sunway University).”

Another employee of the Sunway Mentari outlet recalled how he was shouted at and scolded by random people who passed by the shop.

“There will be customers lining up to pay at the counter and there will be others outside the shop who shout ‘boycott’,” he lamented.

However, staff at the other two outlets said they did not face such a predicament. - Mkini