Charlie Smith
A SPANISH supermarket has provoked a national argument after denying entry to a man one minute before closing time, but then apologising.
The man, known as Telito, tried to enter an Alcampo store at 21:59, but was shocked to be turned away, as it was due to shut at 22:00.
He then wrote about his experience, at the shop in Madrid, online, where he vowed he would ‘never return’ to Alcampo.
Following the incident, which happened last week, he added: “I never imagined they would be so unmotivated to sell.”
But the supermarket giant has since issued an apology, surprising many, as people are often turned away from businesses just before closing time.
“Hello Telito, we apologise for this situation that you mention to us, it has been an error and we are very sorry for the inconvenience that may have been caused,” a statement from the retailer read.
It added: “We have sent the complaint to the store to prevent it from happening again.”
The events prompted a fierce debate online, with more people appearing to side with Alcampo.
One user wrote: “The client is not always right and in this case certainly NOT.
“You have all day to go shopping, so do not come at the last minute.
“Also, learn to plan your life. What’s so necessary to buy at 10:00 at night?”
Another added: “You have to be very s**tty to do that, but, the human being never ceases to amaze us.”
But others defended the customer, saying, “If Alcampo closes at 10 o’clock, for me, it means that you can enter until 10 o’clock.”
Having been a shop owner you can stay open till midnight and there will always be an inconsiderate, no brain idiot who will try to enter one minute before midnight. Alcampo apologised to keep the peace and stop the comments in social media.