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t goes without saying that one of the reasons why women prefer to shop in department stores is because they offer comfort and security to shoppers. Stores provide the comfort of comparing branded goods at one'€™s own pace in a cool and attractive environment. Add to this a sense of security, and the store then becomes a haven that people visit regularly and where they enjoy spending time.

This can no longer be said of stores like the one in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta. A recent incident, where my daughter lost a wallet from her handbag while in the store, brought to light not only the crass inefficiency of its staff and security systems, but also the uncaring attitude and lack of professionalism of its management.

Undoubtedly, pickpockets are always at large in crowded areas, like traditional markets, but this is the first instance of one in a mostly empty store who no one noticed, so that he or she could get away scot free! Further, the security men on duty told my daughter point blank that the CCTV network was not working, so they could not assist in any way.

Later, I made a written complaint and demanded to meet the manager of the store. The manager on duty arrived in a leisurely way 20 minutes late, and handled the whole interview in a bored and unhelpful manner. While he did apologize, he did nothing to find out exactly where and at what time the incident happened, nor did he offer any words of sympathy or understanding if only in the interest of public relations. Had he heard many such complaints before? His only explanation was that the CCTV system hadn'€™t been working for the past month!

Such are the advantages that a shopping mall has to offer '€” no security at all while shopping, and a singularly unhelpful management and staff. It would be interesting to find out just how many others have suffered in a similar way while shopping there and exactly why the store feels that customer satisfaction and security is not of the prime importance.

Sumani Betty
Jakarta