Old footage of an angry woman using swear words at other customers in a Woolworths store has surfaced online, sparking debate over the response of store staff.
The video was filmed by a group of shoppers after a woman became aggressive towards them at the supermarket in Rundle Mall in Adelaide’s CBD in June 2020.
The woman shouted at the group, demanding that they stop filming her.
“You should never film people without permission. Do you understand that at all?” she said.
The man who was filming was heard saying to the woman, “You have to stop,” but the woman walked over to him and yelled back, “You have to stop.”
A Woolworths employee intervened and put her arm between the two, preventing the woman from approaching the group any further. The women shouted, ‘No, get them out.’
An employee then told the man to stop filming the incident.
“It’s private property, you’re not allowed to film here,” she said.
A customer started filming after a woman followed his group into a Woolworths store and cursed at them (aggressive woman is blurred)
The aggressive woman added: “You’re not allowed to fucking film here.”
The man tried to explain to the staff why he was filming.
“She’s aggressive, she’s aggressive,” he said.
‘I have to film to protect you.
‘She follows us and calls us names.’
This further upset the woman and she accused the group of following her ‘on the escalator’.
The man continued filming, causing the woman to become more aggressive.
Other staff members then intervened and again asked the man to stop filming.
Another customer sided with the group, saying the treatment was not “fair.”
The group leaves, but at the self-service checkout you can still hear the woman yelling and cursing at them to get out.
Many Australians were furious that the man was told not to film in the store, instead of telling the aggressive woman to leave the store (Photo from a Woolworths stock photo)
People on social media felt that it was the woman who needed to be escorted out of the store, not the group.
“What a disappointment, Woolworths staff,” one person wrote.
“Why didn’t they ask her to leave?” asked another.
Many Australians were furious that staff asked the man to stop filming instead of confronting the aggressive woman.
“That Woolies employee who says it’s private property and can’t be filmed needs more training before she gets her next paycheck,” one person wrote.
Another added: ‘You can literally film in any store that is open to the public.’
But Australian companies are considered privately owned even if they are open to the public and listed as a public company.
By participating, you agree to the company’s terms and conditions.
Other customers were quick to defend the actions of the Woolworths staff, who acknowledged that the woman’s antisocial behaviour had become worse the more the man filmed.
Australian businesses are considered privately owned and customers must adhere to the terms and conditions set by the store and its staff (pictured is a Woolworths store)
“Anyone in the comments wondering why they’re being asked to stop filming has never heard of de-escalation,” one person wrote.
“They (the man filming) are just making the situation worse,” said another.
A Woolworths spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that staff were “doing their best” to de-escalate the situation.
“We are aware of an incident in 2020 between two customers in a store in Adelaide,” they said.
‘Our store team did everything they could to defuse the conflict under difficult circumstances and then called the police on site.’
Daily Mail Australia has learned that Woolworths has not received any complaints or correspondence from customers since the incident.
No customers or team members were injured.