Pak'nSave apologises after searching customer's bag without permission
A Pak'nSave supermarket in New Zealand has apologized after an employee searched a customer's bag without consent. The customer, who felt humiliated by the public search, rejected a gift card offer and is seeking a formal apology from company leadership.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the tension between retail loss prevention policies and customer privacy rights, sparking a public conversation about respectful treatment in retail environments.
A Pak'nSave in Lower Hutt has apologised to a man who says he and his son were "humiliated" after a store employee searched his bag without permission.
Hamid Ashraf was scanning items at the self-checkout of a Pak'nSave in Lower Hutt last month, when an employee started searching his shopping bag from another store.
He said this was the second time this had happened at the store.
Ashraf asked the staffer why he had done this, especially as he had not even completed his purchase.
Ashraf said the staff member told him that they had the right to check bags.
"I, me and my son, [were] both offended and embarrassed because [there were] so many people on the weekend just watching," Ashraf said.
He added that some of his son's schoolmates were present. He said his son felt "humiliated" when he went back to school.
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