Situation could have been handled better, says Randy

The proprietor of Randy’s Supermarket regrets the method used to remove an unruly customer from his business place last weekend.

“I am really sorry it had to come to that. It had to be done, but I am sorry about the way it was done,” Randy Kennedy told SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday.

Social media erupted in outrage last weekend, after a video of a man boxing a woman and dragging her out of the supermarket surfaced online.

The video was filmed at the Lower Bay Street location of Randy’s Supermarket.

Kennedy, who said he was not at the supermarket when the incident occurred, said his investigations revealed that the customer became agitated when she was told by the cashier that the $10 food voucher she presented was insufficient to pay for goods she had picked up, valued at about $28.

He said the customer, who is well known to his staff, became very agitated and started cursing and seemed bent on destroying the supermarket.

“The woman was spitting, and attempting to scratch and bite those trying to restrain her,” Kennedy stated.

He said the woman’s behaviour was so outrageous, she was put out of the supermarket three times within the space of a few minutes, one of these times by a customer.

In the video a man is seen wrestling with the woman; she then falls to the floor and he attempts to move her out of the way by pushing her legs to the side. The woman then gets up and attempts to slap the man, who in turn slaps her, after which she tries to hit him with her shoe.

The woman is then seen being dragged from the supermarket by what appears to be another customer. She then returns inside and customers could be seen scampering.

The customer disappears off camera for about 40 seconds, after which she is seen being pushed from the supermarket by yet another man.

After one minute she comes back into the supermarket and could be seen in a heated conversation with a third man, after which she tries to walk further into the supermarket.

A fourth man is seen trying to grab her hand, but fails to do so, after which she then turns around and could be seen flailing her hands at him, before he boxes her to the ground. He then holds her by one foot and drags her out of the building.

Kennedy said although his security guard is trained, in this instance he did not respond appropriately, which the security guard himself acknowledges and regrets.

The proprietor said, based on the customer’s erratic, threatening behaviour, the supermarket doors should have been closed after she was put out the first time.

“I think they took her for granted because she is a woman.”

He said had he been there, things would have been handled differently.

“My strategy is to get them out fast and if anything, let it happen outside.”

Last weekend was not the first time there had been such disorderly conduct at his supermarket and the proprietor questions why such people are attracted to his establishment.

“A lot of people, for some reason, I don’t know, seem to vent their anger at Randy’s.”

Kennedy, however, said his security staff would be reminded yet again about what is expected of them and how situations like those should be handled.