PAK'nSAVE Taupō — Local services in North Island

The WORST experience I have ever had in a grocery store. We were 4 ppl buying some groceries and wine for our BBQ. Once we got to the cashier he called one of his colleagues because he needed a passport to confirm that we were over 18. Ok, we understand the policy and the law. So when his colleage came she was rude and very fancy when speaking to us. She told us she needed a passport to confirm we were over 18. Any non NZ ID card, driving license or detail won't work. We are actually are 25,28,28 and 32 years old lads, so that's crazy. Anyways, we didn't have it so we told them we would pick one up at home and drive back to pay the stuff. She didn't say a word more.

We got back to the grocery store and go to show our passports to one of the "managers". She was VERY RUDE and her attitude against us was pretty awful. She told us she couldn't accept that because we didn't have all the pasaports. Her colleague(the half Malaysian) just told us to grab some passports, not ALL of Them; so we just grabbed 2 of them. That didn't work, she explained us in a very rude way that she can't accept just two passports. We were in a group so that didn't work for her. RUDE, SELFISH, IMPOLITE, BAD MANNERS... the Indian "manager" made us leave our 200$ groceries there. She told us at the end that we could still buy the food (and leave there the alcohol of course), so when my HUbby told her that he didn't got his passport so he won't buy anything. We wished her luck putting everything back to it place, and she answered us in a very bad manners.

You CANT speak like that to ppl. You can't treat people like that. You have to have manners always. I guess that she would be dealing with a lot of angry customers daily, but that's not a reason to lose her manners. This all could have been fixed if the First Lady would have told us that we had to bring all the passports. So please make a sign or sth like that so ppl would know that and they won't have to deal with that rude...

International grocery shopping was an amazing experience there’s a turnstile as you walk in wasn’t sure how that would work pushing a buggy. But it worked we got into the store. The foods are somewhat the same although different packaging compared to what’s in America. The plethora of different fruits and veggies smushed next to a candy bar, and small meat section blew my mind. The seafood is incredibly fresh and smelled a little fishy, I learned minced beef is what Americans call ground beef. The eggs were not refrigerated and cheeses were outside of refrigerated sources. The store was a bit difficult to navigate things that the aisle says it has were clearly mismarked and would be in other aisles. The check out process was a bit confusing as they don’t have plastic bags but boxes you can pack your things in. The things that didn’t have scanning labels there was a slight learning curve in navigating finding the correct item as they have different names for veggies and fruits. The also don’t care if you wear shoes or not. In America shoes and shirts are require or no service. Clearly New Zealanders are super laid back 😉. Would recommend in the sense every person needs the experience of an international grocery trip and seeing how different foods are but how they are the same...

I recently visited Pak’nSave Taupo for the first time after many years in the area. I had previously shopped at the old Countdown and had a pleasant experience. Unfortunately, my visit this time was marred by the behaviour of a staff member at the self-checkout. She approached unannounced while I was checking out a few items, grabbed my trolley, and pushed it to the other side of the counter without saying a word.

This approach to customer service is concerning. Shoving a trolley without communication can be particularly challenging for customers with injuries or special needs, as it forces them to navigate awkward or unsafe movements.

I urge management to consider training their team on respectful, informative, and accommodating customer service practices. Simple dialogue and mindful handling of customers’ belongings can go a long way in creating a positive shopping experience.

Based on this experience, I personally will not be returning. Customer service standards like these are disappointing, even compared with international norms. I hope the team reflects on this feedback (along with the others I see on here!) and strives...