The incident is alleged to have take place at Pak N Save Manukau. Photo: Google Maps
Pak N Save is conducting a review after a security guard allegedly tried to extort a customer.
A customer, who has asked to stay anonymous, said a security guard at Pak N Save Manukau accused her of stealing two bottles of moisturiser.
She told Checkpoint the security guard threatened to call the police if she did not pay a $395 fine.
After requesting the CCTV footage several times, she said it showed she had scanned the bottles and was innocent.
The woman has complained to Pak N Save and referred the case to police.
Pak N Save has apologised and said it was conducting a review.
The woman said when she was going through the self checkout the guard asked to see the two bottles and then took her to one side.
When she checked her receipt the bottles were not on it, she said.
"I tried to explain to him like that wasn't my intention to do it ... it was just an accident."
The security guard then told her that usually they would call the police but in this case she might have to pay a fine of $395, she said.
"I requested to see my CCTV footage if I can just to see just what I've done ... I can't remember what I've done to those two bottles of moisturiser from the beginning - I wasn't sure that I scanned them or no."
Another supermarket employee then asked the woman for her details including name, address and she took a photo of her driver licence, she said.
The woman said the security guard then asked her if she wanted to pay the fine and she said no.
"The security guy say 'if you are not going to pay this fine, then you will be faced with more fines later on'," she said.
The supermarket woman started writing out a trespass notice, she said.
The woman left and after several requests the security guard played her the CCTV footage, she said.
"Yes, apparently I have scanned those two bottles one by one."
The complainant then said she told the security man it was obvious she had scanned the bottles, that she did not want to say anything further and asked him to call the police.
She was then able to leave the security office, she said.
The woman said she made a complaint to the Pak N Save Manukau branch's store manager, as well as emailing a complaint to Foodstuffs and reported the incident to the police.
The woman said it was a horrible experience and she was very scared.
Foodstuffs was approached for comment but said they were unable to comment in detail as the matter was with the police.
However, they did say that they had "sincerely apologised to a customer" for a distressing incident in Pak N Save Manukau on 25 January allegedly involving a third party provider.
The spokesperson said they took such matters "extremely seriously" and "their customers have a right to be safe and welcome in the stores and they would undertake their own review to ensure such incidents did not occur again.
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