We were informed about the matter by our Reader Józef Burniak. In an email to the editorial office of the “Istotne Informacje” website and newspaper, he wrote:

February 18. Shopping at Kaufland. Among other things, I buy two packages of walnuts. After opening them, I am hit by an incredible smell of mold. I go to complain. A nice lady somewhat reluctantly admits that the walnuts really do “smell.” From a conversation between the employees, I realize that this is not the first complaint about this “product.”

I do not have the receipt. The lady contacts the highest authority, namely the manager. I am refused a refund. I ask the receptionist to contact Her Supreme Grace, the Manager. Supreme Grace says she is busy. I do not give up and wait. Finally, I ask the receptionist to show me the way to SG. The receptionist explains nervously that SG is in the store, but has no time. I reply that I am not asking her to show me where SG is, but only to tell me where SG’s office is. The lady evades the question in every possible way, just to avoid answering me. From her behavior, it is clear that the conditioning through fear works very effectively. If she told me how to get to SG, she would lose her job.

A checkout manager appears and nevertheless finds a way to return my money. The refund is made. They try to placate me with a bar of chocolate. However, I still want to stand before SG.

After a while, a woman arrives who says she is the deputy manager. By a strange coincidence, this woman has no identification badge, although all the other employees have one. Never mind. I ask the deputy manager why they sell spoiled goods despite knowing about it, and when they intend to withdraw the faulty walnuts from the store. The answer is enigmatic—in other words, there is no answer. I leave.

After two hours, I check again. The walnuts are still on the display. Conclusions: Before you go shopping at Kaufland, think twice. Before you buy anything at Kaufland, think another two times. Being unemployed is a difficult matter. Before you take a job at Kaufland, however, think four times. Once you take that job, immediately form a trade union.

“This was the first complaint about this product,” emphasizes Agnieszka Cyza, manager of the Kaufland chain’s Bolesławiec store. “First, we established whether the walnuts had actually been purchased at our store. It turned out that they had. The entire batch was unfit for sale and was withdrawn. In cases of this kind, we always check the entire batch so that the situation does not happen again.”

The manager notes that she did not meet our Reader because the incident occurred after her working hours. “But the matter involving this gentleman was handled by the two most senior store managers,” Cyza adds.

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