On February 3, in mid-afternoon, I happened to be accompanying a person to do some shopping at Lidl in Gozo.

It was about 3pm. Checkout point five was free and there was only a trickle of people around. I was shocked and disgusted at the way the male cashier treated the customer I was with.

This cashier was not only positively rude, making her rush through, not giving the customer time to check the bill, but, above all, was even dismissive in his attitude. Very rightly, this middle-aged customer complained to a floor manager who listened patiently and assured her that employees would be given proper professional training.

One final point in general. I consider that the consumer affairs authority should take due note that service is also a consumer matter. Random checks are to be made to ensure that the customer, the consumer, is treated correctly.