Priceline customer accuses pharmacy of despicable act as staff hit back... before bosses offer a grovelling apology
Joyce Lebechi claimed workers routinely requested security footage to be checked whenever she visited the store in Victoria.
Ms Lebechi filmed herself confronting a staff member on the weekend, saying she was fed-up with being 'targeted'.
The pharmacy initially took to Instagram to deny the accusations and defend its staff, before removing the post.
'We treat every person equally, and any suggestion otherwise is not only hurtful, it is categorically untrue,' it read.
The pharmacy has since backtracked with a Priceline spokesman telling Daily Mail Australia on Monday they were deeply sorry for the incident.
'The situation that occurred at the Priceline Pharmacy franchise is highly regrettable and we wholeheartedly apologise to Ms Lebechi,' she explained.
'The security camera checks in question are not endorsed by Priceline Pharmacy, and the store has been asked to stop performing these.'
Ms Lebechi said in her TikTok video that 'every time I come in here, they always ask for the cameras to get checked'.
'And today I've had it up to here,' she said.
She approached a staff member and asked why the security checks seemed to coincide with her visits.
'Every time I come in the store, the cameras are asked to be checked. Why is that?' she asked.
The employee responded that checks are conducted 'every ten minutes'.
Ms Lebechi recalled a previous conversation where she was told the checks happened 'every five minutes'.
'Now it's ten minutes,' she said.
The customer insisted the situation had happened too often to be a coincidence when speaking to another staff member.
'It just feels very racially motivated,' Ms Lebechi said.
But the staff member said the checks were 'random', and she had had similar conversations in the past with other shoppers.
'You're not the only one that has that conversation with us,' she explained.
'It happens all the time, and everyone that's shopping at that time has the same comment, but we've got to do it, we can't stop.'
Ms Lebechi she said it still felt racially motivated.
'You can't say that to us when we have multiple races working in here,' the staff member said.
'First of all, I don't really see that,' the shopper replied.
'I think it's something that you guys need to be conscious of, in my opinion.'
But the staff member disagreed saying: 'No, because then we are targeting.'
Ms Lebechi said there were too many occasions the announcement had occurred, blaming front-of-store staff for targeting customers of colour.
The staff member apologised that the shopper 'felt like that' as Ms Lebechi left the store.
The store posted a now-deleted statement to their social media account, taking aim at the claims.
'We are deeply disappointed by these claims, as they do not reflect the reality of our store, our staff, or our values,' it read.
'Our team proudly represents a wide range of cultural backgrounds, and we serve a diverse community of customers every day with professionalism, care, and respect.
'As part of our standard loss prevention policy, common across major retailers, we conduct random security measures, including bag checks and camera monitoring, throughout the day.
'These checks are never based on race, ethnicity, or appearance. They are carried out strictly as a routine part of ensuring the safety and wellbeing of both our customers and staff.'
The store said they are considering the accusations extremely seriously and strongly considering legal action.
'We have many long-standing regular customers from all walks of life who know and trust our team,' the statement read.
'We treat every person equally, and any suggestion otherwise is not only hurtful, it is categorically untrue.'
A Priceline spokesman has since apologised 'for the understandable distress and concern caused by the events that took place'.
'This experience does not reflect our values of inclusivity and respect, for all customers,' he said.
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