Kmart: Mum is furious after her teenage son was confronted and ‘treated like a thief’ by staff

A furious mother has lashed out at Kmart after staff stopped her son from leaving the store over suspicions he had stolen clothes.

Claire O’Malley, from Thornlands in east Brisbane, said her son Zac, 19, was “overwhelmed with stress and anxiety” after being stopped from walking out of the Redlands Kmart on October 25.

Zac had purchased approximately $80 worth of work clothes at the store’s self-service kiosk, but no proof of purchase was provided.

Despite showing staff a relevant bank transaction from a few minutes ago, he claims he was told to go back to collect his receipt, with the encounter lasting between 15 and 20 minutes.

Ms O’Malley described staff’s treatment of Zac as ‘unfair and demeaning’ and said other customers looked on with ‘judgmental looks’ and suspected he was guilty.

“I feel like he was victimized… they treated him like he was a thief,” Ms O’Malley told the Courier Mail.

“He found no help from (the staff) who tried to take the items from him and said he could come back the next day.”

The dispute ended after another customer came forward and admitted that she had accidentally taken Zac’s receipt from the self-service checkout.

Zac has filed a formal complaint with Kmart but is still waiting for a response.

Ms O’Malley took to a local Facebook page to express her frustration, where numerous Redlands residents supported them and shared similar experiences.

One resident blamed the confusion on the store’s layout, which places the cash register machines in the center of the store and not near the exit.

She calls it ‘funny’ that more staff are present when they suspect a customer of theft than when customers need support at the cash register.

Another local resident said Zac “deserves an apology” from the store.

Ny Breaking Australia has contacted Kmart and Wesfarmers for comment.