AEON manager praised after “sister” complaint reply
Bastillepost · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
A handwritten customer complaint displayed at AEON’s Kowloon Bay branch has become the latest talking point around the retailer’s well-known “customer voices” board. The complaint, signed “Miss Yeung” and dated August 24, said a female shopper felt offended after being addressed as “sister” by a staff member said to be in her 50s. Five days later, the store manager replied in writing, apologising for the staff member’s manner and form of address and saying colleagues had been told to use more neutral terms such as “Miss” or “Ms”. The response was widely praised online for defusing the issue with tact and humour
Key Points
- According to the post shared in the “AEON Stores Concern Group”, the complaint note was understood to have been posted at AEON’s Kowloon Bay store
- The complainant, identified on the note as “Miss Yeung”, wrote that staff should be more polite and compared the branch unfavourably with AEON’s Lam Tin store
- She said the staff member looked to be in her 50s, old enough to be her mother, and that being called “sister” startled her and felt disrespectful
- In a handwritten reply issued five days later, the manager apologised and said staff had been reminded to use less age-marked forms of address, including “Miss” or “Ms”
- The manager also described “sister” as an old habit and joked that any repeat offence might be due to a long-standing custom not easily changed overnight
Why It Matters
The episode has resonated because AEON’s handwritten public replies have repeatedly become online talking points in Hong Kong, turning routine customer feedback into a visible test of frontline service culture. It also shows how forms of address that some people see as respectful can be taken by others as impolite, especially in a city where age, hierarchy and customer service etiquette are closely watched