Supermarket

It is not my normal behavior to write a letter to a newspaper regarding dissatisfaction of a particular store. Both readers' letters (July 5 and July 6) and my own made experiences, especially during the last weeks in the Hero supermarket of Bakasi, West Java, oblige me to voice my opinion.

My repeated complaints to the local Hero manager haven't had the desired effect. It is common knowledge that Hero is more expensive than other stores. This was accepted in the past because the shops were clean, clearly laid out, had a wide selection of products, the products were fresh and the staff tried to give the best of service. And lastly, it's conveniently located for me.

These tributes have dropped off little by little. Some products are not fresh but old, partly beginning to go bad (i.e. oranges, tomatoes, potatoes, etc.). The latest is the practice of selling these products in small packages. Later at home you ascertain that one of four tomatoes are bad and you unfortunately paid the regular price.

Recently I was very much surprised to notice that Hero was unable to offer or sell chicken. Inquiries brought the reason to light: sorry, the chicken supplier didn't supply. I remember very well that such things happened in the old socialist countries. Other examples could be cited, but only from these few examples I will point out that Hero is treading on thin ice, risking the loss of both its good reputation and customers.

RICHARD SCHMID

Bekasi, West Java