Daiso staff in Korea kneels to apologise after customer gets upset over warning to running child

Daiso Korea staff kneels & apologises after warning customer’s child not to run

A video of a Daiso employee kneeling before a customer at a store in South Korea’s South Jeolla Province has sparked widespread discussion about abuse of service workers.

The footage, uploaded on 21 Nov, shows a female staff member kneeling on the floor while apologising as the customer raises her voice at her.

The clip circulated widely on social media, prompting strong public criticism of the customer’s behaviour.

Customer reacts angrily after employee warns child near store entrance

According to the original poster (OP), the incident began when the employee stopped the customer’s young child from running near the store entrance, warning that the area was dangerous.

However, the mother objected to the intervention and began to shout at the worker.

The OP said the woman hurled insults and threatened to file a complaint, and that the employee eventually knelt to apologise while the child watched.

In the video, the employee can be heard saying, “I’m sorry, but this area is very dangerous,” as she kneels.

The customer responds: “That’s why I stopped my kid earlier. A mother handles the child. What right do you have to tell my child to go here and there? Why don’t you just do your job instead of constantly watching the child?”

Footage shows another shopper eventually stepping in and telling the woman to stop before the video cuts off.

Daiso providing support to staff involved

The incident led to a surge of complaints to Daiso’s customer satisfaction office, which confirmed that it was aware of the case and had begun measures to protect the employee.

The office stated that the worker would receive paid leave, psychological counselling, possible job reassignment, and legal support should she wish to file a criminal complaint.

Daiso headquarters later clarified that while employee safety is the priority, “no specific decisions have been finalised”.

The company said it would provide maximum support according to the employee’s wishes once she stabilises.

It was also clarified that the customer did not order the employee to kneel; the staff member knelt of her own accord during the apology.

The customer had raised an additional, unrelated complaint, and the employee acknowledged fault and apologised for that matter.

Customer says employee suspected theft after barcode error

Additional accounts indicate that the kneeling occurred not only during the initial confrontation involving the child, but also later when the customer returned to question why her receipt had been checked.

She said the employee had suspected theft after a barcode error at the self-checkout and had reprinted and reviewed the receipt, prompting her to revisit the store.

During this second encounter, the employee again knelt and apologised repeatedly.

The employee meanwhile acknowledged intervening earlier because the customer’s children had been playing near the automatic doors, where there was a risk of injury.

She also explained that reprinting and verifying receipts was standard protocol when a self-checkout error occurs.

The employee is currently on paid leave, and her wellbeing remains the company’s immediate priority.

Also read: Staff of popular bagel shop in South Korea dies after allegedly working up to 80 hours a week

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Featured image adapted from The Korea Times and Korea JoongAng Daily, for illustration purposes only.