// M&S customer alleges she received racist abuse from member of staff in Basildon, Essex store
// Faryaal Hussain alleged she was followed into carpark by M&S employee who continued swearing
// Hussain now says she is receiving “non-stop” abusive phone calls
A customer who alleges she received racist harassment from a Marks & Spencer employee has told press that she has since been subjected to abusive phone calls.
Faryaal Hussain said she visited M&S’s store in Basildon, Essex, at the start of August with her mother.
While she was waiting the till to pay, Hussain alleged that a member of staff told them “the queue’s over there, can you not read?”
READ MORE: M&S to take “urgent action” on racism and diversity
According to a report by BBC News, Hussain asked for the worker’s name and said she would speak to the manager.
When she was later putting her trolley away in the carpark, Hussain alleged the same staff member approached her alongside another colleague, and called her an offensive term, before adding “people like you can’t read”.
“As we were walking to our car, they were also walking with us. They were both going on and on,” Hussain told the BBC.
“I’m shocked and hurt that in the 21st Century people still have this mentality.”
Hussain added that since the alleged incident was reported in the media she has received “non-stop calls” on her business phone.
“People have been just swearing,” she said.
“My husband told me not to answer. If it is a customer I can call them back, but it is affecting my work.”
At the time, Essex Police appealed for witnesses to come forward, and said a man and a woman were believed to have seen the incident.
“We take all allegations of this nature very seriously and are currently investigating the situation,” an M&S spokesperson told Retail Gazette.
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