A picture of mugs labelled “The Maid” and “The Garner”, which were sold at a Pick n Pay store in Cape Town, sparked an outcry on social media leading to a domestic worker union demanding an apology from the retail chain. The mugs have since been removed from the shelves.

The Pick n Pay did not come under fire by shoppers on the spot, but on Tuesday after one of its stores sold mugs deemed offensive by a Twitter user who tweeted the photo captured from the store in Observatory.

The Tweet worsened the matter on social media with some users commenting: “Hi @PicknPay these mugs were on the shelf at your Obs store. Fnding them hella problematic,” said ni toni ton’z. Ngwan’elihle Nkosi Skhanda Love said: “this is really derogatory. How offended am I right now?” Black Gold commented: “Dear @PicknPay, as people who are the Maids and Gardeners, I find this is highly offensive. Sensitivity training is a requirement in your organisation.”