Jun 12 2008
Customer Service
I went into a local retail store today. Let’s call it TJ Maxx. Usually when I go to this store my kids run to the back in the discount toy section and look at toys. I sometimes buy them these toys. Sometimes they buy them with their own allowance. My kids browse their section and I browse mine. I start at clothing, then go to shoes, then go to house wares. My kids know where I will be as I never deviate from this path. They just walk it in reverse until they find me. We are usually in this store for only 5 minutes. I also buy most of my clothes there. When I actually shop, I have them come back and walk with me. When I am quickly browsing I have no problem letting them run ahead of me.
Today my shopping experience was different.
Today an employee told my kids they could not be in the toy section without their mom. Not only that, she told it to them in a rude mean manner.
WTF!!!
So I decide to go see what was up.
By the toy section in this store are the kid’s clothes sections. I decided to stand one row away and listen to what she would say to them. Once again she told them they couldn’t be there, and she wasn’t nice. Then she turned around to another kid in the section and got mad at them too. This kid’s mom was also nearby.
This is when I stepped in.
I flat out told her she did NOT have the right to tell my children where they could and could not go. That if I allowed them to come to the toy section they totally could. This is when she got mad back at me and told me it was store policy. “Oh really?” I asked. “I’ll just go ask your manager about that.”
So I did.
There was NO store policy against kids being in the toy section without their parents.
Then I pointed out to the manager that in Utah there is no actual age limit for when kids can be left alone. If I actually wanted to, I could have my 8 year old son babysit my 6 year old daughter.
This is when he started to stammer and make excuses for his employee.
I just stared.
He mentioned then that kids are always ripping packages open and throwing stuff everywhere. I informed him that my kids were NOT doing that, and that if they were she could have asked them to stop that action.
He then looked at me and told me that I was right. He apologized for his employee’s rude behavior, and he told me he would talk to her about it.
That is all I wanted.
Stumble it!
Go get ‘em Bridge!
Some people just DO NOT BELONG in “customer service”. They are lucky they got such a small reprimand from such a nice person.
Let’s just say I felt like a bitch.
you shouldn’t feel like a bitch - you were standing up for your kids
sounds like the employee was a power-happy kid-hater. I hope her manager takes her down a few notches.
I loathe when parents make excuses for or do nothing to prevent obnoxious, loud, destructive kids running around unsupervised in public places, stores or restaurants.
I ALSO hate when people like that woman behave the way that they did for well behaved kids like yours.
I am TOTALLY glad that you said something. That woman needs to be put in her place.
Well since I work in customer service I can see both sides. In general, most kids go into a section and DESTROY it. They don’t nessicarily open boxes or anything, they usually make a mess and walk away. Kids generally don’t understand that everytime they take something off the shelf someone ha to come back later and put it back. When this situation plays out 10-15 times a day I can see where the lady is coming from. I know your kids probably aren’t the worst offenders, but to this lady who has cleaned up probably 5 times durring her shift after kids her frustration is understandable.
BUT, this woman has no right to talk to kids like that. I am a jerk to adults because they can reason and understand why they are being spoken to like that. Kids are, generally, already intimidated by adults so all they see is a mean adult yelling at them. I think you handled it well, the lady needs to know that she is not the Queen of the Toy Section and if she wants to keep making her $7.50 per hour, she should lose the ‘tude.
What a bitch! (her, not you)
And I shall commiserate further in a forthcoming post where I tell the ticket agents at Amtrack to shove a train up ……..
Hopefuly,the manange did that. people like that really agrevate me.
I even went on a couple of reants today in several comments and making 2 rants on both of my sites. http://ramblingstuff.blogspot.com and http://mjgolch.wordpress.com
unfortunately, responsible parents with good kids have to take the hit for the 75% of the idiots out there that let their kids run rampant… which still doesn’t excuse rude behavior and lying to customers.
My son and neice were once chewed out at a Lane Bryant, for the actions of two other kids in the store. I was in the fitting room, and my two were outside the door. I was SO PISSED I threw the clothes at the male bitch (oh yeah) and left the store. I never went back to that location.
UGH!!
WOW!! I totally can see your point on that. When I was a kid and my mom went shopping I always went to the toy section to hang out while my mom did her thing. I also worked retail so I know what its like seeing kids running out of control with no parental supervision.. Remind me to tell you the kid vs Shopping cart story.. Man that was funny.