"I'm never shopping THERE again!" Share your story!

[Hijinks]

I will not go to GameStop anymore. The last time I went there, I brought up a game that I wanted to purchase (new), and the woman grabbed a really cruddy-looking used disk. I reiterated that I wanted new. She grabbed another used disk, and showed me that it was much nicer. I explained the moral reasons I wanted a new one, and her and the other sales associate mocked me. I wish I had just left, but I ended up letting myself be bullied into buying the used game. The time before that, I was completely ignored, while male customers were helped. Hmmph.

One year, when I was looking for a part time job to work at during the holiday season for some extra cash, I went into a GameStop and asked for a job application.  The teenaged boy looked at me like I was that white stuff that forms at the corner of your mouth when you're really thirsty, and haughtily gave me an app.  I asked if I could fill it out on the counter, out of the way of customers, and he said no, I couldn't.  It was pretty obvious that he didn't think a woman, and a fat/ugly woman at that, should be working at a gaming store.

I made a very obvious move of putting the application in the trash can right outside the store as I left.

[PaintingPastelPrincess]

I will not go to GameStop anymore. The last time I went there, I brought up a game that I wanted to purchase (new), and the woman grabbed a really cruddy-looking used disk. I reiterated that I wanted new. She grabbed another used disk, and showed me that it was much nicer. I explained the moral reasons I wanted a new one, and her and the other sales associate mocked me. I wish I had just left, but I ended up letting myself be bullied into buying the used game. The time before that, I was completely ignored, while male customers were helped. Hmmph.

One year, when I was looking for a part time job to work at during the holiday season for some extra cash, I went into a GameStop and asked for a job application.  The teenaged boy looked at me like I was that white stuff that forms at the corner of your mouth when you're really thirsty, and haughtily gave me an app.  I asked if I could fill it out on the counter, out of the way of customers, and he said no, I couldn't.  It was pretty obvious that he didn't think a woman, and a fat/ugly woman at that, should be working at a gaming store.

I made a very obvious move of putting the application in the trash can right outside the store as I left.

Our new Game Stop has a mostly female staff.  I'll drive to that one even though the other one is closer, because all the employees know their stuff and are nice to ALL the customers, not just the boys.

[Hijinks]

yep "plush size gals" just should lock themselves up in a dresser somewhere till they are skinny enough to "matter"

Yeah my best friend has said something to this affect a few times, and after one experience at the Target in Cedar Rapids, she's decided not to bother trying to find clothes for herself there anymore.   She'll look for other stuff there, but she's written off their clothing department because of their selection of nice looking shirts for women her size.   That is to say, almost nothing at all, and she's not overweight, just taller (5'7") and big boned.  

So this experience took place in Feb. of '09, she'd just dropped her sis and niece off at the airport along with a mutual friend of theirs, and decided that since she was in CR she'd run a few errands that took her to Target.   After getting what she needed, she decided to look in the clothes section since I'd told her about some cute St. Patrick's Day tees I found there that were just $5.    Well after she got home and was telling me about this, she said "it must be a widespread thought that the only girls who deserve anything cute for St. Patrick's Day are the little, petite things like you."  

 Then she says, to make matters worse, she was wearing yoga pants, loose shirt, crocs and her coat (pouring rain & freezing outside) and no makeup, and when she told the woman who was trying to help her what style she goes for (hippie/boho), the woman looked her up and down, kind of laughed, and told her "Maybe you should go on one of those makeover shows."  

I did find a St. Pat's shirt for her at Target this year and gave it to her as an early bday present (which is 4 days after St. Pats) but I can't blame her for not caring for their clothing department at all and wanting to avoid anyone who thinks insulting a customer is going to help sales.    Friend did tell the girl in response to the snipe, "Pardon me?  Maybe I would like to make over the fashion industry for making such unflattering styles that don't fit or look nice on a rude boned, rude tempered girl!"  

The salesgirl backpedaled saying "Oh but you have beautiful eyes!!"     It's a good thing I wasn't there that day because even though I'm not as outspoken as my best friend is,  I would have been REALLY tempted to tell this &%#@ off for insulting my best friend like that. 

Wow really?  Which Target in CR was it?  I shop at both regularly and have never encountered such a rude salesperson.  And I find cute big-girl stuff there all the time...

Tell her to try Cato also, there's on by the West side Wal-Mart.  Very cute big-girl clothes!

[sparksals]

Squeaks - my Sears fridge saga is very similar to yours.  I had a very minor problem that compounded, multiplied and double domino'd after the first repair. The original problem was never resolved so I kept calling within the 90  day warranty period for almost 2 years. That specific fridge was a replacement of a lemon that took pulling teeth to get replaced.

It was a Kenmore and I kept getting pushed from CSR to CSR in this dept and that.  One had the audacity to tell me I had to del with the manufacturer!  Hellllooo?  Kenmore!  Sears!

The warranty was close to being up and I insisted on a replacement. They said the last repai is warranted for 90 days but I refused. I wasn't taking the chance for the warranty to be expired.

I got pushed from lemon aid dept to CSR back and forth. No one would help. One said I had to call the store from which I bought it. So I did.

Got a helpful person from the appliance dept, told her all the problems and hassle with CS. I also told her we had a Sears MC with a 10K limit we would cancel, we would never shop at sears again and we would tell all our friends our ordeal.

Replacement fridge was delivered a couple days later.

The next year dh bought me an upright freezer...from Sears.  First one felt super hot on the outside. Called and they said they would send a repairman for our week old freezer.   Ummmm No!  I demanded a replacement. Hums and haws. She puts me on hold, comes back and says they will replace. Great. 
Replacement makes noises and has icicles within a week. Get on the blower to Sears, demand a replacement. Get that and had no problems.  Guess third is the charm. 
We bought a sears mower two summers ago.  It is now kaput. 

Will never set foot in sears again. 

 

[Black Delphinium]

I've had so many horrible experiences with dermatologists that I'm shuddering at the thought of visiting one for possible laser treatment (I have scarring and pigmentation on my cheeks). I think I'll have to be dragged kicking and screaming. I'll live with the pigmentation, no matter how ugly my mother thinks I am.

Winner #1: Utterly cold, stoic, unfeeling snow queen of a woman. She pulls up my shirt before I realize what's even happening to check on my back. I mean, what the heck?!?!!! But that's not the kicker. She takes out a hypodermic needle and fills it with something from a bottle and starts jabbing it into my face. I yelp and demand in a rather strained voice what on earth she's doing. She looks at me like I'm an idiot and says, "It's an antibiotic." Horrible, horrible woman. I still see red when I think of her.

Winner #2: I have to wait half an hour in the waiting room before seeing him. He proceeds to talk to his wife on his cellphone for 15 minutes. He gives me a once over, scoffs, and scribbles a prescription.

Runner-up: Not a dermatologist technically but an allergist that my hypochondriac, overprotective mother used to drag me to when I was very small. Gives me medication that does nothing for my acne and instead proceeds to dry up and irritate my face.

She just jabbed your face without explaining why? I'm amazed you didn't accidentally kick her or something.(I have twitchy reflexes, myself)

[Kaymyth]

Ah, thought of another one:  Great Clips

One day, many years ago, I needed a haircut.  Didn't have a regular stylist in the area, so went for quick and cheap.  Yeah.  You get what you pay for, right?

I knew I was in trouble when the "stylist" was squinting at me in the mirror and asking, "Does this look straight to you?"  She had no idea how to create an even cut.  Afterwards, I kept finding little tufts of longer hair that had to be snipped back to keep from looking ridiculous.

One of the very few things that had me eyerolling at DF from the beginning was learning that he went to Great Clips for his haircuts.  Well, he's a guy, his hair is easier, so he doesn't have many problems.  Still, he gets the rare uneven cut.  

[Kimblee]

What decade did he think he was living in???  Certainly not the last 4!!  Forget decade, what CENTURY was he living in?

I read the story to my friend, who (along with his parents) is part of Fushia-Teal religon, which is thought of as being a bit disrespectful to women (although none of the person i know who are part of Fushia-Teal are at all like that.)

He told it to his father, whose opinion is that even thouigh any car his wife has would be "bought" by him. (Although He was quick to point out that "his" checks are hers as well, since he wouldn't make so much if he didn't have a nice house to come home to) No salesman has better disrespect her, because their money will not pass into the hands of someone who would speak badly of his wife.

Her car by the way is a sporty little sea green affair with white leather interior. His 25th aniversery gift to her because all their marriage she had driven "Mom" cars and he wanted her to have something that made her smile when she turned the key. She designed it, and from what Friend says, the salesman was prefectly respectful and hung onto her every word while she told him what she wanted.

[Night_owl]

Jiffy Lube tries that all the time with women.  They try to sell you a new air filter, windshield wipers, coolant flushes.  I tried not to go there, but they give 30% discounts to hospital employees where we live.

Mechanic:  "Well, Ma'm, you can see you need a new air filter."  He shows me a really dirty one. "And new wind shield wipers"
Me:  "Really, because I changed my air filter last month when I changed my windshield wipers."
Mechanic:  "I don't think they replaced them.  Some places try to cheat you."
Me: "No, I did it myself.  There air filter on this car is square, not rectangle and way smaller then the one in your hand."
He tried to slink away, but I called a manager over and made it clear I was calling the DMV since they also inspect cars.  I've never been back.

"

[Elfmama]

I have *never* had Novocaine work for a root canal (I'll not reveal how many I've had, suffice to say, more than one). If you have, please let me know how much was required. I *always* know when the nerve is being touched.

At least two.  When they got the one furthest back on the lower jaw (just in front of the wisdom tooth) it took FIVE.

I had a dentist once tell me that the pain and swelling in my gum were caused by a wisdom tooth impacting.  I let him pull it -- hey, how do you argue with the dentist when he says "This needs to be done."?  He showed me the xray, too.  FIVE DAYS later, the gum around the tooth was still swollen and tender.  "Oh, it takes time to heal," he said.  Yup, it did -- after I managed to get out the popcorn hull that had gotten wedged between the gum and tooth.

And my remaining wisdom teeth are going to stay right where they are.  If they don't bother me, I'm not going to bother them.

[Piratelvr1121]

Wow really?  Which Target in CR was it?  I shop at both regularly and have never encountered such a rude salesperson.  And I find cute big-girl stuff there all the time...

Tell her to try Cato also, there's on by the West side Wal-Mart.  Very cute big-girl clothes!

Well this was back in Feb of '08, so maybe that salesperson isn't there anymore.   As for which Target, she didn't say, though I'm guessing it was probably the one closest to the airport.   I don't remember where the other one is, as we only went to the one near the airport when I was there last summer.   As for cute clothes though, I know she's recently found some nice things for big girls at Maurice's and Crazy Daisy. 

[CakeBeret]

1. Chain dentist. Needed 4 wisdom teeth removed. Dentist flatly refused to give me laughing gas or put me under. Local anesthesia only. As the 3rd tooth was being removed, all the feeling started coming back. Dentist refused to give me another shot. By the time the 4th tooth was done, I was screaming, crying, and begging him to stop.

2. Home improvement store. We wanted wood blinds for our whole house. Went there to check prices and the store was completely deserted. Waited 15 minutes, went to customer service and asked for them to send someone. Wait 10 minutes more, go to c/s again. Wait a few more minutes, finally an older employee walks by. He approaches us, mutters "canihelpyou" and keeps on walking by us. We caught him and asked for pricing on the blinds we'd selected.

He pulls out a sheet of paper, said "here's the pricing formula" and sat back to let us figure out the prices ourselves. We asked for a printed quote so we could compare their prices, he said they don't do printed quotes. (later I found out that this was an absolute lie.) He was incredibly rude and standoffish towards us the entire time.

Their price was about $150 cheaper than any of the competitors', so I contacted corporate and said that I would like to buy from them, but their customer service was abysmal. They offered me an extra $100 discount, and I accepted. They said to contact Sandy at the store, and she would be able to order our blinds and apply the discount.

Over the next week, every time I called to see if Sandy was there, she wasn't. I asked when she would be there, and they said they couldn't tell me for privacy reasons. Finally, after 2 weeks of calling every day for Sandy, I was told that she was working that night. I went to the store, spent 30 minutes looking and asking for her. Finally someone informs me that Sandy is actually out on vacation.

3 more weeks of trying to contact Sandy, and we finally are told that shes working that night. Go to the store, spend 20 minutes looking for her. C/s pages her twice. Finally someone tells us that she's in a staff meeting but goes and gets her for us.

Sandy finally arrives. She is friendly but extremely slow paced. It takes her two hours to place the order for the blinds.

To add insult to injury, we also found out that the original guy who'd been so unhelpful and rude was actually a manager.

 

[stargazer]

Wow, these dentist stories make me grateful for mine!  He doesn't specialize in pain medication, but he also believes me whenever I say I can feel something, even if it's a little twinge.  I rarely have even a filling without at least two injections but he remembers me and knows this is normal for me.  He is worth his weight in gold b/c I don't fear going to him.

[baglady]

Next-to-last time I took my car to a Jiffy Lube, the mechanic called me in and said, "I don't even *have* any parts for your car!" It was a '93 Plymouth, for goodness' sake, not a 1930 Model-T. But at least that spared me an upsell.

Last time, the car was having major issues -- tranny was dying -- and I was looking for a replacement. But I figured an oil change couldn't hurt and might even help the acceleration issues a tiny bit.

I'd had them use high mileage oil the time before, but had decided against it this visit because in the meantime, Bagman, who knows cars, had told me it wasn't worth the extra money. I told the clerk that, but they used it anyway because it was in the computer from my previous visit.

Once again, the guy (probably different guy) doesn't try to sell me any parts, but he did say my coolant was low and he could top it off for $3. I said, OK, whatever, it's 3 bucks.

Well, I don't know what he did in there, but for the rest of the (very short) time I owned that car, it ran with the temp gauge all the way in the red zone. I was afraid it was going to catch fire or blow up or something -- if the tranny didn't give out first.

Fortunately, a generous friend offered me the loan of her old Saturn, which I ended up buying from her. And it will NOT be getting any oil changes at Jiffy Lube!

[Tashigi]

I've had so many horrible experiences with dermatologists that I'm shuddering at the thought of visiting one for possible laser treatment (I have scarring and pigmentation on my cheeks). I think I'll have to be dragged kicking and screaming. I'll live with the pigmentation, no matter how ugly my mother thinks I am.

Winner #1: Utterly cold, stoic, unfeeling snow queen of a woman. She pulls up my shirt before I realize what's even happening to check on my back. I mean, what the heck?!?!!! But that's not the kicker. She takes out a hypodermic needle and fills it with something from a bottle and starts jabbing it into my face. I yelp and demand in a rather strained voice what on earth she's doing. She looks at me like I'm an idiot and says, "It's an antibiotic." Horrible, horrible woman. I still see red when I think of her.

Winner #2: I have to wait half an hour in the waiting room before seeing him. He proceeds to talk to his wife on his cellphone for 15 minutes. He gives me a once over, scoffs, and scribbles a prescription.

Runner-up: Not a dermatologist technically but an allergist that my hypochondriac, overprotective mother used to drag me to when I was very small. Gives me medication that does nothing for my acne and instead proceeds to dry up and irritate my face.

She just jabbed your face without explaining why? I'm amazed you didn't accidentally kick her or something.(I have twitchy reflexes, myself)

Yup. Just jabbed me. I'm also surprised that I didn't punch her (Tae Kwon Do training for 2+ years made me just move without thinking at times). Fortunately I was not (and still am not) needle phobic. Otherwise, I probably would have shrieked something along the lines that her parents were never married.

I think at the time I was just shocked that she was actually doing that. Funnily enough, this was after I had gone over patients' rights and hospital protocol in health class (including doctors telling you what the heck they are going to do with that needle!).

[DangerMouth]

Exxon. In the 21 years since Valdez, I've bought exactly 5 gallons, once, on my way through nowhere New Mexico (enough to get me to the next service station).

I have no issues with BP, though. I want them to be healthy enough to pay out all the billions they will need to in the coming years.

Jiffy Lube. I managed to deal with the "you need a new air filter" etc, crap, but they ruined my oil pan because the pneumatic tools they use tend to strip the plugs. One new oil pan later, I found a mechanic and have never looked back.