Tag Archives: Shopping

Not So Hygienic

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I have a long history of working in retail. I’ve worked at JC Penney’s, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Sears and Roebuck, Burlington and a few other retail outlets.

I’ve held multiple positions within the stores and one thing I found appalling was when it came to people trying on shoes and clothing.

I’ve worked in fitting rooms, the shoe department, the storage rooms, on the sales floors, central wrap/packaging and shipping, and so on.

I use to see people come in trying on underwear and swimsuits that would be placed back on shelves and racks for others to try on or to purchase.

Other apparel such as pants, dresses, and shirts would be tried on while people were sweaty and smelly then placed back onto racks to be sold. They would even leave behind deodorant stains. Not to mention how many items of clothing ended up piled upon the store floors from day to day, and night to night, just to eventually be sold and taken home by some unsuspecting individual who had no idea what the clothing had been through.

Apparel and underwear are usually turned inside out, stepped on, dragged, thrown down, and mishandled only to be recovered and neatly replenished back onto the sales floor shelves and racks as if nothing ever happened.

Handbags and accessories would also be disheveled and scattered about.

People would try on shoes with dirty and smelly feet, the inside of the shoe department storage room often reeked of funky feet because the loud odor from numerous people’s feet lingered behind.

I personally don’t want to put on and purchase a bra or panty that someone else has tried on the idea is disgusting, and such a turn off. When I was coming up stores didn’t allow this to be done.

My bra and underwear always came inside sealed boxes and packages I never bought loose underwear that were on hangers or piled onto shelves.

Working at these stores, I had access to the brand new items of merchandise since I handled unopened boxes that were shipped in daily for me to stock and to place out upon the sales floors so I made sure to get my hands on items that had never been touched or worn by anyone If I planned on buying anything inside the store.

The experience also inspired me to be extra cautious at how I purchase at stores from then on, knowing how careless many establishments operate.

It’s a shame these stores fail to incorporate higher standards of conduct within reinforcing a proper rule and responsibility of maintenance among and toward customers, store associates, and the goings on behind the scenes.

 

 

 

Incident At A Rite Aid

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Two weeks ago on a Sunday morning I went into a neighborhood Rite Aid. I don’t shop there frequently but from time to time usually to purchase a particular item on sale or to get something close by for my convenience.

I’ve also been a member of their shopping rewards program for years just as with a few other stores that offer card value savings.

So after I entered into the store I headed straight toward the vitamin aisle as I had just came from my local Vitamin Shoppe already with a bag full of supplements. Rite Aid carries Nature’s Truth supplements where you can always buy one and get another supplement item of the same brand for free.

While I stood in the aisle there was an older lady who had gotten there before me and had been taking her time scoping out what she wanted to buy and I could tell she’d been there a while before I myself had arrived. I usually do the same upon deciding what I’m going to purchase and I often take my time as I may come across additional items that will catch my eye for consideration.

In the process of the lady and I continuing to deliberate on the things that we were possibly going to buy I observed a store employee walk by the area twice and my guard went up as his behavior served to me as an alert to something “fishy” going on with him.

Shortly after, the instance escaped my mind, as not too long following I entered a few other aisles in search for more possible products to purchase. It wasn’t until I hit the shampoo aisle that this same lurking employee made a direct approach toward me.

“I need to check your bag”, he said to me.

“This idiot”, I immediately thought to myself as I instantly knew what he was implying.

“Why?” I said in response, Do you think I stole something?”

“No”, he said, as he was lying, of course.

“So why do you want to check my bag?” I asked him again. “You are suspicious of me”.

Still, this employee continued to deny my address that I was being accused by his assumption that I had been stealing, and kept suggesting that I let him check my bag.

Finally, I relented, while addressing, “Okay, but you’re not going to find anything”. And when I let this employee snoop into my bag full of vitamins he didn’t find one single item located from that Rite Aid store and I had a receipt to prove it if needed be!

Afterwards, he left me alone, however, I picked up a shampoo that was on sale and took it to the counter along with two other items that I had in my hand to buy.

I questioned the clerk asking her “Do you all in here randomly check customer’s bags and are customer’s allowed to bring purchases from other stores into this store?” I certainly already knew the answer to my question I just wanted to hear it from the cashier’s mouth herself.

Once she told me “no” to the first question and “yes” to the second one I told her to get me a manager. I had a strong feeling the asshole who hounded me was the manager and I was correct.

When he brought himself over to the counter I told him that I was reporting him to the district manager or someone higher up.

I questioned him in front of other customer’s as to why he asked to check my bag demanding that he just come out and be honest about it. I told him it was because of the color of my skin, my brown skin, and nothing else. I had been coming into that Rite Aid longer than he’d been working there as I had never seen him there before. I didn’t look or appear like a bum, I worked every day, and don’t have to steal anything.

The manager claimed he was suspicious because I stayed in the aisle too long which was bullshit because other people who were of a lighter complexion and different race were there inside the aisles longer than I was. He couldn’t come up with anything substantial and he was stupid because there were cameras everywhere.

This man was of Hispanic descent and he had the nerve to be leery of me as many of his ethnicity do actually believe that they are better than most blacks and will judge one on the spot whether they’re within the appearance of classy or not.

Well, he messed around with the wrong non stereotypical, proper speaking, intelligent, and dignified black female, and sure enough, without wasting any time, I went home and reported him. I had his name, the store location number, the time of the incident so they could roll back the cameras, and all.

Someone higher up got back to me the next day from Rite Aid customer service and thanked me for reporting the situation. They imparted if the manager did what he did to me on account of my race or color of my skin that he would do it again to someone else and assured me he would be reprimanded.

 

 

 

One For The Road

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I’m a constant shopper I always have bags especially ones full of groceries. I use public transportation when I travel and often depend on the bus to get me to where I’m going.

When some bus drivers see me standing at the bust stop with my load of packages they act like they don’t want to stop to pick me up and one or two transit drivers had indeed kept on going and intentionally passed me by and their buses weren’t anywhere near crowded within the past yet some will let on those passengers who lug and tote full size shopping carts inconveniently blocking the walkway.

When I get too overloaded with groceries and unable to make it home by bus I may call a taxi and some of them require significant chunks of an arm and a leg.

So many people want someone else’s money and they are ready, willing, and able to help themselves to other peoples cash as if they have entitlement. I was never the type to give away money and I don’t work everyday to support those who are eager to be handed down my hard earned cash on account of their greed or covetousness.

A lot of cabdrivers are out of control these days preferring larger sums and amounts while also expecting to be paid tips going as far as to set their own amusing rates for a trip wherein short distance and location. I understand the drivers have to make a living, however, it won’t be at the expense of ripping me off if their line of work is too insufficient they should get a second job or look into another field of work.

All taxi drivers and companies are not this way I have rode with a few very reputable cab services who were dependable at arrival and reasonable within price and deserved the occasional tip for good business if necessary.

Lately, to reach one of my places of employment I am in need of a taxi to get me the rest of the way for the days that I’m scheduled for work. At first things seemed to go well until this one cab service began to inform to me as to what became the same explanation on a daily basis of none of his taxis being available within my area to get me to my job. I knew the dispatcher was lying I even witnessed one of his cabbies pulling off from a regular nearby location where I was at once. This is just someone who was tired of me calling everyday for a six dollar ride whereas he wanted his drivers traveling to farther locations to get compensated a higher profit.

There is a cab company within my own neighborhood that I’ve been frequently using for years now, though, and they’ve never let me down whenever I need them I wish they were able to drive me the short ride away from where the bus leaves me off at when I head to go to my job but it’s too far out of the area for them to come get me.