Have I mentioned before just how much I despise shopping? Probably not, so now you know. Yes, I am a woman who does not like to shop. Imagine. I'm not sure why that is though. Maybe it is the fact that I have worked in the customer service industry my entire working career and have just had it with people. Yes, maybe that has something to do with it. From being cut off on Lundy's Lane on the way to the store, to having the mall entrance door closed in my face because people are not polite enough to look behind them anymore, to rude sales people who kiss your ass until you buy from them, I despise shopping.
My teen has a birthday coming up this week. I have decide to paint her room (pink is not cool when you’re 14) and buy her a new bed (a mattress on the floor isn’t cool either). Now don’t go thinking I’m a cruel mom who makes her daughter sleep on the floor. She did have a metal frame for that bed, had a pillow fight with her girlfriend 6 months ago and broke the wheels of the metal frame which badly scratched the hardwood floors…..and then I made her sleep on the floor! :P
So, being just hours away from her birthday I realized I couldn’t put off shopping any longer and ventured out into the sea of rude, money-driven people to find out if I could get a good deal on a bed. My first stop would have been Sleep Country if I didn’t have a problem with them two years ago. I wanted a head and footboard for my bed. I walked into their store and after browsing a few minutes I saw a beautiful pewter set I wanted. The only one they had was the one on display. Perfect, I’ll take it. It was just under $800.
They asked me to come back later that day and they would have it taken apart and waiting for me. Fair enough. Later that day I returned, drove it home and set it up. The rails were ok but they did not fit the kingsize head and footboard. I returned to the store, exchanged for proper rails and went home to try again. Wrong screws. Not a big deal right? Wrong. Three months later they finally reimbursed me the entire purchase as the bed was discontinued and the screws (factory ordered) went missing. Go figure. No, I still do not have a head or footboard for my bed. Anyways……
I drove to The Sleep Factory where I purchased a metal futon bunkbed 2 weeks ago for my other daughter for her birthday. I walked in and the same woman I had dealt with 2 weeks ago was taking care of a couple that were looking at day beds. Aside from them I was the only one in the store. I walked around for a few minutes waiting for her to greet me, which she did not. They were chatting at the front of the store so I moved to the rear, checking out a few frames and looking for a captain’s bed, which I did not see. Some 20 minutes later the couple leaves and she asks if she can help me. No “hello” or “good afternoon”, just “What can I help you with?” I told her I was looking for a captain’s bed, preferably with a bookcase headboard in a dark finish and she pointed to a captain’s bed at the front of the store.
It was a maple color and would take 2-4 weeks for delivery, I told her I was looking for something in a darker finish and that I cold take home with me today. She then showed me another captain’s bed, still in a maple finish but told me it will darken with age. Gotta love sales people. :rolleyes: But this one I could take home today. I told her it was still too light. Then, and only after I told her I planned on checking out another furniture store to see if they had something closer to what I was looking for, did she roll her eyes, then show me another captain’s bed, in a darker finish which was considerably cheaper than the other two. Now that just pissed me off. It was a decent bed and would have served its purpose but there was no way I was giving this woman dime. You did NOT just roll your eyes at me, did you?
First, she did not recognize me from just 2 weeks earlier when I spent 45 minutes with her buying a $600 bed. Then she couldn’t even be bothered to greet me. Then, after clearly stating what I was looking for she showed me everything I did not want, then rolled her eyes when I said I was going to continue looking elsewhere till I found what I was looking for, then….showed me what I was looking for as a last resort! When I made it clear I was not buying from her, she turned and walked away…not even a “good-bye”!
So, back out in the parking lot having a smoke I found myself in a position that I hate being in. I’d have to stick my tail between my legs and head to Sleep Country as it is the only other furniture store I know of in Niagara Falls. So off I went although not very happy about it. Walking in the door I took a quick look around but did not see a captain’s bed. Lots of metal frames and mattresses but no wooden beds to be seen. To their credit I was greeted right away and once again I explained what I was looking for.
The sales guy then tells me they are not a furniture store. Hmmm. :/ Ok, so you are not a furniture store, but you sell beds and I am looking for a bed. Well, we don’t sell bedroom furniture he tells me. Ok, wait a minute. I was here 2 years ago and bought a bed frame complete with rails, headboard and footboard. And as I look around this store I see about 30 beds set up. To me, that is bedroom furniture. No, he says, it’s not. Apparently metal does not count as furniture. Now I’m confused. Why are wood products considered furniture and metal is not? He explains that the store name is Sleep Country, specifying that that the name implies mattresses as their specialty and not bedroom furniture. I said “No, it implies sleep….and I don’t know about you but I associate sleep with a bed….except in my daughter’s case where she is sleeping on the floor, which obviously you are going to do nothing to help me out with!”
This, my friends, is why I despise shopping. I hate playing games with people. I don’t want to browse a store, window shop and dicker around with prices. I know what I want so I ask for it. What is so hard about being told either “Yes, here is what you are looking for” or “No, sorry but we do not carry that”?
Now, tomorrow I have to contact Bell. You know, the phone directory people? Yes, well….after I got home from my frustrating trip to the “non-bedroom-furniture” store I opened up the yellow pages and did a search under “F”. Under the heading ‘“Furniture-Retail’ was Sleep Country. Must have been a misprint. :rolleyes:
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