So I am not one to really complain about terrible customer service, but this one bit the big one!! I am a huge fan of supporting local businesses, especially when it comes to ones that donate a large portion of their profits to charity. This particular thrift store supports the local animal shelters in Coquitlam & New Westminster, BC. I have shopped their a few times before (my MIL lives a few blocks away) and have always had pleasant service and usually left with something.

I apologize from the start if this seems long winded, but here is my story.

My MIL brother's fiance (so I will say my Aunt) lives in Mexico and had come for a month long visit with her son to BC. The trip was planned around my Grandfather-In-Law's Celebration of life. So when they arrived, we were all so proud to show them all the sights of the lower mainland and how wonderful our province is. Both her and her son complimented us and many merchants along the way as to how friendly everyone is. That was before yesterday.

I had gone over to MIL when my Aunt is staying with my Uncle to visit, say goodbye (they are leaving Saturday) and have dinner. I really wanted to hit up a few thrift store with her before she left so off we went her DS & my DS in tow to Shop 4 Paws.

We walked in to a luke warm greeting. I get it, it was late afternoon (well before closing) and she was probably tired. I have worked in various customer service positions for almost 15 years...sometimes you just don't have the drive.

So my Aunt inquires about a pair of pants that she asked a different employee to hold for her the other day as she didn't have enough money. My Aunt's english isn't perfect, but she knows enough to get by and I can fully understand her. The sales clerk loudly says "I have no idea what you are talking about as that employee knows that we do not do holds, I apologize if she told you we did." I thought that she had a rude tone to her voice, but Aunt just said okay. Then she asks clerk "May I please see the pink shoes in the window and those two tops (points to them)?" The clerk grabs the shoes and gives them to her, but then goes back to the till to do something. Aunt tries them and says (word for word) "May I please leave these here while I look around, then I will pay for them." Sounds reasonable & understandable, so the clerk puts them on counter then runs over to me and sweetly asks "May I put those items you are holding at the till, until you are ready to pay?" I agree and continue looking around with my DS. At this point in time, I am a little irked, but not enough to leave the store.

Then my Aunt asks for the shirts while I grab some jeans. Sales clerk: "They won't fit you, they are too small." I glared at the clerk (she didn't see me). To me if you want to make a sale you do whatever the customer wants, no? So my ds has found a little car he wants to buy and I found some rare items for my Dad that he collects and we had just paid for the items when my Aunt asks her where her shoes are. The Sales clerk say to my Aunt (while I am standing right there) "I didn't know you wanted those shoes!!!! You just asked me to leave them at the till, i just sold them to another customer!!" I have almost reached my boiling point!!! Yet my stuff was still there!! At this point I don't think that this clerk realizes that this lady is my Aunt and rolls her eyes at me and shouts to my Aunt "NEXT TIME, SAY 'I WANT THESE, PLEASE DO NOT PUT AWAY'!!!" Okay that is it, I am mad. I grabbed my son and as I am walking out of the store my Aunt is asking the clerk to see more tops in the window to which she replies "They still won't fit". I calmly ask my aunt to come out side to 'show me' the shirts. I tell her that this woman is being very very mean to her and no one needs to be treated that way. She replies sadly that she was looking for some tops for her other daughter back home in Mexico and that she didn't understand what was happening. I did my best to explain it to her. Then as we watch this clerk stumble through the window to grab the tops (we are outside the store), she starts fixing other things on display and just as she reaches for the tops I loudly say to my Aunt, "NO ONE deserves to be treated like that. This lady is very RUDE." The woman looks out the window and watches us walk away.

I just find it very sad that just because someone isn't fluent in the native language it is okay to be treated like this. Also an update I received today from my MIL was that my Aunt's fiance (my Uncle-In-Law) went into the store to ask for an apology. The clerk said she already apologized (no she didn't, she apologized for something another employee did on another day). My uncle then asked for the owner's name and number to which this clerk (the SAME ONE from yesterday) said I am the owner!!! Well my uncle spent the next 10 mins tearing strips off her!!

It is sad that this is one charity thrift store that I will not be supporting anymore!!! Not only did my MIL post about the experience on FB, I did a Yelp review and my UIL called the BBB.