I’m not usually a mommy rant kind of person. I am well aware that in return for the blessings my children bestow on me there would be things we’d be giving up. I know better than to take my kids into high end shops. And Matt and I always choose a place that is loud and accommodating to kids when we take them out to eat. Sure, I’m trying to teach my kids how to behave in public but the bottom line is they are 1 and 2. I’m realistic, I know their limitations and boundaries and I don’t force them into situations that are bad for them and would be disruptive to others.
All this is a big set up to today’s events.
It’s a rainy, icky day today so after Little Gym I met Matt at Target. I’ve been needing to pick up some walking gear (I’m still wearing my maternity yoga pants and they just aren’t cutting it anymore). A couple of friends told me the Champion line at Target was pretty solid gear.
Matt and I split up — he took Sam to look for some things for his car and I took Will into the active wear. I spent a while going through the racks and picking out a cart full or shirts and pants and other necessities to try on. Will was on his best behavior (a rare and very welcome occurrence).
When I went to try them on the woman at the counter told me I could not take my cart with me. I looked from Will to her and back to Will. I asked her how people with small Children could try on clothes. She rolled her eyes at me and said “Fine, but you can only take in 6 things and you must leave the rest out here.”
OK, great. Thanks – I could do that. Just give me a minute to sort my cart load of clothes into piles of 6. Once I had my piles sorted and the first 6 ready to go I turned back to her and asked her if there was somewhere I could put the rest of the clothes while I tried on the 6 I was allowed.
Another eye roll (my temperature started to rise). She told me if I left them out there someone could take them and put them away. This lady was definitely not interested in trying to make this easy for me which I pointed out to her. She went on to tell me that she “was just telling me where I couldn’t leave them.” I countered that I had not asked where I couldn’t leave them but had asked where I COULD leave them. She repeated that if I left them out someone could put them away.
This was going nowhere fast and admittedly I was growing angry.
It ended with me leaving my five neat piles of six articles a piece on her counter and letting her know that her customer service left much to be desired.
On may way out I raised it to the manager who assured me that the actions did not represent Target’s philosophy. Nice to know but it didn’t make me feel much better. It was a complete waste of an hour. I had a tired and hungry baby but nothing to show for it.
Listen, I know everyone’s time is stretched to the max, I’m not the first or the last person who is juggling work and kids and home and life. I don’t expect special accommodations. I’ll follow the rules. But I’m a mom. I’m rarely not attached to at least one of my kids and I still need to get things done efficiently. And the fact that this woman today made me feel like such a burden on her really got me hot. I was in TARGET for the love of all things. I would venture to say that a hefty portion of their profits come from parent’s of kids – they have one of the largest baby sections outside of Babies R Us.
So I left Target with an empty cart — no walking gear and Target lost my business. I’m one mom – so I know I don’t mean much in the grand scheme of things to Target but it left a sour taste in my mouth and will have me looking to other options before going back there again.
