Last night, we had one of the worst shopping experiences we've ever had. We were informed of a sale on play kitchens on ToysRUs.com. We called the store to see if they had the same sale. We were told they did not. We called back and asked again because this looked like a sale you'd see in a flier. We were told the sale was not going on at the physical stores. We decided to head to Target to see if they had the play kitchen we wanted for Hannah's birthday. On a hunch, we stopped in Toys R Us which is in the same shopping center. Yep, there was the sale on the shelf tag! Not only that, but there was a $10 rebate making the play kitchen a great deal for Hannah's birthday. We also found out it was in the store flier too! Store associates should have easy access to promotional information and be able to give accurate information to customers. This increases sales! It makes the customer happy! It's good business!
We took our tag to the check out. For the entire time we were being checked out, we had to listen to a loud assistant manager yell angrily at a customer on the phone. Then to our amazement, we saw the assistant manager SLAM the phone down, yell "*ITCH!!!" and storm away with more loud and angry words. Then, she comes back up the front and says loudly "And, she was BLACK too!" A customer's race should never be figured into the equation while settling a customer complaint. Any store employee, especially an assistant manager, should be trained to handle situations with professionalism and self control. We are thankful we had left our children at home. It was definitely not family night at Toys R Us!
After seeing how the store lacked information about a sale and how unprofessional the manager was, I can only imagine the customer on the phone had a legitimate complaint. We've contacted the store with our experience along with the time the cameras should have recorded the manager's behavior. We provided her name and description. We really do not have any expectations. Rarely do stores correct issues like these any more. Training costs money and most employers are more worried about the bottom line than their image. However, we as consumers still get to speak our displeasure with our dollars.
UPDATE DECEMBER 30, 2010: We have been asked by several people if we every heard anything. No, we have not. We gave them our e-mail address, our phone numbers (which have voice mail-and no messages were left from TRU) and our mailing address. Not.One.Word.
UPDATE JANUARY 21, 2011: Today, we received an e-mail from Toys R Us. The incident happened December 12, 2010. It is so far below the mark; it doesn't win any points from me. There isn't a reason given as to why it took them so long to respond to us. Neither the poor customer service of the manager's issues were mentioned in the e-mail. No solutions were given for the manager's racist attitude. It looks like a form letter with our names inserted. We are offended by this weak response and lack of a stand against that kind of behavior by the store:
Response (Christopher S***but) - 01/21/2011 02:03 PM
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Asbell
Thank you for your email regarding your unfortunate experience at our store. We value your opinion and appreciate the time you took out of your busy schedule to let us hear from you. As a company, we work hard to incorporate guest service into all aspects of our business, especially at the store level, and we are disappointed when we learn we have fallen short of our goal.
On behalf of Toys “R” Us, please accept my sincere apologies for the difficulties you encountered. Clearly, the lack of service and general disregard you received by our store staff is unacceptable. Be assured, the “R” Us Family does not condone this behavior and we take these matters seriously. I would like to assure you that your concerns have been forwarded to the appropriate individuals for review. They will deal directly with your local store team to ensure that your concerns are addressed and handled appropriately.
Thank you again, Mr. and Mrs. Asbell, for letting us know of your experience. It is because you have taken the time out of your day that we are able to improve our service at your local store and as an entire organization.
Sincerely,
The "R"Us Team
