last week i trekked into "town" with all three kids solo. actually, i prefer this method. they are much more obedient when it's just me in charge on trips. maybe they can fear the wrath lurking in the corners of the car.
anyways, after a short procedure at the pediatrician's all three girls and i were at the bookstore picking out the lucky child's reward (a book) for enduring said procedure. as we head to checkout i walk up to the counter and find the swimsuit edition of sport's illustrated glaring at my retinas.
"oh, that's nice" i grumbled as i turned it backwards before the girls shuffled in behind me.
"you can't do that!" the sales representative blurted as she reached her chubby little hand around the counter and turned it back.
"i'm sorry? yes i can." i tried to quietly say back as i turned it backwards again. i don't know if i accomplished doing this politely or not. i'm guessing, not.
"it's against the law. we have a legal right that that has to be seen at all times" (or some other sort of legal mumbo jumbo that sounded like dog poo)
"well, it can sit like this for 2 minutes just fine" i retorted, and turned it back. at this point i was not happy and luckily the store had neatly displayed chocolates at a little kid level and the girls were drooling over which $20 box they want for their birthday. (they aren't allowed to ask for things at the store, but some how alluding to 'birthday wishes' escapes the rule)
"oh, no it can't!" she blurted again. and tried to reach back again. this is where i lost my patience.
i held out my hand for her to stop and firmly stated: "you just check out my books and pretend i'm looking at it while you do it." and i said this giving her my "don't even try it" eyes. message received.
as soon as the receipt was placed in my hands she tried again to reach around the counter to turn it back, but not soon enough. i gingerly picked it up, turned it around and asked "now that wasn't too bad now was it?" luckily at this point her manager walked past and i added, "next time you don't have to be so rude about it," with an emphasis on the word "rude". and left it at that. her manager turned her head and eyed the employee suspiciously as i waddled out the door, pregnant, with phoebe in a stroller and two scraggle muffins in tow.
on the drive home it awed me that both parties in this confrontation found the other one completely in the wrong.
she obviously found there nothing wrong with my children viewing merchandise they legally had to keep in view. and she also found nothing offensive about the magazine in question.
and i found it completely wrong that my children are subjected to soft pornography at a bookstore counter.
and in all of this i have myself thinking back to my waitress days and the saying that ruled our job:
The Customer Is Always Right.
the point of the story is: isn't it amazing how upset you can become in a mere 2 minutes?
*read a similar story from my sister-in-law here about pornography in stores.
8 comments:
I love it that you stood your ground. My response to the store clerk as I read this could only be, "And I have the leagal right to look at the back cover of the magazine before I make the decision on whether or not to buy it." :)You are awesome!! Stand your ground mama.
It is very easy to get stores to put objectionable material out of the eye-sight of children. All you needed to do was speak to the manager. Then get six other friends to call in to the store and complain.
That clerk needs a customer service lesson. Poopy attitude!
Yeah Annie!! You go girl. I totally did the same thing at Kroger on Tuesday. We went down the magazine aisle by mistake and there, right at Jacob's eye level, was a special display of the same magazine.
I hate that! I'm so proud of you for standing your ground. No one was there when I did it. I just walked up, turned them around, and moved on.
Now that I'm thinking about it though, maybe I'll shoot at email to their website about those magazine covers they have... :)
woop woop! that's what i'm speakin' of.
i never would have had the guts to be like that..... until i was a mom. then it all changed. we went to vegas last weekend and we turned it into sortof a game and someone would yell "immodest girl!" and we would all avert our eyes and look for pictures of donnie and marie or baby tigers.
way to stick to your guns. i wish you had a sharpie in your purse and you could have said, well fine, go ahead and display it! and scribbled all over her (like i do whenever we get new disney princess hand-me-downs!) good job momma!
wow are you kidding me? what a nasty lady. sad what the world is coming too. and what is legal. she should respect that you wanted to do it for your kids. I wouldn't have the guts either...nope. Good for you for standing your ground.
I turn magazines over ALL THE TIME (I'm talkin' even if the model on the food magazine's shirt is a little too tight)...and I have never been so lucky as to have an encounter such as this. I hope I someday do...and I hope that I will be as diplomatic as you about it. I can see myself grabbin' the magazine, rollin' it up tight and swattin' her chubby little hands with it. Sigh...
I'm proud of you! We can make this world a better place...one magazine turn at a time!
Unreal. So glad you stood up for yourself and for you girls.
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