I went to the mall a few days ago. It was a way overdue trip, as I had several things to return from almost a month ago. I also needed to have my ring fixed. I guess I was putting it off cuz I am busy/lazy, and 2 of the 3 stores I needed to go to aren’t located in the mall close to me. So on Tuesday I went to the closest place with all three stores.
As I’m walking in I remember that the shoe store has a weird policy. Worried, I looked at my receipt. Yep, 10 days to return an item. It’s been like 20. Fffffuuuuu. However, they will give you cash if you paid cash. I started plotting how I could get money back out of this transaction.
Stop #1: Shoe Store
I tried working the system but failed. Apparently they don’t actually let you have cash back unless you have the receipt that shows you paid cash. So I whipped out my credit card receipt, which they immediately told me wasn’t going to get me a return. I could either exchange the shoes for another item, or I could take store credit. It was getting late and I had other stores to visit, so I opted for store credit. Get this though – the lady whipped out a pad of paper! I was like UM – what’s that? Well this particular shoe store doesn’t use a computer system. Everything is done on paper. It’s like they’re stuck in the stoneages, and I would HATE to be the person that keeps their books. Can you even imagine?
Anyway I’m getting off topic. So I ask about this hand-written receipt for store credit that she’s filling out. Apparently I have to 1. Not lose this piece of paper, and 2. Remember to bring it with me when I want to use it. Oh and since it’s a paper copy and they’re keeping the original there (versus say, entering it into a computer), I can only use the store credit at THIS particular store. WTF is this messed up system? But whatever, I had other things to do, so I took my credit slip and moved on.
Stop #2: Jewelry Store
J got me a pearl jewelry set for my birthday. It includes a matching ring, necklace and earrings. They’re beautiful. However, about a week ago I noticed that the pearl in the ring is a different color. I thought maybe I was losing my mind, but I compared to the other 3 pearls. Sure enough, the earrings and the necklace all match each other, and the ring is just a different color. It appears to have a different finish (shiny rather than slightly frosted looking). Thankfully J had the foresight to purchase the lifetime protection plan. So I headed over to the jewelry store.
Um, first of all, the lady I first spoke to looked at me like I was crazy. She told me it wouldn’t have changed colors. Um, hi, here’s the necklace. Do you see that they aren’t even close?! So then she calls over some dude. He tells me that he doesn’t think they can do anything. Really? Cuz the only thing that this warranty explicitly states is NOT covered is loss of the items. I’d say changing colors is within the realm of “damage”. The guy then says, “Well, if anyone could do anything it would be the manager. I’m sorry but he left like 15 minutes ago.” Seriously? I drove all the way down here and I can’t be helped?! Then the guy volunteers this info: Apparently if the pearl were to come out of the ring they could replace it. Was he telling me that I should break it? Cuz that sounds risky on the chance that he’s wrong. Ugh. Frustrated, I moved on.
Stop #3: Express
So like every mall has an Express, which is why this was my last stop. I bought this top over a month ago but recently decided I’m never going to wear it. While I was making these other stops, I decided I might as well make my return. I get into the store, present my item, and ask for a refund. She obliges. She then asked for my credit card. Sure. I opened my wallet to get it, and OMFG are you FUCKING KIDDING ME – my credit card isn’t there. I know where it is too. Earlier in the day I had to run a bunch of errands around work. While I was out, I decided I would stop and get a Jamba Juice. I didn’t have any cash, and rather than take my whole wallet, I grabbed my credit card only and put it in my pocket. Well after work, I decided to stop at home and workout while rush hour traffic died down. After my shower, I put on different pants. My credit card was in the jeans that were on the floor of my bedroom. Dammit. So I asked if she could just use the information from the system – you know, just put it back on the card without seeing the card. A lot of stores do this. Apparently theirs doesn’t have that capability. Ok, can I give you a different card? No. Can I get cash? No. But I could get store credit lol. After just receiving the news that I would be stuck to store credit with the shoes, the LAST thing I wanted was more store credit. I’m looking to put some money back into my accounts, not continue spending!So I took my item back and said I would have to return it later.
Hugely disappointed, I realized that the mall was still open for a while longer. Rather than have to come all the way back, I returned to the shoe store in the hopes of using my store credit. Thankfully they were still having a sale, so I was sure I could find something that would fit within my spending goal.
I found a couple of really cute shoes. Sadly, not all of them were in my size. I also fell in love with a pair of wedges but they weren’t on sale and I couldn’t justify spending even more. I finally decided on 2 pairs of shoes, one of which is a half size too small. They didn’t feel that small, so I decided to go with it. Anyway, they’re both super cute black flats and I’m really excited about them. As an added bonus, both were on sale too. I was able to use all of my store credit and only spend a few dollars more. Score. After an evening of things not going my way, finally something sort of worked. But yeah, 3 strikes and get me the hell OUT of the mall!
