Rhonda Dunaway
11-13-2007, 10:40 AM
Is anyone familiar with the seasonal kiosks that are out in the middle of the mall at both Westroads and Oakview from the end of September through Christmas? The most annoying ones are the ones that sell some kind of lotion or bath and body stuff that is supposedly made with Dead Sea Minerals. However, the people who work at the kiosks that sell flat irons and the people who work at the kiosks that sell those weird-looking neck pillows are almost as annoying and obnoxious. For years, I have been bothered by their overly aggressive sales tactics, and I've always felt that I should have made an official complaint, but then I would always decide that I was in a hurry and that I just didn't have time. Last week, however, something happended that sent me over the edge.
I was on my way to the Disney Store at Oakview to buy my son a parka. I was in a hurry because I knew I had only a few minutes to buy the coat, get back to my car, and then drive to my parents' house to pick my son up. As I approached the Disney Store, I saw several employees of the above-mentioned kiosks watching me. In yet another vain attempt to avoid having lotion shoved up my nose or having my hair flat ironed without my permission, I started getting into my "do not, do not, do not under any circumstances aproach me mode." This inolves beginning to stride very briskly and determinedly toward my destination, avoiding all eye contact with the vendors, and arranging my facial features into this "I'm very grumpy today, and if you even try to talk to me, I might just rip your head off." expression. But, alas, these measures failed, just like they always do. However, instead of just shoving stuff in my face and laughing at my grumpiness like these employees usually do, something quite different happened this time.
Two young men from the Dead Sea lotion place literally jumped in front of me. Then one of them got on each side of me while they both loudly, stridently, and insistently mounted their sales pitches. I started to get both irritated and nervous because they were blocking my way, and I couldn't walk past them, and they were just way too close to me. They were truly violating all of our cultural norms concerning boundaries and personal space. My view has always been that if someone is standing so close to me that I can't look up without having to stare up their nostrils and see all of their individual nose hairs, they are too close to me. And that's what was going on in this situation. I finally had to put my palm up in front of me and make a pushing motion with it to get the salespeople to let me pass. As I walked by and continued into the Disney Store, these two salespeople began to laugh at me, make loud comments about me in a foreign language, point at me, and laugh some more. I don't know what language they were speaking, but I am 100 percent certain that they were making insulting and derisive comments about me.
I was only in the Disney Store for about 5-10 minutes, and then I exited into the mall again. Right away, these same two men jumped in front of me and started the exact same behavior they had used previously. I suppose it could be argued that they didn't remember me and thought they were approaching someone different, but I don't believe this to be the case. I was only in the Disney Store for 5-10 minutes, the mall was dead that day, and I have bright red hair that people usually remember.
Anyway, at this point I was so mad I was shaking, and I said, "You know, I don't understand what you're saying about me, but do you understand what 'bite me' means?" I don't know if they did or didn't, but I do know my path was cleared immediately.
As I finished my shopping that day, I told several staff people who were working in the stores about what had happened to me. These people then started telling me that other customers complained all the time about how they had been treated by these kiosk employees, and they urged me to report my concerns to mall customer service, so that's what I did. I completed a form, included two pages of typed information documenting the incident, and then turned the whole thing into customer service with a request for a response.
In case you're wondering, I did include an accurate description of my own behavior including the "bite me" remark, but I also noted that a more timid person than I would have burst into tears, while a more aggressive person would have punched both guys in the nose. I said that under the circumstances, I felt that I had used considerable restraint and had handled the situation fairly well.
I handed in my complaint a week ago and have still not received a response. I am assuming that this means that Oakview Mall does not really care if customers are being harassed and insulted by mall employees as they do their Christmas shopping. Oh well, I have been thinking about changing my Christmas shopping venues anyway. When I go to a mall, I typically like to stroll along and choose the stores I will visit, and I also like to choose whether I want someone to assist me or whether I want to be left alone to browse. I don't like going to a mall and then being made to feel as if I have entered some kind of third-world marketplace or bizarre where vendors shamelessly shout at and harrass potential customers in an effort to hawk their wares.
Has anyone has a similar experience or other unpleasant encounter with staff members from these kiosks? If you have, I strongly encourage you to turn in a written complaint to mall management. In spite of the fact that I haven't yet heard anything back from Oakview Mall management, another manager at the mall told me that the kiosk owners are fined every time management receives a complaint about them and that after the third complaint is received, they are evicted. So that's something to aim for: Join the MomsofOmaha.com campaign to kick these kiosks out of the mall and to take some of the hassle out of Christmas!
I was on my way to the Disney Store at Oakview to buy my son a parka. I was in a hurry because I knew I had only a few minutes to buy the coat, get back to my car, and then drive to my parents' house to pick my son up. As I approached the Disney Store, I saw several employees of the above-mentioned kiosks watching me. In yet another vain attempt to avoid having lotion shoved up my nose or having my hair flat ironed without my permission, I started getting into my "do not, do not, do not under any circumstances aproach me mode." This inolves beginning to stride very briskly and determinedly toward my destination, avoiding all eye contact with the vendors, and arranging my facial features into this "I'm very grumpy today, and if you even try to talk to me, I might just rip your head off." expression. But, alas, these measures failed, just like they always do. However, instead of just shoving stuff in my face and laughing at my grumpiness like these employees usually do, something quite different happened this time.
Two young men from the Dead Sea lotion place literally jumped in front of me. Then one of them got on each side of me while they both loudly, stridently, and insistently mounted their sales pitches. I started to get both irritated and nervous because they were blocking my way, and I couldn't walk past them, and they were just way too close to me. They were truly violating all of our cultural norms concerning boundaries and personal space. My view has always been that if someone is standing so close to me that I can't look up without having to stare up their nostrils and see all of their individual nose hairs, they are too close to me. And that's what was going on in this situation. I finally had to put my palm up in front of me and make a pushing motion with it to get the salespeople to let me pass. As I walked by and continued into the Disney Store, these two salespeople began to laugh at me, make loud comments about me in a foreign language, point at me, and laugh some more. I don't know what language they were speaking, but I am 100 percent certain that they were making insulting and derisive comments about me.
I was only in the Disney Store for about 5-10 minutes, and then I exited into the mall again. Right away, these same two men jumped in front of me and started the exact same behavior they had used previously. I suppose it could be argued that they didn't remember me and thought they were approaching someone different, but I don't believe this to be the case. I was only in the Disney Store for 5-10 minutes, the mall was dead that day, and I have bright red hair that people usually remember.
Anyway, at this point I was so mad I was shaking, and I said, "You know, I don't understand what you're saying about me, but do you understand what 'bite me' means?" I don't know if they did or didn't, but I do know my path was cleared immediately.
As I finished my shopping that day, I told several staff people who were working in the stores about what had happened to me. These people then started telling me that other customers complained all the time about how they had been treated by these kiosk employees, and they urged me to report my concerns to mall customer service, so that's what I did. I completed a form, included two pages of typed information documenting the incident, and then turned the whole thing into customer service with a request for a response.
In case you're wondering, I did include an accurate description of my own behavior including the "bite me" remark, but I also noted that a more timid person than I would have burst into tears, while a more aggressive person would have punched both guys in the nose. I said that under the circumstances, I felt that I had used considerable restraint and had handled the situation fairly well.
I handed in my complaint a week ago and have still not received a response. I am assuming that this means that Oakview Mall does not really care if customers are being harassed and insulted by mall employees as they do their Christmas shopping. Oh well, I have been thinking about changing my Christmas shopping venues anyway. When I go to a mall, I typically like to stroll along and choose the stores I will visit, and I also like to choose whether I want someone to assist me or whether I want to be left alone to browse. I don't like going to a mall and then being made to feel as if I have entered some kind of third-world marketplace or bizarre where vendors shamelessly shout at and harrass potential customers in an effort to hawk their wares.
Has anyone has a similar experience or other unpleasant encounter with staff members from these kiosks? If you have, I strongly encourage you to turn in a written complaint to mall management. In spite of the fact that I haven't yet heard anything back from Oakview Mall management, another manager at the mall told me that the kiosk owners are fined every time management receives a complaint about them and that after the third complaint is received, they are evicted. So that's something to aim for: Join the MomsofOmaha.com campaign to kick these kiosks out of the mall and to take some of the hassle out of Christmas!