to ask if there's any shop you avoid for a particular reason?

[OhDeari]

For me, it's Tescos.

Simple reason - I was on my way home from work last winter (office job, so well dressed) and popped into local large Tesco to pick up something. Was innocently wandering around when I got a tap on the shoulder - it appeared to be a staff member (so having my headphones in) didn't hear what he said, so just replied, 'No, I'm fine thanks'. He taps again and I took headphones out and he said 'We have a NO HOODS POLICY in the store'. I took my hood down but was secretly seething - FFS, it was sub zero outside and I'd just come inside.

So I'll do everything I can to avoid Tescos.

Any others?

Halfords.

I've been in probably a dozen times in my life and managed to get served or helped 3 times. And even then I had to almost grab a staff member and drag them to serve me.
I once went in with my stepdad for new license plates. We needed them that day. We stood at the appropriate desk as staff passed us by ignoring us. We called out to one who held up hand and said, "Someone will be right with you". So we waited.
Over the next 45 minutes we spoke to many other staff members passing by who said they didn't do license plates themselves but would go get someone who could. So we waited again. One of those didn't even pretend to go get anyone. We saw him wander straight over to radios and start chatting to another customer (or friend?)

After 45 minutes a man came out and had a look at the plates. He said he could do them and he'd be back in a minute. He never came back. We waited another 20 minutes and then left.

There were loads of staff members but none seemed to actually be doing anything. Just walking back and forth. It's happened in different stores at different times so I can't understand what the hell its all about.

@BlingLoving, are you in Blackwood by any chance?
I live in a small town and needed blinds for the whole house so I went to the local soft furnishings shop to ‘shop local’. They advertised free estimates but wouldn’t come out to my house, they told me to come back with my own measurements. I did and they were still not interested. They told me to email the measurements even though I stood there with them in my hand. I was at a loss and as I stood there, they told me that the blinds I wanted were expensive and that they would only be wasting their time by giving me an estimate as I probably wouldn’t buy them as they cost so much. I was shocked! I jumped in the car, drove an hour to John Lewis and ordered my blinds who not once asked if I could afford them!
The owners of this shop really think they are something and I know they have treated others like this. I will never, never go back in this shop even if they offered stuff for free.

Love this thread, agree with so many of you.

I do like Fatface and White Stuff though :)

Anywhere that allows dogs in. It gives the distinct impression that they couldn't care less about customers who don't want dogs around them in a communal area for whatever reason - dislike, fear, allergy, religious or cultural Yes.

Iceland- A shop aimed at serving the poorest sectors of society absolute shite. Their food is utter pigswill.

Card warehouse.

I hate how overcrowded it is and it’s impossible to get Ds around in his wheelchair so I never go in even without him

Wetherspoons - not giving my money to that foaming at the mouth Brexit backer.

Patisserie Valerie - same reason. Compounded by the fact that their shtick is being all 'european'.

Next - same reason

Dyson - same reason. Compounded by the fact that he moved all of his business abroad while screwing over the UK.

Body Shop - because they sold out and became part of the Nestle group of companies and we support the Nestle boycott.

Lush - as pp have said it's headache-inducing
Hotel Chocolat - for advertising in Daily mail (actually anyone who advertises in the Mail)
WH Smith - over priced and now seems to sell everything
TK Maxx (only before 10am) - if you go in at opening you can actually find stuff and shelves/racks are orderly

MenKind in Northampton because the manager is a prick and all their products in general are cheap nasty overpriced rubbish that breaks in 2 minutes (if it ever worked in the first place)

I went in a TK Maxx once and would never do that again .

Next. The entire women’s section is the very definition of frumpy. And the homewares are overpriced versions of what you can find in Home Bargains.

I try to browse in there every now and then, because DH likes to go in and get t-shirts from there, but I just find myself wandering around wondering why on Earth anybody would queue at 6am to dress like this!

I adore TK Maxx. It's the thrill of the chase!

I boycott the Co-Op after taking a job with them.

I applied and was given 2 afternoons and one evening shift a week. Only problem was it fast became apparent that one of the shift managers was good mates with the students who worked there and wanted to go out clubbing with them so suddenly my shifts became Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings to cover the students. I complained, was told it would be sorted. It wasn't. Handed in my notice.
Shift manager then put me down as being on holiday for a month so she could use my now none existent shifts as her and her friends own personal overtime falsifying my leave date by 4 weeks. This meant I was £500 down as the company were charging me for holidays I hadn't actually been entitled to.
Fortunately Head Office realised and I finally got paid THREE MONTHS after I left.

Never set foot in one again.

WHSmith because it was my favourite shop as a child, teen, and younger adult. I love stationery, books, magazines, music and films, so it really was my destination shop.

Nowadays it’s overpriced, and is 90% sweets and those Lego or playmobil blind bags. Also their birthday cards are double the price of anywhere else. I avoid it now.

I don’t mind TKMaxx for the homewares section, you can find some real bargains in there.

Agree with the poster who stopped going to French Connection after the FCUK rebrand. Tacky, childish and a bit pathetic. Wasn't a massive fan before but they instantly dropped from being 'nearly Jigsaw' (which also bores me FWIW) to Tatsville.

Also agree with LUSH - don't love the smell, but would tolerate it if not for the fucking Woke-ness.

WH Smith - because the crap lighting makes me feel miserable and you often can't tell if our local one is open because it's so dark.

Starbucks - £3.20 for lukewarm milky nothing. No thanks

John Lewis - because it makes me cry (mum thing)

@Babyroobs that's such a shame, as Hotel Chocolat were amazing when my brother ordered about £100/worth of chocolate for Christmas presents, only for the delivery comprehensive to throw them over their fence, where their two dogs ate the lot.

Cue very sick dogs who were close to death with chocolate poisoning, a massive vet bill and two very frightened owners.

Hotel Chocolat paid the vet bill immediately, refunded the order, sent a replacement order to an alternative address for safety, and sent additional gifts with a massive corporate apology. They also changed the courier company as I understood it.

Iceland- A shop aimed at serving the poorest sectors of society absolute shite. Their food is utter pigswill.

No!!!
You must try their fish and seafood casserole. No nasty ingredients, Heat up, serve with spaghetti.

Card shops like Clinton cards.

Lush - hunt sab supporters (read thug) and anti police yuck
Also Tesco as a member of staff who smelled like cigarettes and last nights alocohol came over to my pram and started stroking my 11 day old baby’s face without asking 🤨

Next too.

Sports Direct.

Because I do not wish to look like someone who buys their clothes from Sports Direct.

Not a shop as such, but I avoid using the post office as much as possible.

On the few occasions I’ve had to go in to send a parcel using Royal Mail, the wait has been so interminably painful. It’s clear that nobody uses the post office for anything remotely simple, so everyone’s query at the single open window takes about 20 minutes.

Urgh, no! I have a life to go and live!

Lush. It stinks to high heaven, and their political views are abhorrent.

Primark. It’s like a jumble sale and always full of screaming kids.

lush. i love the products but i can’t stand being pounced on the second i walk in the shop. i also don’t like the way they try to engage my children into trying products that they then inevitably want.

Our local Tesco, full of sweets, crisps and biscuit promotions as soon as you walk in the door.

Lush I cannot stand the smell.

Tesco's and Starbucks.
Capitalist overlords who purposefully put smaller competitors out of business by buying up all around them. Tesco's also allegedly insist their small suppliers only supply to them then when the supplier is totally dependent on Tesco's to buy their product, drop the price they'll give them.