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?

Argos - very bad customer service experience. Had an issue with a guarantee but nobody knew how to help. In the end I made a complaint and never heard anything. Was finally told that they don't get back to customers regarding their complaints, they're dealt with internally!? Lost all faith in them helping should I ever have an issue with a product so decided to just not shop there.

I can't cope with TKMaxx. I dislike clothes shopping and want to find something I like with minimum fuss.

I agree entirely with a PP about Amazon, but unfortunately I lead a busy life in rural-ish Germany without easy access to shops and, with three children ranging from teen to pre-school age, constantly need odd stuff. Alexa will not be coming into this house, though.

My dh boycotts Lidl because they have a history here of being crap to staff. Not sure Aldi et al are much better, but Lidl is the one he has a bee in his bonnet about. He dislikes me using H&M, too, because of the period when they were using extremely thin models. I do pick up the odd thing from there when I pass a branch, mainly for my older boys. But I avoid smaller children's departments in general for dd because so much of the stuff is ridiculously gendered these days. Much more so even than when I had 14yo dc1.

Asda. 99% of the customers in my local one are so fucking rude.

Primark. It gives me panic attacks.

B&Q. Even driving past one gives me the rage, the signage is rubbish, I end up wandering around aimlessly looking for what I need and if you manage to locate a member of staff to ask for help, they just shrug at you, grunt and walk off.

I relate to this so much! For some reason, half the lights are never on in our local store. You have to put the flashlight on your phone to find the things you're looking for because it's so dark.. urgh I HATE it.

Fat Face, White Stuff, Mint Velvet - all clothing made for women of a certain age who have essentially given up

Oh god, I absolutely love Fat Face and White Stuff. I'm only 33! Maybe I need to take a long, hard look at my life

In our local Oasis the sales girls always gather at the till and stare at the customers as they browse. I always feel like they're judging the shit out of everyone. To be fair, they probably are - I imagine it's a very thankless job and there's not a whole lot else to entertain them. It makes me feel so awkward that I avoid it now.

Claire’s accessories. I’ve never set foot in a branch since I saw and heard a small infant screaming the place down while a teenager attempted to pierce its ears

Gloria Jean's coffee shops all over Melbourne. Owned by God-bothering anti-gay Hillsong twats.

My not being keen on coffee helps here, but I won't meet anyone at one their outlets.

Ikea: Can never find the exit and loose the plot within minutes of arriving.

Shame because I love their stuff.

The Perfume Shop

Too many overwhelming scent smells for me .

I had to go into Liverpool primark with DD. Pure hell. Worse as what she wanted was an the top floor. Hate the place. Sizing is dreadful.

Stopped going in River Island years ago as i'm officially now a boring old fart who hates overly loud music in shops.

John lewis. No matter how new the shop is is still feels like stepping through a time tunnel back to the 80's.

Wow I had no idea about Lush. Feel super ill informed . Only go when dragged in by kids but will read up and avoid completely if I don't like what I see.
Used to dislike Hollister when shopping for teens. I was so dark!! They've switched the lights on now so much better.

Oh Mozzchops fucking Hollister! I'd forgotten about my awful experience there! Went in, in search of basic vests or some such - and was immediately channelled through a huge long maze, in the dark, with thumping music and couldn't see the products or stop to browse as it was like a one-way flow system. Came out into the bright daylight feeling like I'd been through a birth canal.

Arcadia stores because of Philip Green.

*it was so dark. Typo😊

Amazon. Worst customer service I’ve ever experienced. Absolutely atrocious.

And the Lego shop. I love Lego and have no problem with the staff but the lights. Oh my god. Need sunglasses to walk through the door I dunno how the staff do it

And I WISH I could refuse going into the siding Disney Store. Again it’s not the store or the staff it’s the customers! Just like a throng of screechy parents who can’t steer prams or have consideration for other people. It’s chaos.

Lush - for aforementioned reasons.
WHSmith - DH orders a magazine in there which I collect occasionally, but otherwise I avoid. Overcrowded by too many display stands (you can barely get through the doors at our local branch), upselling of chocolate, thrusting vouchers etc at the POS. Just no.
Wetherspoons. Quite aside for my political opinions on the matter, our local branch is vile.
Primark - I don't do Fast Fashion for a multitude of reasons, & prefer to wear natural fibres if possible.
New Look - see above.
McDonalds - heartless soulless multi billion corporate company selling nutritionally void crap. DH & I would sooner go hungry. We try to steer DD away if at all possible but don't actually ban her from it, she's only 7 & it's a conversation we're slowly introducing.
Starbucks, because of the 9/11 water charge.
I do buy things from Amazon, but only if I can't find it anywhere else (at a sensible price). I do look for other online retailers as well. We have a local shop that used to sell a particular item that I bought regularly, they've now stopped stocking it. I asked yesterday if they were going to be getting any more in & they directed me to Amazon... so annoying!

Also, not a shop, but I avoid Nestlé products if possible, including items that are marketed under other brand names, such as San Pellegrino water & the canned fizzy juice drinks. I only buy a product if there isn't a viable alternative at all - there is just 1 Nestlé product I buy AFAIK.

Im amazed anyone buys anything in high street wh Smiths. Literally everything (bar newspapers and magazines) you can get cheaper elsewhere. I buy cards in an independent card shop or charity shops, smiths is ridiculously expensive. My friend said even the probably now unemployed cashier in there told her to get printer ink in sainsbury because it was loads cheaper. And i hate their fake specisl offers - as if anyone has ever actually paid £25.99 for a pack of sharpies!! (I know most shops special offers are fake btw)

Space NK: For being awful to my sister when she worked there 15 years ago.

Local farm shop: For giving the local Tory association a free office.

Big Afro-Caribbean hair and beauty shop in Finsbury Park: For treating every customer like a shoplifter and knowing nothing about the products they sell.

MAC (except the one in Debenhams Oxford): Rude, stuck-up staff.

House of Fraser. I don't know what other branches are like but ours (soon to close) is very oddly set out, nothing flows or makes sense, and you wander around lost and confused and there are literally zero staff to be seen. It's like there's been a zombie apocalypse. And if you do hunt one down and ask them a question it's never their department and they can't help. I'm not surprised it's gone bust.

Lush - the smell and being pounced on
Morrisons- don't like the quality, prices and layout
M&S - the clothes are old fashioned and tbh there isn't anything I would buy in there.
Debenhams - just people milling around in a chaotic manner everytime I have been in.

I'm sure there are more!

@ElusiveOrangeTwirl

I’ve just started working in retail and was also irritated by the upselling at tills. Now I know why it happens, so I’m going to be a lot more sympathetic as a customer in future.

Staff have to hit daily target percentages from upselling and collecting customer email addresses.
Failure to reach those targets results in disciplinary after so many failed attempts. Horrendous!

I’ll just give a pretend email address out.

Russell & Bromley and John Lewis, the worst customer service I've ever had

Asda, unless I am feeling strong, the music is over powering, and i dont like to complain, and dont know how to complain online.
argos, had to take a student light back since it wouldnt stand up but they refused to take it back unless it was back in its package

A local shoe shop, went in a few years ago as I had seen a pair that looked nice. They didn't have my size, but could order it from another branch - no obligation to buy. The pair came, but it was too wide. They wanted to push me into buying it and were quite put out when I said no, not suitable. I know the brand, so I know what is and isn't suitable for my feet. Haven't been back since.

The Clark's shop locally, they close at 5:30pm and mainly seem to cater for the locals of an advanced age. None of the nicer shoes are available. Not a problem for me, as I can just go to one near work.

Do not frequent Wetherspoons, that idiot isn't getting a penny of my money. Also, I once stood behind one of their staff at Sainsbury's. They had a trolley full of Pizza, the two for £2 variety to use in the pub.

Amazon, haven't bought there in years, don't have prime. However, I do go to Whole Foods.