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?

Primark in Manchester. I absolutely hate the place.

primark, i got a coat there recently but so many of the coats zips were faulty - shocking and worrying

Starbucks since the tax thing came out. I miss their chai lattes though.

Claire’s. Tat that breaks before getting it to the till.

Sports Direct. Awful, awful place to navigate with a double buggy, awful customer service and returns policy.

Primark on Saturdays. It’s like a jumble sale.

I’m rapidly losing confidence in Clark’s for my children. It’s not what it used to be and so I now go to Start Rite.

I cant remember the name of the shop but its in our local shopping centre. Its dark and the music is so loud. It looks like it wants to be a night club but it sells clothes shops. Im pretty sure its a chain but it looks out of place because its has some sort of tiled roof sticking out from its shop front. So odd.

I adore John Lewis and would happily live there, but their customer service is so shite! Which really upsets me, because I feel it should be good. I ordered some made-to-measure blinds. They never turned up, I kept asking and nagging and being told they were coming, but they never did. So after a few months I went in to cancel the order, and they said I'd never made the order. I had, and had the receipt. The woman said well it's not on our system. Then was shitty and rolled her eyes when I asked for a refund!

I like lush products... hate the shops.
I had really bad ezcema on my arm that the sales assistant was convinced was just dry skin. She obviously had the perfect product to sort it out. 5 minutes of scrubbing some sort of salt on it and my arm was bleeding all over her and her bowl of water. I have never been so embarrassed in all my life.
No apology, just left me with a handful of paper towels and went in search of her next victim.

OhMozzchopsfucking 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

I reckon Hollister has been the inspiration for many a teen dystopian future novel.

The shit lighting and loud music is there to mess up your senses so you don't realise the stupidly expensive t shirt is really no different than primark.

I actually love Asda! I can see why people don't, it's a bit chaotic and overwhelming. But I have never, ever had unfriendly or unhelpful service there - they are all lovely.

I don't think there are any chains I avoid, but there's a greengrocers local to me that everyone raves about for the "hilarious banter" from the twins who run it (that would be massively outing for anyone else who lives near me). When my DS was 2 he asked for an apple and I asked him to choose one. It was the sort of place you could do that. He picked up an apple while I was ordering a load of groceries and one of the twins was helping me. DS accidentally dropped the apple. I picked it up while I was still talking and mindlessly put it back on the shelf, just wasn't really concentrating on it, more on my order iyswim. Other twin who wasn't helping bellowed at me "Don't put it back you stupid woman!"

Haven't been in there since and DS is now 9.

It's Lush for me too.

1. Don't need an instant migraine.

2. If I wanted soap that has bits of twig and berries with flecks of random shit in it, I'd just ask DH to rub a bar of imperial leather around his wedding tackle for a few minutes.

I walked into a Hollister with my mum some years ago. She very loudly said "ooh it's dark! They had a shop like this in Liverpool once... they got moths!". The v trendy sales assistant didn't know how to react

I don't like going into Tesco's because of the way the middle managers are treated (anyone below store manager but not general staff). They are not paid enough for the expectations put upon them when you consider the living wage.

2) If I wanted soap that has bits of twig and berries with flecks of random shit in it, I'd just ask DH to rub a bar of imperial leather around his wedding tackle for a few minutes.

What?

Holland and Barrett - Let me fucking look at the products without pouncing on me. Shop in my local independant health shop now, sod your 1p 'bargains'.

Debenhams. Even though they stock some of the same brands as JLP they manage to make everything look like a discount store. Harsh lighting, bad layout, horrible mishmash flooring. Used to love Debenhams but it now resembles Primark

Dune. I bought a pair of patent leather brogues there, and the patent rubbed off in one place within a couple of weeks - no other signs of wear. The shop wouldn't deal with me, and passed me onto head office who refused to refund me because "there was no fault with the manufacturing process". Never been in the shop since and its been about 10 years.
Tesco - because its the family firm of Lady Shirley Porter, and she was a really vile Tory. And their policy with food suppliers is pretty crap.
Amazon. I'd rather make a teeny bit more effort and buy from local shops.

Not so much now but I used to have to avoid m&s as my son always cried in there. I think it was the lights and being in his buggy they bothered him.

Body Shop, which saddens me as I almost lived in there in the 80s.

..hovering assistants and overpriced goods.

I am really starting to dislike my local sainsburys as there always seems to be a massive que at the tills, even in the middle of the weekday!

Lush- love the products, hate being followed around the shop like a shoplifter

Claire’s - nightmare to navigate with a pushchair/wheelchair

John Lewis - they treated a very elderly relative of mine horrifically over an electrical item a few years ago

New look - totally overpriced for the (lack of) quality

I dislike primark clothes as the fit is awful but I do go in there for PJs and underwear for me & DCs

My local Tesco extra is actually nice though, the staff are all lovely and the few times I’ve complained about things (out of stock items, poor use by dates etc) they have made effort to rectify it.
I missed an item on self scan once too, and had one of those random checks, assistant had to scan my whole trolley but she was so lovely about it & offered a drink and a comfy seat while I waited

Lush as I can't stand the smell - far too over powering.

Pret as they refused to let me use their toilet during a massive community event. I understand they are for customers but when you have tens of thousands of people at the event surely a little flexibility is important. MacDonalds on the other hand shephered me and dozens of others to their staff toilets as their customer toilets had a queue about 30 people deep. I wouldn't ever go to pret now.

I too am surprised that WHS is still going, they are expensive dark and dismal and always give you loads of vouchers after you've made your purchase. Why don't stores do voucher receipts in a different colour to till receipts then we can actually see them in the purse!!

Phone shops.All of them.
Who needs them now- you can buy a phone online and then get a sim only contract online, & its much cheaper.
I don't miss sitting for those long interviews about getting a contract and the feeling that you were going to be ripped off by some unexpected price hike (which invariably came true).

Aldi - they accused my DP of stealing because of his appearance (physical disability/way he holds himself). That was bad enough, but they way it was handled when he pointed out their mistake was disgusting - no apology, nothing. He's self conscious as it is without being singled out publically like that.

Tescos: I used self-scan for my weekly shop, first 3 weeks they scanned 12 items all good, then week 4, 5 &6 they wanted to scan the whole shop, which they did and no issues everything accounted for.

Makes me feel I had done something untoward to be singled out on every self-scan I did.

I know use Sainsburys and have had the odd few item check but nothing else.

Primark/Tk-Maxx same issue in both, I feel claustrophobic and sets my anxiety off.

Smiggle: So so so overpriced for stuff that poor quality goods.

@IdClimbHimLikeATree the greengrocers run by brothers......is it on H road in S district by any chance?