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AIBU?

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Original poster

Whats your least favourite shop?

234 replies

girlfriend44 · 09/10/2025 13:33

Your least favourite shop/shop you've had problems with. Shops you don't go in anymore.

Anything we can learn?

Sports Direct.
No customer service.

Mainly young staff who have no clue about customer service. Like Robots in there. Soulless place.

Clothes that aren't the size they are labelled, so its misleading.
Googled this and apparantely its quite common.
Don't want to give refunds easily when other shops do.

OP posts:
IvysMum12 · 09/10/2025 19:43

IKEA .

Tiddlywinkly · 09/10/2025 19:50

Some online shopping experiences:

Sezane - some genuinely lovely pieces amongst poly blend knit wear and really long trousers.

What annoys me, is that they operate on FOMO and small stocks, so some stuff you will never be able to buy. I 'get' exclusivity, but it largely just pisses people who would be willing to part with their money and get fed up, or you see products that are clearly bought purely for profit landing on Vinted (New Balance collab, I'm looking at you).

Jigsaw - I loved a recent purchase, quality wise, but I returned something and it's taken 3 weeks to get a refund. I think it might be a cash flow issue if my digging is correct.

Original poster
girlfriend44 · 09/10/2025 19:58

Gowlett · 09/10/2025 19:16

Today in Boots the cashier was having an in-depth conversation with the make-up counter woman. She tore herself away, rolled her eyes that I wanted to actually purchase. Made no effort, only to scan my item, and shove it back at me. Then, before I’d even bagged my goods, turned back to her colleague and said “anyway, you were saying?” as if I were the rude one who interrupted her / them.

I’ve worked in retail over the years, and customers always came first. Not anymore! Another recent one was Office, where the staff managed to deal with me not saying a single word.

Terrible isn't it.
Say something when it happens.
Is that how they expect to be treated in shops.

OP posts:
Thepeopleversuswork · 09/10/2025 20:00

I find specialist running and outdoor/camping shops really intimidating, patronising and horrendously overpriced.

The customer assistants are invariably young men who want to geek out about their sport with other geeks and regard a beginner or an amateur as a waste of their time.

I go into Runners Need sometimes. I do run so I am not a complete ingenue but I don’t care enough about minute differences in spec or want to spend thousands of pounds on performance kit or £40 for a water bottle. Decathlon is OK but some of the smaller ones I am amazed are still in business.

BacktoKingscote · 09/10/2025 20:01

I'm assuming everyone has trauma-blanked Argos from their memory. Trawling through the catalogue, inputting loads of details only to find the item inevitably out of stock. When the first one opened in my city my mum nearly had an aneurysm queuing for ages at one window which promptly closed when she got to the front so she had to join the very long queue for the other.

MidlandsGal1 · 09/10/2025 20:01

Lush. I actually love their products but I can’t stand some irritating commission grabbing sales assistant following me around showing me shit I already know about when I just want to grab what I came in for, pay and go. I’ve stopped going in store now, I’d rather order online and get it delivered than deal with their nonsense.

Thepeopleversuswork · 09/10/2025 20:03

MidlandsGal1 · 09/10/2025 20:01

Lush. I actually love their products but I can’t stand some irritating commission grabbing sales assistant following me around showing me shit I already know about when I just want to grab what I came in for, pay and go. I’ve stopped going in store now, I’d rather order online and get it delivered than deal with their nonsense.

I agree with this actually. I love the products but I don’t need to have someone tell me what a bath bomb does.

Peclet · 09/10/2025 20:06

ilovelamp82 · 09/10/2025 14:05

Single mum, saved up and made a huge order with sports direct for my sons. They both have their birthdays a a week either side of Christmas so it was quite the order. Something dodgy was going on with the delivery. It had been tracked saying it was delivered. When I got in contact with them to say it had been tracked incorrectly and I hadn't recieved my goods. I got a knock on the door. A boy in a balaclava delivered a very small package. When I got it in the house it had been opened and all but socks and one Beanie hat had been stolen.
This was caught on my ring camera which I sent to them. They were awful. Refused to investigate and I couldn't afford to buy all the stuff to replace it.
I know it sounds dramatic but I don't sleep well and I often immediately wake up thinking about it. The injustice of it, having so little money and having to pay put hundreds of pounds for items I didn't receive and the kids going without. It makes me so sad and so angry. I will never shop with them again. I'd rather pay twice the price somewhere else.

Show quote history

You need to follow this up- there is a woman on instagram- she’s called teh complainingcow. She sued Tescos for fucking up her club card points. It wasn’t loads of money but it was her money. Like £80 quid. But she sent emails, had a paper trail quotes the consumer act 2015 and emailed the CEO.

I AM FURIOUS on your behalf.

Homephonea · 09/10/2025 20:09

BacktoKingscote · 09/10/2025 20:01

I'm assuming everyone has trauma-blanked Argos from their memory. Trawling through the catalogue, inputting loads of details only to find the item inevitably out of stock. When the first one opened in my city my mum nearly had an aneurysm queuing for ages at one window which promptly closed when she got to the front so she had to join the very long queue for the other.

In our local Argos the touch screens all have a delay so you type as each item, think you didn’t press the key properly so retype the letter and end up messing it up. Went to a different branch recently and the same thing. Is this UK wide? Very irritating indeed!!!

Tiddlywinkly · 09/10/2025 20:09

Thepeopleversuswork · 09/10/2025 20:00

I find specialist running and outdoor/camping shops really intimidating, patronising and horrendously overpriced.

The customer assistants are invariably young men who want to geek out about their sport with other geeks and regard a beginner or an amateur as a waste of their time.

I go into Runners Need sometimes. I do run so I am not a complete ingenue but I don’t care enough about minute differences in spec or want to spend thousands of pounds on performance kit or £40 for a water bottle. Decathlon is OK but some of the smaller ones I am amazed are still in business.

Yes! They rolled their eyes when I asked if there were different colours of a shoe and I was told that it doesn't matter. I care!!!

Newname71 · 09/10/2025 20:10

TKMaxx. Ours is like a bloody jumble sale.
H&M. Everything in there needs a bloody good ironing.

SilverGlitterBaubles · 09/10/2025 20:13

Co op, depressing, shabby and overpriced.

Itiswhysofew · 09/10/2025 20:18

Our local pet shop. They couldn't be more bloody miserable if they tried.

Of the chains, Sainsbury's. It's just so dingy.

FofB · 09/10/2025 20:18

Urban Outfitters.

I consider it a parenting job to stand outside a changing room while various overpriced clothes are tried on and discussed.

I finally snapped and refused to go in there again- shop floor completely filthy- changing room with so much grime on the floor that where someone had attempted to mop had left a tide mark, messy shop, shop assistants who look at you like shite, crappy clothes.

I refuse to pay for anything from there ever again.

earphoneson · 09/10/2025 20:21

Costco - we always ended up spending a lot even if not buying much, and you also need to pay for the membership.

Co-op - I need to be DESPERATE to walk into one.

The Entertainer- in our local one there was one single member of staff in the whole shop, and he looked very annoyed that someone had walked in to disturb him (a very young chap).

RedRec · 09/10/2025 20:22

My local Boots. Tiny and sparsely stocked. The half empty shelves are depressing. And yet it always has a massive queue because the pharmacists double up as cashiers and are painfully slow.

Also, went for a nose in an Aldi recently, out of curiosity. There were trip hazard boxes strewn haphazardly all over the floor, messy shelves and a weird smell. It was a godawful horror show.

DarkRootsBlue · 09/10/2025 20:24

Sainsbury’s. So sick of the assistants in the self-checkout section wandering slowly around pretending not to notice the red lights flashing. Prioritise looking around at them once in a while ffs.

DancingNotDrowning · 09/10/2025 20:25

JD sports. - I asked to try on a pair of trainers in a size 5, they brought out one shoe. When I asked if I could try the other foot on they seemed very perturbed. Most odd.

Eastie77Returns · 09/10/2025 20:26

@BacktoKingscote I love trauma-blanked😂 I don’t mind Argos tbh. My nearest one is in the middle of a desolate trading estate just off a dual carriageway and is always completely empty. There’s a security guy in there and a warning that staff will not tolerate abuse so clearly it attracts a rough crowd.

As for Sports Direct…what everyone else said. DS once wanted to buy a specific branded sports item and when we looked online the closest place selling it was Sports Direct which was 0.9 miles away. I chose to drive to the next available place which was another retailer 10 miles away because I could not deal with the hideousness that is SD. The place needs to be burned to the ground.

nat1972 · 09/10/2025 20:31

ilovelamp82 · 09/10/2025 14:05

Single mum, saved up and made a huge order with sports direct for my sons. They both have their birthdays a a week either side of Christmas so it was quite the order. Something dodgy was going on with the delivery. It had been tracked saying it was delivered. When I got in contact with them to say it had been tracked incorrectly and I hadn't recieved my goods. I got a knock on the door. A boy in a balaclava delivered a very small package. When I got it in the house it had been opened and all but socks and one Beanie hat had been stolen.
This was caught on my ring camera which I sent to them. They were awful. Refused to investigate and I couldn't afford to buy all the stuff to replace it.
I know it sounds dramatic but I don't sleep well and I often immediately wake up thinking about it. The injustice of it, having so little money and having to pay put hundreds of pounds for items I didn't receive and the kids going without. It makes me so sad and so angry. I will never shop with them again. I'd rather pay twice the price somewhere else.

Show quote history

I had a similar issue but it was with returning items. I returned quite a few items but only received a refund for one, and unfortunately as it was using InPost (no other option) there was no confirmation of weight. I complained to them, to PayPal but to no avail. Apparently there was CCTV on when it was returned but when asked to see this, was told that they couldn’t share it due to GDPR rules 😞 I even reached out to InPost themselves but Spirts Direct didn’t even reply to them!

I am too a single mum and it has made me so angry and caused sleepless nights.

Zippidydoodah · 09/10/2025 20:33

HeatingFiddler · 09/10/2025 14:41

Tesco and Sainsburys. I won't go in either. That nasty cheap, greasy, chicken smell from their 'rotisserie' chicken section makes me want to vomit.

The first time I smelt it, I had to swallow my own sick in the middle of the store. I was 8 months pregnant, and the smell overwhelmed me and it was either swallow it back down or spew up next to the scotch eggs. I thought it must be a pregnancy thing so I tried it again about a year later and nope - ended up nearly spewing everywhere.

It's a bloody rank smell that permeates throughout their shop. Even their bloody clothing sections smell like rancid, greasy, chicken.

I have never, ever noticed this! Though I’m not even sure if my local Big Tesco/Sainsbury’s even sell rotisserie chickens…..will have to investigate!

Zippidydoodah · 09/10/2025 20:34

Sports Direct is the absolute pits.

Zippidydoodah · 09/10/2025 20:37

Has anyone mentioned Poundland yet? Now that’s a depressing shop.

Zippidydoodah · 09/10/2025 20:39

Skybluepinky · 09/10/2025 16:27

Lidl and Aldi just terrible the smell in there, the customers f-ing and blinding at their out of control kids, fresh good goes off so quickly.
Give me Waitrose and M&S where it smells clean, the fish wives don’t shop and food is tasty and fresh, cashiers smile and are knowledgeable and can actually speak clear English rather than mumble.

How terribly snobby of you!

Original poster
girlfriend44 · 09/10/2025 20:46

Peclet · 09/10/2025 20:06

You need to follow this up- there is a woman on instagram- she’s called teh complainingcow. She sued Tescos for fucking up her club card points. It wasn’t loads of money but it was her money. Like £80 quid. But she sent emails, had a paper trail quotes the consumer act 2015 and emailed the CEO.

I AM FURIOUS on your behalf.

Show quote history

Resolver is another one you can use.

OP posts: