SHOPKEEPERS THAT HATE CHILDREN...

[adamadamum]

I need to moan about my local shop's attitude to my kids and me! I find the owner so petty. 3 yrs ago with just DD in a small buggy, after shopping there for about 1 year, he suddenly says he wants me to leave my child at the door (where people tether dogs fgs!). OK, it's a small shop and the till is right by the door, but it's not nice to leave your kids alone is it?
I went in very rarely after that, but on the rare occasion I went in there'd be mums pushing their babies in buggies, and he hadn't yet said anything to them. Then he shouted at me one time for moving something in his precious fridge so I could reach something else, then again for something very similar! That was the last straw, I ended up boycotting the place for about a year. Well, I foolishly started going in again occasionally, now with a tandem buggy which I parked at the door. Today, in there for about 3 minutes doing a quick shop, with my children left at the door (inside of course) without mummy (and they are good kids) he comes up to me and says "can you make him stop that." - my DS, 2 1/2 yrs old, was kicking the footrest on his own pushchair, nothing more. I said that to him - "He's only kicking his own pushchair!" He said there are people in here trying to shop! What the f* did he think I was doing in there! How the hell am I supposed to stop him if I can't have him with me! At that point I put my basket down, said "forget it" and told him I had boycotted the shop for a year before, and he was the most un child-friendly shopkeeper I had come across. Anyone else had similar experiences? Shan't give him any of my money again for sure!

Grumpy or what ! He ought to care more about local customers like you.

I used to live near a bookshop run by the world's grumpiest woman. My first 2 ds's were 1 and nearly 3 when we started going to her shop. I was always very careful about picking up books they'd looked at, and we spent not inconsiderable sums of money in her shop on a regular basis...but still she'd huff and tut, and circle around us every visit, never directly confronting us, but muttering all the time about keeping stock "clean". I'm afraid I gave up in the end. One more regular local customer gone, to the disadvantage of a small local trader.

its no wonder we all end up in the supermarket in the end

There was a phone in on R4 yesterday about the effect of large supermarkets on small local business(tied in with yesterdays government report) and I was really shocked at the amount of people who phoned in to complain about grumpy, rude and dirty local shops. Luckily I have little experience of this, the local butchers and greegrocers are lovely and fastidious. But then I remembered the grumpy and grimy ladie who runs the paper shop and the local offy that I just couldn't use because it stinks so bad(and they only sell shite wine) So maybe there is some responsibility for small shopkeepers to try just a little harder in the customer service stakes before they are wiped away completely by the big supermarkets.

I am so lucky with our corner shop - the men who run it are so nice it is one of the reasons I love our neighbourhood. They always chat to the kids, remember their names, etc., will check in the store room for things, have lovely fresh bread and croissants....

He obviously isn't bothered about keeping customers happy. I wouldn't spend another penny there.
I used to live in south Germany and about 50 % of shop keepers were like that especially bakery sales assistants but I didn't give them any more of my money if they were unfriendly - I got so fed up in the end, if I went to a shop and they didn't even bother with a thankyou when I handed my money over I never went again.

The really stupid thing is he wanted me to leave them at the door, so when he (quite understandably I think) kicks his heels against his own pushchair, how am I supposed to stop him? I personally don't think he was doing anything wrong, he wasn't even crying, just entertaining himself! But if I had him with me he probably wouldn't have done it.

I really wish I had said to the idiot that children don't come with remote controls!

My printer is playing up at the moment, but I am composing a letter to him telling him politely what a pr*ck he is, and intend to contact Spar's head office, as they support several child charities. As soon as I have sorted out my printer, I shall make my complaint. Must scrutinise their website, see if I can complain on-line!

That sounds like a really good idea, don't stand for it, wish I'd stood up to some of those horrid german shopkeepers. The berlin ones are much milder compared to the southerners.