What I Witnessed At Target... Crazy?

[AKL_Megs]

I just got back from Target, and I witnessed the craziest thing...

I was back by cleaning supplies when this lady frantically came running up to an employee who was stocking Tide. The lady had a little girl her cart with a tiny wad of Kleenex wedged in her nose soaked in blood. Blood was all over the little girls jacket.

The mom said to the employee, "I need you to go and open me a box of Kleenex and some Wet Ones."

The employee said that she wasn't authorized and couldn't open merchandise, but could run and find tissues, and gave directions to the restroom, where she could clean her daughter. She even offered to bring her cart up front. She said it would be faster than finding her boss to ask permission.

The mother, in a huff, said, "If it wasn't so dry in this store, this wouldn't have happened, and YOUR STORE won't even offer me Kleenex and a Wet One," and stormed off.

I can't imagine someone would expect a store to open $4 worth of merchandise for something like this. Tissue and soap from the restroom (and eventually, perhaps laundering of the jacket at home) would work just fine.

I thought the employee (a poor young woman) handled it well.

 

[AndreaDM]

Had that been my daughter we would have went straight to the restroom. I wouldn't have stopped to bother an employee.

 

[lovetoscrap]

I would have grabbed what i needed, opened it and used it and then paid for it with the rest of my purchases. I have terrible allergies and have opened, used and paid for many a box of tissues when I didn't plan on it.

 

[plutotek]

If I was closer to the Kleenex, I'd have grabbed a box and opened it there, then made the way to the bathroom. When all was said and done, I would have paid for the tissues and that would be that.

 

[golfgal]

Had that been my daughter we would have went straight to the restroom. I wouldn't have stopped to bother an employee.

Same here What a weird thing for the mom to do?

 

[MyManGoofy!]

My son has always had horrible nose bleeds and this has happened to me twice. The first time we were close enough to just go in and get tp from the restroom. But, the second time I just grabbed a box off the shelf and opened them. Threw it in the cart and paid for it with the rest of my stuff. No one seemed to have a problem with me doing that. Now I make sure to have tissue with me at all times.

Some people seem to need to make things a huge drama.

 

[hereyago]

all aboard the crazy train. How about : go wash your kids nose in the bathroom, then buy kleenex and kid's nose saline drops to perhaps prevent another crazy train moment.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

My children can get unexpected nose bleeds. They've had them in a hot and humid summer in Florida.

That woman is off of her rocker. It would never occur to me to demand merchandise opened.

However--if I feel that I need assistance, I would expect an employee to help me in some way. Example: At Coronado, I had caught my exposed toe on a door walking into the lobby. OUCH! It ripped off my toenail and blood was flooding out. In that case--I called my husband to go by me stuff at the gift store (peroxide, and other stuff), but I was shocked at how extremely difficult it was to get a cast member to show up. Now, I know my blood isn't tainted with anything horrible. But it was all over the floor and noone ever came over. After my husband returned and assisted me (did I mention I was 7 months pregnant. What a sight!), we used what we had just purchased to sanitize the floor to the best of our abilities and went and told someone so that they were aware.

So that wasn't cool. I didn't raise a stink. I was just surprised.

And--in my case, I would have used something my child had that was washable. A scarf, shirt--whatever....peroxide cleans everything. So I wouldn't have an issue with taking care of my child's nose on the spot.
For my toe--too much blood, too fast and it was warm, so it wasn't like I had extra clothes to take care of that.

 

[JessicaR]

Been there done that way more times than I care to say. Just take what you need, take care of your child and pay for the products you open.

 

[shortbun]

Any mother taking a kid prone to nosebleeds out in the winter should have her own supplies or buy them. I've had to open things in the store before out of need-eaten them, used them ANd PAID FOR THEM.

 

[MM27]

I would have grabbed what i needed, opened it and used it and then paid for it with the rest of my purchases. I have terrible allergies and have opened, used and paid for many a box of tissues when I didn't plan on it.

Same here. I wouldn't stop an employee. I would just open it myself, use what I needed and then pay for it with my order.

I just did that at Sports Authority. I was trying on skates that were on sale and I had tights on so I needed socks. I opened a package and then paid for them when I bought the skates.

 

[MamaJessie]

I've opened many things and then just paid for them when I check out.

 

[IDoDis]

I've opened many things and then just paid for them when I check out.

Same here, including a package of diapers and wipes. Of course it was the ONE time I rushed out to the store w/ DD to pick up something and didn't bring the diaper bag. DD had a masssive BM that went up the back of her diaper and was all over her back! Ewww.

Of course I paid for the items on our way out.

 

[npmommie]

I would have grabbed what i needed, opened it and used it and then paid for it with the rest of my purchases. I have terrible allergies and have opened, used and paid for many a box of tissues when I didn't plan on it.

Been there done that way more times than I care to say. Just take what you need, take care of your child and pay for the products you open.

this and this

 

[Agri]

Maybe she was stressed and slightly freaking out and wasn't thinking clearly and didn't want to open things on her own for whatever reason and wanted the employee to do it. I have friends who will go buy the stuff first before they use it and I think that's weird.

I normally open stuff myself, too, but not everyone knows that they can do this - or feels comfortable doing so. I don't know why the employee didn't just bring the customer the stuff to open herself.

No, its not how *I* would handle the situation.

 

[cm8]

Maybe she was stressed and slightly freaking out and wasn't thinking clearly and didn't want to open things on her own for whatever reason and wanted the employee to do it. I have friends who will go buy the stuff first before they use it and I think that's weird.

I normally open stuff myself, too, but not everyone knows that they can do this - or feels comfortable doing so. I don't know why the employee didn't just bring the customer the stuff to open herself.

No, its not how *I* would handle the situation.

In some parts it is considered stealing for opening things before they have been purchased. I think that the reason the Mom wanted the employee to open the items is because she had no intentions of paying for them once she used them.

I too have been in the predicament of needing to utilize something before paying at the register for them. I know some people who just eat or drink what they like while in a store and have no intentions of paying for it either.

 

[RangerPooh]

While a reasonable person would just open the package and pay for it, and unreasonable person would expect the store employee to open the items so that they could use as much as they felt they needed, then leave without paying for the used items. Perhaps she was hoping to go the late rroute.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I would have grabbed what i needed, opened it and used it and then paid for it with the rest of my purchases. I have terrible allergies and have opened, used and paid for many a box of tissues when I didn't plan on it.

I would have done that as well, if I were closer to the kleenex aisle than the bathrooms (otherwise I would have headed for the restrooms).

In some parts it is considered stealing for opening things before they have been purchased. I think that the reason the Mom wanted the employee to open the items is because she had no intentions of paying for them once she used them.

I too have been in the predicament of needing to utilize something before paying at the register for them. I know some people who just eat or drink what they like while in a store and have no intentions of paying for it either.

I (and others I knew) opened things and used them and THEN paid pretty regularly in the Detroit area (I bet it was the Haggerty Road Target and I did that type of thing all the time there--it was my main shopping place and I had two little kids ). My guess is that the end of your post is correct,; the woman figured that if the employee opened the items she would not have to pay for them.
She is not crazy--she has a nasty entitlement attitude.

 

[bicker]

Yes, that's really it. This kind of behavior isn't strictly abnormal; it is actually shockingly routine, fostered by an attitude in society that condones a similar, if not quite-that-extreme, sense of entitlement. Sadly, this woman is well within "normal variation" around the default.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Yes, that's really it. This kind of behavior isn't strictly abnormal; it is actually shockingly routine, fostered by an attitude in society that condones a similar, if not quite-that-extreme, sense of entitlement. Sadly, this woman is well within "normal variation" around the default.

Frankly, even more than sad, I find this trend disturbing. I worry about our society as we see more and more of this type of behaviour. Will we still be able to compete n a world market if a good chunk of our citizens believe things should just be handed to them? Will any other nation even take us seriously? I honestly don't know--I do hope the trend will reverse itself SOON, so we never get the chance to find out.