I just left Canadian Tire in Espanola. I went to exchange a lawnmower innertube my husband bought saturday, it blew before it was half full.

The cashier was nice.  Told me to go get the replacement.  I explained my husband bought it and I had no idea where to look for it.

She told me in aisle 52...... did not tell me where aisle 52 was.

Another cashier was kind enough to point me in the right direction, it's in the gardening section.

I walked all the way down to the gardening section.. no numbers there.  Only 2 aisles, easy enough.
They are the full depth of the store each.

A worker in the gardening section told me which one was 52, I said. thanks and looked both ways before entering. Commented out loud on how telling me it's in aisle 52 is like telling me I live on Highway 17, come find me.  Another customer snickered but he already had a helper. 

I walked the whole length, tires were at the end but inner tubes were not. I walked back up to them and mentioned I had no clue where to look.. The "customer" actually showed me to the item I needed while the worker stood there.  I have no idea what the worker was doing.

I finally got the innertube and headed back to the cashier.  She took the items, put all the info into the cash register then turns to me and says.. "I need the tax card".  I explained it was my husbands purchase (Thought I already told her that), it was his card, I don't have one.  This is where she tells me that she needs the card or it's another .80 cents.  FOR AN EXCHANGE!!  I was not purchasing it I was exchanging one that was defunct.  I'd had it.

I pushed the box at her and said fuck it, I don't want it. Shopping in Espanola sucks and I'll pick one up in Sudbury.  (Or hubby can go pick one up himself if he can get time off work early enough to go pick up a 10.00 innertube) I started to walk away and realized I didn't have my money so went back for it.

The whole time the cashier was polite and understanding, gotta give her big kudos for that cause I was a bitch.  Funny thing is, they have me running around the store and I am wondering.. who the hell was that guy in CT uniform standing at the cash chatting with her the whole time I was there?  And why didn't he go get my part instead of making the customer do all the work?  I don't get paid to help me. Then again. apparently no one there gets paid to help me.... He was still there when I left.

 Customer service has gone to the dogs.

Does no one know how to say thank you anymore?  I don't mean person to person but business-wise.  Used to be that the employees were trained to say thank you for shopping there. Now they wait till they hand you your reciept so you can say thank you and they can say you're welcome.  Well, that's not good enough!! They hand me my reciept and I respond with "you're welcome". I don't say thank you for handing me proof I spent money in your store, it's not my job on the line.  I pay you to work there. Without people to spend money in the store, you don't have a job because it will close. 

We work hard for our money, we spend it where we feel welcomed and lately I spend it in Sudbury except for when I need a quick run then I do Espanola stores.  Winkles (YIG) even asks me if I found everything I was looking for.. reads as, Did you spend all you can because we can help you spend more.  *rolls eyes*  They make sure you spent all you can but they don't bother with thank you for shopping here.

Corner stores have better costomer manners than Winkles employees.  Seems to me, no one cares as long as you leave your money in their pockets nowadays. Have manners gone the way of the horse and buggy, seldom seen but an exciting treat?

Winkles is not the only store in town that forgets to thank it's customers but it is the  main one.

So use your manners and say thank you to people who spend their hard earned cash in your place of business.