***ATTENTION Corporate Leaders***…read more
My cousin & I were disrespected & humiliated at Spirit Halloween - CaminoTENT #60754 in Westfield Mission Valley Mall on 10/25/22 at 4:19PM by Cashier Jana (3363793) & her Unknown Shift Lead at Register 4, Transaction #2666.
I purchased a Superman costume at this location on 10/21. Because the receipt machine wasn't working, the employee who rung me up wrote down the receipt information [View Picture of receipt] & stated that after today, 10/21, only exchanges can be allowed.
On Tuesday, 10/25, I returned to the store to exchange the costume.
Once I got to the register I stated:
"I would like to exchange this costume for a different one. It did not fit right."
The cashier, named "Jana," inspected the bag & noticed there was a miniature plastic bag inside.
I stated: "Oh, it must have been what the cape was in."
Jana stated: "We cannot take an item back once the 'accessories' have been open."
I stated: "I was unaware of this policy." Showing her the makeshift receipt I was given, I stated: "Seeing as I was unaware of this policy & was given a receipt with no Return/Exchange Policy stated, can you make an exception?"
Jana then retrieved her Supervisor/Shift Lead, who was not wearing a Name Badge at the time.
Unknown "Lead": "We cannot take an item back once the 'accessories' have been open."
I stated: "I understand your policy, but I was unaware of this policy when I bought it nor does it say anything on my [makeshift] receipt."
Unknown Lead: "We tell all our customers this before they buy them."
I stated: "I understand that, but 'I' was not told this when I bought it."
Unknown Lead claimed: "... I was there when she rung you up. So 'I know' she said it to you."
I was baffled at her claim stating that she was "there" when that employee who wrote me a receipt rung me up.
Jana stated: "... we're still following COVID rules, we can return a costume because we can wash it. We can't wash accessories."
I stated: "... but the [Superman's] cape is the same [material] as the costume, it can be washed..."
Unknown Lead: "As we said [with an unsympathetic demeanor]... we can't return accessories once they've been opened."
Jana: "We can swap it out for the same costume [which didn't make sense], but it has to be the same one."
As we went back & forth, additional "rules" regarding exchanges were spewing out of Jana & Unknown Lead's mouths. The line began to grow, growing past the end of the line wrapping around the store, with only 1 register open - the resister that my cousin & I were at.
I stated: "Look, I'm not hear to fight & we're clearly holding up the line. Is there anything you can do for us?"
Unknown Lead: "We cannot make the exchange.."
With gawking eyes staring us down from the growing line, we embarrassingly took my Superman costume, leaving the store without even an apology.
As my cousin & I walked back to my car, we examined the costume bag itself. As we took out the miniature bag which was supposed to hold Superman's cape, we looked at it & realized it read: "Halloween Spider Costu... dysuit with Mask, Adult XXXL" [View Picture of bag].
My cousin & I remained calm and returned to the register. Fortunately we were at Jana's register again - to not have to explain our whole story. The Unknown Lead returned to the register. We told her what happened and that the miniature bag inside the Superman costume packaging was from the Spider-Man mask I have at my home.
Unknown Lead stated: "Well... all the capes are still in separate packaging..."
My cousin stated: "No, they are not. We checked all the costumes. The capes are attached."
The Unknown Lead sends Jana to check ALL the Superman costumes, not even acknowledging my cousin's or my presence while Jana is doing her investigation.
Jana returns to the register & quietly states to her lead: "The capes are attached..."
Our transaction was Completed. I was able to exchange my costume for another one... HOWEVER, not once did the Unknown Lead or Jana apologize for their behavior and their wrongful actions against my cousin & me.
As the transaction was finished, I thanked Jana for the exchange. Walking out the tent with my cousin, the Unknown Lead was standing at the doorway... unapologetic. No sorry for being wrong, no sorry for humiliating us in front of the whole store, and no sorry that we had to go through all this to do a simple exchange of a costume.
To Jana, I understand that you were just "doing your job" & complying with your "Lead." But to the Unknown Lead, shame on you. You profiled us as "Karen's" trying to pull the wool over your eyes to get our money back. We in fact spent more money for the exchange.
I may have left with a better costume, but we lost our respect for Spirit Halloween stores. I understand that this is a Seasonal Job and that Jana's & the Unknown Lead's job will end next week, but that doesn't give employees the right to disrespect costumers like that.