I just had the most awful retail experience in recent memory going to this store. If I could give…read moreit negative 5 stars, I would.
After reading reviews online, and hearing nothing but good things from my mum, who has had multiple of her friends and family purchase flooring from this retailer, I was completely shocked and appalled by how different my experience was from everyone else's.
Let me set the scene for you. My mum and I entered the store at 3:15pm on a Friday afternoon, hoping to do some casual shopping, looking around, and get an idea of what was available in the world of luxury vinyl flooring. I had done a lot of preliminary research online, but nothing beats seeing a product IRL. I was finally ready to start looking at real products so I could make a purchase for my planned upcoming renovation over the next few months.
As we walked in, and started past the office into the back showroom, the first thing the owner said to us, in an extremely condescending tone, "Wow, you're looking for flooring? You're really starting late." I wasn't sure if he meant late in the day, or late in the week, but it turns out he was referring to late in the year, because there isn't a lot available in terms of stock before things start shutting down for the holidays. Uncalled for in the tone he said it, but a fair warning overall given the apparent shortage of supplies.
However, the interaction only got worse from there. When I mentioned I had seen the Evoke line of flooring online, and asked if he carried it, he scolded me again, for the second time. "What are you doing looking online? WHERE online?" As my mum tried to lighten the mood and said "you know, these kids, they look at everything online..." he then shamed me to "Get up, get outside, get in your car and look at things IN REAL LIFE."
I'm not sure what he thought I was doing besides exactly that, since I was there, in real life, at his store.
When I casually mentioned that I lived in Toronto, in a condo, and that it wasn't easy for me to just hop around store to store, he then shamed me for coming into his store at all when I lived in a different city. (I'll note here I've been in Hamilton for the past few weeks, living with my mum, as I am in the middle of renovations unrelated to this flooring project).
He then re-iterated approximately 4-5 times that it was near impossible to get stock, (always in a condescending tone) and if I wanted to do anything in December, it basically wasn't going to happen. By this point, I was pretty upset at how the interaction was playing out, and how rude he was being to both of us, but I was trying to stay polite, so I simply said "Ok."
He then said, "what are you doing, saying 'OK' (he was mimicking my voice here) and giving me those puppy dog eyes"
I said, I can likely wait until January, maybe later, I'm not in a huge rush. He then said, "Well, prices are going to go UP by then." Once again, I didn't really know how to respond to that, so, again, trying to be polite, I just said "Ok" again. Again, mimicked me, "OK!" and shamed me for giving him "puppy dog eyes."
I just said I was going to look around (truthfully, I just wanted to be nowhere near him at this point) and he told me to go ahead and walked back to his office. I basically stayed another minute or so, until he was tucked away and I wouldn't have to deal with him anymore, and my mum and I scurried out of there.
After I got back into the car, I had to hold back tears.
Every moment of this interaction was not only rude, but it bordered on hostile. And honestly, with him commenting multiple times on how my eyes looked when I was simply trying to be polite was also incredibly misogynistic.
All of that being said, I urge anyone who doesn't want to be treated like garbage to avoid walking into this store.
I wish I never did.
