I generally avoid speaking negatively about small businesses. But in this instance, it is warranted.
Recently, my teenage daughter mentioned that she could no longer view the Instagram page of a local boutique she had shopped with in the past. It struck me as odd, so I sent a message to inquire about it.
The owner responded and informed me that my daughter had been blocked because she believed my daughter and her friend had supposedly damaged a dress while shopping in the store last month.
According to the owner, the girls were laughing in the dressing room, and she concluded that they had damaged a black dress and found it amusing. She further explained that she placed the dress on the checkout counter when they made their purchase to give them "an opportunity to admit responsibility."
The problem with that logic is that neither girl damaged the dress, neither was aware of any issue with it, and neither even noticed it sitting on the counter. If the owner genuinely believed they had damaged merchandise, why not address it directly at the time? Instead, she accepted payment for the two tops my daughter tried on and purchased, said nothing, and later blocked both girls from the store's social media page.
As a mom, I take accusations about my daughter's integrity seriously. She is genuinely the best person I know. The suggestion that she would intentionally damage merchandise and then laugh about it is so far removed from who she is that it is difficult for me to put into words how offensive I find that accusation.
Yesterday, I visited the store for two reasons, to defend my daughter's character and to offer payment for a dress I know she did not damage (my daughter tried on 2 tops and purchased both for $72.) I wanted to close the matter while also making it clear that it would be the last dollar my family spent there.
The owner declined payment and apologized. However, as our conversation continued, she repeatedly maintained her belief that although she didn't think the girls intentionally damaged the dress, they had "accidentally damaged it and thought it was funny and laughed about it." I found her assumption about what they were laughing at presumptuous, defamatory, and infuriating. Had she not repeated this false assumption, I would have let it go and would not be posting about this. She also stated that she "was not the only one to witness it." What she "witnessed" was 2 teenage girls laughing at themselves while shopping- which is a normal activity.
A customer spends money at a business, leaves without a single concern being raised, and is later judged, blocked, and labeled based on a false assumption.
The photographs shown to me depicted a dress with a significant tear in the fabric, not a loose seam or minor defect. When I showed the pictures to my daughter, her response was sincere confusion, "How would she (the friend) have even done that by trying it on? That would take force."
I was also surprised to learn that the owner used information from my daughter's purchase history to locate and block her on social media. As a parent, that is unsettling. Customer information should be used to conduct business, not to track down and block a minor online based on an unproven assumption.
So many other possibilities exist here- the most likely being that the dress was already damaged, and it was overlooked by employees before it was tried on. I know the girls were in the dressing room laughing about clothes that didn't fit and looked awkward- not laughing as they ripped up a dress. That is completely absurd to assume!
As parents, we teach our children that integrity matters. We also teach them that when someone falsely questions their character, they deserve to be defended.
Britique Boutique, SHAME on you- you will not receive another dollar from this family. read more
