Okay, this is the first review I've ever written. I'm creating an account for the sole purpose of…read morewriting this review. on a completely empty Yelp page. I guess it's more like a journal entry, but PETITE MANAGER LADY, I sincerely hope that you read this.
Normally things like this roll off my back easily. I hail from NYC, so I get plenty of shitty service, and normally when this type of BS happens, I just bring my business across the street. But yesterday really got to me. I even slept on it, and today I awoke still angry and hurt. See, my family moved to Millerton last year and obviously, we were worried about the distance between the house and shopping, gas, etc. To our delight, a familiar sight had opened up right down the street from the new house: a Cumberland Farms! Hooray- I had grown up shopping at Cumbees in Port Chester, NY. An old friend.
So, since we've been living here, my entire family and especially my boyfriend & I have loyally patronized this Cumberland Farms, spending our money here multiple times a day whenever we are in town. My family goes to Cumberland for milk, random groceries, late night ice-cream runs. We send guests there for essentials. My boyfriend and I buy cigarettes, beer, snacks, and groceries there DAILY when we are in Millerton. Having a party? We get EVERYTHING from Cumberland and direct ALL of our guests there for tobacco products, munchies, drinks and then coffee in the morning.
The night staff is awesome. They know us! We always look for chocolate pies, which are usually sold out. We have exchanged banter countless times. This one cashiere ALWAYS compliments my boyfriend's shirt. This is a pretty bumblef**** area, so I don't want to presume, but I would THINK that our patronage day-in and day-out would be appreciated, at least awarding us some basic respect. I'm usually greeted with a smile, anyway.
But not yesterday! Nope. Don't you love how people get drunk off the littlest bit of power? We stop there yesterday morning, like usual, to get gas and pick up cigarettes on the way to the house. Maybe it was a little bit earlier, so perhaps the earlier-morning staff is just REALLY SHITTY? I don't know. Anyway, my boyfriend goes in to buy his cigarettes, like he's done literally a thousand times before, and he's informed that his ID (which was issued to him less than 6 months ago at the DMV in Ohio) is unacceptable because it's "not a real drivers license." It's a non-driving ID, issued by the DMV. Why? Because he doesn't drive. So he says that he'll go get me, because I have a New York State License. But no, somehow.... that's not allowed either.
So I come in to see what's going on. According to the geniuses at Cumberland, a government issued, scannable, picture ID is not "proper identification." Not to mention the fact that he is 35 years old and balding, and they were trying to establish that he was over 18 to buy a pack of CIGARETTES. The Cashier Lady threw us some major shade, implying who knows WHAT about him, saying "we're just trying to establish who EXACTLY you are." What? His picture is on the ID. Um?
So the manager comes over, as I'm asking the cashier lady if she IS the manager- because she is obviously completely ignorant and at this point she's being very rude and pulling arguments out of her butt. I was like, oh good someone maybe with sense? But instead of telling her employee to step back and merely solving the problem, the manager joins the argument, acting equally offensive and unprofessional. We're standing there in disbelief, calmly trying to establish what EXACTLY the problem could be with this ID? or why they think they have the right to break the law by refusing to accept a valid, government ID? Instead of diffusing the situation, Manager Lady brings that ever charming passive aggression into the argument, "shush"ing us repeatedly as if we were yelling, while she waves her hands in dismissal, says "what do you waaaaant" as if we're the ones giving them a problem, and grabs my debit card out of my boyfriend's hands. She does the transaction in probably 20 seconds and ushers us towards the door. Like we were the problem!
The funniest part is that he was using my debit card to make the transaction. Stupid people didn't even check the name on the card against his ID. LOVING the selective power trip.
Saddest part is that I love this store- what to do? Suck it up or boycott them forever? I just hope they learn some better customer service for the people who literally keep them in business