Never again. We've shopped in different Kohl's stores over many years and each time felt a strange sense of relief when we were done and back out in the parking lot. Today, they outdid themselves. Hubby urgently needed a new pair of shoes but didn't want cheapies from Wal-Mart or Shoe Show/Payless. Since he needed to stop in at Home Depot, anyhow, he figured that Kohl's might be worth checking out. (Kohl's has never been a destination for us, we'd stop in only if we happened to be in the area.)
The shoe department was neat, organized, and well-stocked and it took about ten minutes, start to finish, to find and try on a pair that he liked. Then came the part we've always dreaded: checking out. It's rare to have it go smoothly, here. We were greeted warmly by a very pleasant young woman and things started out fine, but then the receipt wouldn't print out. The associate asked for help from the checker in the next lane, who made several suggestions. Presumably, the first transaction ended up being voided, (there was no receipt for that, either) so hubby had to get out his card and swipe it, again. Ordinarily, it wouldn't be a problem, but he'd just spent the better part of two days on our sun-drenched roof and in the hot attic, and up and down a ladder, replacing the attic ventilator fan, so his energy level was pretty low, and you could see him getting shorter, having to stand and wait for the problem to be resolved. If we hadn't already had an appointment in Voorhees, we'd never have chosen to run errands today, but once you get out of Salem County, you try to make the most of it.
Anyhow, it turns out, their printer was out of paper. This is "working with printers 101". If It's not printing, first check the paper. At some point, a manager came over, but I wasn't really paying attention, anymore, due to thinking more about how to catch my husband if he did fall over. It was the manager who advised us that a receipt would take about five minutes to get (Say what? These are _real_ computers that they're using, aren't they, not just dressed up calculators?) After being assured that the second transaction went through, hubby just grabbed the bag and left without a receipt. The employees seemed more interested in getting us our "Kohl's Cash", which we've never used, and have never wanted. The store is an hour away from home; a small savings just doesn't make the trip worthwhile. We left it there.
Still, compliments to the manager and employees for not getting rattled and especially for staying friendly and not getting snippy. We understand that "stuff happens" and it's usually not the fault of the employees (although in this case some additional training may be warranted) so we were trying to stay calm and appreciate that they did, too.
I completely understand why brick and mortar stores are closing, and it's not entirely the fault of the "evil, greedy online stores". Local stores, in large part, are doing it to themselves. For example, there wasn't an associate in sight in the entire shoe department. Our next shoes will be ordered from zappos.com, with their free shipping and generous return policy. Kohl's is no longer on our radar. read more