Story time!
I had a bunch of parties (we're talking 10 or more) recently and accumulated TONS of bottles and cans. Because it was a party not everyone drained all their liquid before tossing the container, nor did we take the air out of the 2-liters.
The place I usually went for returns had closed (and they used to do pick ups for me, which was great) so here I am with my car FILLED with bottles and cans with no place to go. I just drove around for a little bit to find some place that will take them and I happen to go to Liverpool Redemption Center on Old Liverpool Road. Great! Parking was right next to their door, so I backed my car in and took a bag inside. Nobody else was there except me so I was happy I could just get in and out quickly.
I was greeted by an unfriendly employee who I told I had several large bags and would be bringing them in. He just looked at me. I remember thinking to myself as I went to get more bags "alright, let's just get through this".
I dumped a bag onto the shelf and he starts sorting them. I see he took the 2-liters and crushed them to remove the air, so I started helping him do that too. A few bottles still had bits of drink in them and I could tell he was frustrated (even after seeing the first one). As he was finishing the first bag I opened the next and dumped them onto the shelf. The bottles all sort of got in his way because the shelf was so steep and he snapped at me. "You gotta give me room to work!" or something like that. My bags were huge so oh well, I'll just give him less next bag.
As he finished I opened the next bag and only let out about half of the bottles. He snapped again! I'm not sure what he wanted me to do, unless I should wait until he is done with literally every can before I started the next bunch. He made me feel like an idiot! So fine, I'll wait until he's all done with every can before opening the next, and I'm also going to stop helping because he's being a jerk anyway.
As he gets close to finishing this bag he painstakingly crushes the 2-liters like he's trying to make me feel bad. Then, oh God, he finds a few glasses that aren't redeemable! I get a lecture. "Don't bring these in here." Sorry, I'm not a professional bottle return client, I'm not sure which ones aren't redeemable so I bring them just in case! So he sets those aside after lecturing me about a minute or so (without sorting anything either). Finally the shelf is empty. I reach down for a new bag and lift it up. He rolls his eyes and sighs nice and loud, he's trying to pretend like he thought we were done, even though he saw me bring in two bags at a time.
Now he just starts to go slow because I'm becoming such an inconvenience for him. I remember waiting way longer for the last bag or two than the others before them.
At the same time all this is going on I have no idea how he kept track of how many things I brought in. He didn't write anything down, so I just have to assume he's counting in his head. I hope he was good at that while lecturing me and making me feel bad because I'm not sure I got paid the correct amount. I didn't even care anymore because I just wanted to leave so bad. I wish I was outgoing enough to complain about him to the manager, or ask for me bottles and cans back somehow. But I just left with my cash and will never go back. I will not recommend them at all and have told friends to avoid them.
I know I didn't do everything right by leaving air in the 2-liters and some liquid in a bunch of bottles, but that's just commonplace for this type of business! If I deliver packages I have to expect some houses not to have numbers, if I print things I have to expect people to give me the wrong file-types. If I collect bottles and cans I have to expect some to have liquid in them or 2-liters to have air.
Everyone should take a short drive to Cicero and go to Cicero Bottle & Can Return, they don't make you feel bad about anything and are actually very friendly! read more
