Went to the Warehouse Store!

Kyle was off of school so we were all home, just like all of last week (due to snow, icey roads, etc.).  Anyway, we ended up going to BJ's Warehouse and bought some food!  We bought some organic burritos that all of us can eat because it's meat-free.  We also bought oranges, Uncle Ben "ready rice," Carpi Sun drink pouches (for Kyle), and a bunch of other food!  I also bought a HUGE container of white vinegar to clean with. 

I ended up cleaning the bathroom today using baking soda and white vinegar!  I feel so accomplished.  I scrubbed the bathtub with baking soda and white vinegar and then I used the same combo to help unclog the shower drain.  It helped a bit, it drains a little more than before.  I cleaned the sink too.  I also poured some white vinegar in the toilet bowl to help disinfect/clean it.  Then I wiped the bathroom floor with white vinegar and wiped down the toilet (yuck).  Lastly, I wiped down the shower curtain with white vinegar and it's a little bit cleaner.  I may have to step into the bathtub and really scrub the shower curtain.  Everything is clean in the bathroom, and it smells fresh and looks clean! 

Day off with family

Today was my day off! We had a nice day as a family. We went to BJs, which is about 40 to 45 minutes away in another city. We ended up getting my MIL's vacuum! We found what we planned on getting for my FIL but it doesn't come with an iPod! So Shannon didn't get it. Shannon said he'll think of other things to get for him and keep looking. Since we were there, we walked around the rest of the store. I bought a few more things for my breaks at work. I also bought soap - 16 bars to be exact! That should last us at least a year or two! LOL I also bought liquid hand soap that comes in a foam dispenser for the bathroom! It came with 4 soap dispensers.

Since I had to work so many days in a row, I ended up doing laundry. I had to wash my work shirts and pants. I didn't do any cleaning today except a quick vacuuming. I cleaned the bathroom yesterday before work.

I have to work the next 3 days and then I am off again.

The 6th day

Today is my 6th day of working without a day off. I only have a 4 hour shift tonight. I definitely enjoy working in the evenings, it's so much more laid back!

I am off tomorrow. Shannon and I may get my in-law's Christmas gifts. Instead of getting his Dad a camera, his Mom suggested we get him a stereo system that he wants. She was worried about us spending so much on a camera, which ranges from $500 - $1100, depending on what accessories you want to get with it. We can get both of their gifts at BJs. Thankfully I still have my membership card. I asked Shannon if we're going to wrap their gifts and he said we could, which actually means I would be the one to wrap them! I am not sure how I am going to wrap a vacuum box! That should be a challenge! I am not sure how big the stereo is.

I have seen a few little gifts I could get for Kyle and wrap them for Christmas! They have a lot of little gifts out for people to buy!

Surprise in the Mail

A few days ago, I blogged about our experience at BJs. I received a letter from them today. They refunded my membership cost (in the form of a gift card) that my MIL had to pay just so we could use our food stamps and they included an additional $25 gift card!!!

Not only that, the lady who called to talk me to about the incident was the General Manager! Wow. I am so glad she took the time to investigate what happened. She talked to the employees involved, so hopefully this won't happen again.

The Incident and Conclusion

Yesterday, my MIL and I went to BJs for groceries. BJs is a warehouse store, just like Sam's Club and Costco. I also noticed that BJs is much cheaper than Costco! As with any trip to a warehouse store, you may spend as much as an hour or more in the store shopping around. At checkout, we experienced bad customer service and embarrassment. So much so, that I wrote an email to them and sent it to them through their website. I wrote this around 12:30 AM this morning.

Here is what I wrote:

This was my first visit to BJs and it will most likely be my last. By the way, we visited your Mooresville, NC store on July 28th at approximately 3:30 PM.

I am writing to let you know that I truly think your cashiers/front end employees need retraining on customer service and sensitivity training in regards to Food Stamps/EBT. When we informed the cashier that we were going to use our EBT card, they wanted to know what the name on the account was, not only that, they wanted to see our EBT card. We have had Food Stamps/EBT for almost a year now and have never had a store ask to see our card, let alone want to check our ID.

We felt like a criminal just trying to use EBT to pay for our groceries. We also felt ganged up on by your cashiers, as they all felt the need to reaffirm that your store “just started accepting EBT” even though we’ve used it in your store since March of this year. They were implying that we (the customers) were liars and felt like a stranger in your store as a customer. I always believed that I should feel welcomed and appreciated? I have worked in customer service in the past and I have never treated a customer in the above manner and think it is unacceptable and just plain rude! Also, the cashiers who felt the need to be “involved,” ALL gave us dirty looks, right in front of our faces! They didn’t even try to hide it. I felt uncomfortable and couldn’t wait to get out of your store. Do you make all of your customers feel this way? The supervisor that got involved was not sympathetic or helpful to us at all, even though we tried to explain we have used EBT before and had no problems. This particular supervisor was named Lia G. or Lisa G. (I couldn‘t really tell since she had too many damn stickers on her name tag), she was heavy-set with long black frizzy hair and a round face. I should mention that the supervisor gave us dirty looks as well.

Every cashier involved treated us like the enemy and acted like we were not welcomed in your store. I am saddened that they could be so unprofessional and rude at the same time, especially to a customer spending time and MONEY in your store.

As a food stamp/EBT recipient, I am not “proud” to be poor and do realize my inability to feed my family without the extra help. I think your cashiers need to understand that. Food Stamp/EBT users are just trying to feed their families.

I doubt my comment will reach the store, but I felt the need to let your company know of this incident. This visit also made me realize that I do not plan on recommending your store to any of my family as I do not want them to be embarrassed or feel anywhere close to how I felt today. Thankfully my family live on the West Coast, so they don’t have your store there.

Signed,
A Customer too embarrassed to sign a name


I was really hurt and confused with the way we were treated. It was truly inconvenient and embarrassing. While all of this was going on, our food was defrosting on the conveyor belt.

I received a call today around 4 PM from the "Membership Manager." She was very apologetic, appalled, and embarrassed for the incident and how we were treated. She said she talked to everyone involved (good to know)! She recognized the fact that any customer has a CHOICE to shop at their store, we have a choice to spend our time and money at any other grocery store. I also told her that we came from another city just to shop at their store and she acknowledged that it was a long way to drive. I should mention that my MIL was forced to add me on to their membership just so we could use our food stamps. The manager I talked to is going to refund my membership cost and send us a gift certificate to use at their store. She is also going to extend my in-law's membership for a full year free of charge! In the end, she confirmed what we thought was right, she said any member who brings a friend or family member into their store is welcomed to use any form of payment (except checks).