5 years ago I gave this place a 5 star rating - today I'm changing it to 1 star and I want to explain why - I've been coming to this place for years, it's not far from a place I work at in Marion. I've gotten clothes for myself, my grandchildren, and my adult daughter and even for friends if I see something they'd most likely enjoy. The staff here have always been excellent - helpful, pleasant, professional. This was not my experience today, though - May 7th at around 1:30 p.m. - I'm sharing what happened as a "you never know what somebody is going through" type thing.
Since February, I've been going to funerals every week. Death doesn't just come in threes - sometimes it comes in huge batches and you don't have time to grieve before you're in shock and heartache yet again.
This coming weekend, a wake and funeral gathering I'm attending is for a woman that loved leopard print, so her mother requested people feel free to wear a leopard print scarf or the like in her honor - I already had planned to go to Savers to see what I could find, but as I was leaving work, and passing by Parting Ways, I saw they were open. I scooted inside to see what they had for leopard print to wear to my friend's final goodbye.
I found a large leopard print Snuggly for just $4.00, and although I didn't plan to wear it, I thought it would make a nice gift for my friend's daughter, to snuggle with when she wanted to just give an Earthly hug to her Heavenly mom. One of the pockets on it was torn a little, but I figured I could mend that quick with needle and thread. I know her mom would love that I found it in a "second hand store" and that it was bought with love for her daughter.
Because I have been overwhelmed with grief the past few months and weeks, I didn't have much cash on me, but I knew they took cards - but I thought there was an amount you had to get if you were going to use the card, so I continued to look around. I couldn't find anything else I wanted, even looked at shoes (something I rarely do, because I have enough shoes.)
I went into my purse to see if I had maybe enough change and dollars, and to my surprise, I did have 2 dollar bills, four quarters and another quarter and some nickels, dimes and pennies. WHEW! I thought. But as I was adding it up, the cashier looked over at me and said "please try to use just quarters." I knew I wouldn't be able to do that, so I asked her what the amount was to use a card, and she said "$20" so I explained that I had $3.86, and it was just 14 cents shy (and I don't normally ever haggle with thrift stores because the prices are already so reasonable - but this wasn't a haggle, this was simply a human situation of being 14 cents shy.) She said "We're a charity, we can't lower our prices." Another woman nearby went into her change purse and said "I have 15 cents I can give to you." The cashier leaned forward to me and said "Who comes into a store like this without cash?"
My heart sank. I was so close to just crying, why was this cashier being so callous and cruel to me? Granted, she had no idea what I was in there for, what it meant - she had no idea how many deaths have happened since February in a thrift shopper's life.
I told the woman with the offering of change it was okay, she didn't have to do that. I then put my two dollar bills on the counter for the community charity, left the leopard Snuggly there on the counter, simply said "Thank you" and walked out. Other people were there, they saw it, they heard it. One of them might read this now and will understand why I left - sometimes you have to walk out of a store before your grief overtakes you. I couldn't give that Snuggly to anyone now - too much negativity surrounded it.
Always remember - you have no idea what people are going through, so please, next time, with others (not me, I won't be back), go gentle. I don't know what the cashier is going through, either, so I hope she takes a break from working with the public until her heart and mind are in better space.
Everytime I go there I am never disappointed. The Ladies are welcoming and helpful. They seem to always have some sort of sale. And the clothing is always clean in good used condition. Never disappointed
TY Parting Ways.
walked in here looking to shop & i overheard the owners saying some pretty racist things about Korean people. not pleased to listen to that, stay clear of here?
Beautiful things to take your time, try on and buy. Efficient, kind staff. Lovely way to shop. Closed Labor Day until after 10-1-22 to stock new stuff!!
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