A strange experience

Just my worth, but I can see where they are coming from......BUT....a long time customer?  You told her to check the video.  She could plainly READ the tag.  Being the owner of the store. Bursting into tears?!  A bad day?  Probably.  But....sorry, like I said, I can see where they are coming from in this day and age, but to treat you like that and then to add insult to injury, and not even offer you a discount of any sort?!  I too would be very hesitant to go back.  I would let them know WHY you aren't coming back, but that's just me.  So no, your hesitation is justified.

Eagle90

I"m a firm believer in the power of a sincere apology, This seems like an real apology, and furthermore, she initiated it personally, not pawning off the duty to an employee, or chickening out by using an email or something, like some people would.. I am sure that she is mortified at her own behavior and embarrassed by her own actions.

In my opinion, it would be wrong for you to press for a discount or a price reduction. That would be "pressing your advantage" and really, that's personally unethical, in my books. If she's running a local hobby store, I"m sure that she's in some kind of financial straits one way or the other, what with the way that :LHS's are closing left and right these days, and I"m sure that she probably can't afford to give you a discount. YOu yourself said that a lot of the stock has been there for a while. She may have just balance sheets for the month, and found that she was underwater?

You know, sometimes the most stand-up thing a man can do is to graciously accept an apology, and put yourself in someone else's shoes and not judge, and not try to manipulate the situation to their own advantage. I would accept her apology, and if you could afford the model, buy it. Your actions would set an example that few bother to live up to.

You MIGHT tell her, discreetly, that you have been a loyal customer for x number of years, and would never cheat a business in such a manner, and just let her know that perhaps a better ay to have handled this would have been to look a the video first (if she indeed has it?) and then at that point decide what to do? Tell her how shocked you were at her behavior, and let her know that you understand that everyone has a bad day, but that you think she could have handled it better. Maybe she will open up about what precipitated the outburst, and you can both end the experience on a positive note.

Sounds to me this woman has a serious problem. Grabbed your collar and screamed at you? She should have never treated you that way. I wouldn't go back there.

OK - everyone is entitled to a bad day but to react as she did to you? That's just a bit too much and will scare customers ever to step foot into that store again.

My take... if the box was marked $25, then I expect to pay that amount - not $125. As the old saying goes, the customer is always right. I'd be hesitant of returning to that store for awhile.

"Strange experience" might be the understatement of the day.

Me, I'm a big softy when it comes to apologies and I suppose I might  forgive and forget. I do agree with doog about her taking the time to personally call you, and I'm sure she does feel badly.

But her behavior as described was so over the top that  looking at it as a 3rd party, I'd question why you are even considering going back. Some folks might consider assault charges I suppose.

(How's that for a wishy-washy comment???)

One way or the other, my hat is off to you for keeping your cool, brother.

I'm all with the doog.

People rarely seem to apologize for anything anymore.

She's probably going bankrupt and that's never good for anyone.

No she does NOT owe you the kit at $ 25 or any other discount. The kinds of stores that offer that kind of thing do millions of dollars in volume, and whatever losses they incur from mismarking are peanuts compared to the sales they do.

And frankly, to go up there and seek to buy the thing without bringing it to her attention, no big "sale" sticker on it or anything, is a little disingenuous, IMHO.

I disagree. Error or not, if that kit was clearly marked as $25 to begin with, then the LHS should sell it to him at that price. The least the owner should do is honor that $25 price for the embarrassment she caused by getting physical and accusing the customer of "switching" the price tag on the kit.

I sell kits on eBay all the time. If I mismark and item and someone snatches it up, oh well, too bad for me, even if it was listed as "free shipping", that's even more of an insult.

However, that being said, how long was this particular kit on the shelves? Was she ever going to get that price when you can, and I did, get the 1/72 Revell Type IVC kit off eBay for $75.95, free shipping? I feel the least she could do is offer the kit to you wholesale, especially since you are a long time customer and helped her pay her mortgage in the past.

However, I don't think you were disingenuous....but I personally would have questioned such a low price.

Hello!

Years ago I had a thing in my local hobby shop, although not violent at all - I spotted the 1/24 Italeri Reefer Trailer for 40 PLN (about $10 at that time) so I asked the clerk if the price was right. He told me yes at first, but then asked his older colleague for confirmation and we heard "no way, that's 140 PLN!". I briefly regretted bringing it up, as it seemed I could have bought it for 40PLN. But then It's good to know I did the right thing being honest in the end. A few years later I wanted to buy a Tamiya RC car in Germany. In the display window it sported a hefty discount. I went in and asked to buy it. They told me they have it at a regular price. I pointed out to the discount price in the show window and they sold it to me cheaper and immediately took off that discount - I believe in Germany it's law, they had to sell it at the advertised price, even if the tag was incorrect.

Thanks for reading, have a nice day

Paweł

Most state laws require that an item be sold, at the price marked.  I know this from experience, working in retail.  The boss told me to sell a $350 suitcase for $10.00, because it was mistakenly marked as $10.00.

Our loss.

Pawel wrote:

" I pointed out to the discount price in the show window and they sold it to me cheaper and immediately took off that discount - I believe in Germany it's law, they had to sell it at the advertised price, even if the tag was incorrect."

It makes no difference what area/region/country you live in. If it's marked at $25 then I expect to pay that price; in error or not.

I tell people to turn the scenario around in this situation and ask how it would've play out.

-you see a $125 kit for $225.  You rush up to the counter and grab the owner by the collar and demand to know what she's trying to pull...   I suspect handcuffs would be involved next.

An OWNER assaulting an innocent customer?! I give no quarter for actions like that.  The apology and admitting the error was the right thing to do but they do not erase what happened.

I wouldn't go back in there if they gave me the deed to the place.

Find somewhere new and make new memories.  

Oh man.  That is a tough one indeed.  I'm generally the kind of person who, if I'm burned once, will drop the place like a hot rock.  They would get no further business from me.  To put it in mafia terms, they'd be dead to me.

If I had been in your shoes, I would have politely thanked them for their apology especially considering the long history you have with the place.  At the same time, they will have also seen their last dollar for me.  If they had confronted you in a more civilized tone, perhaps that would have been different.  I'm really trying to put myself in your shoes because I, too, patronize a store where I know the owner and have been going there for perhaps the past 20 years or so.

I think that if the owner wanted to make amends, she could have offered you the kit at a discounted rate as a show of her sincerity.  I appreciate it when someone apologizes to me but I'd really like to see proof of the sincerity especially seeing as how words these days can be so hollow and meaningless.  If I were the customer, I probably would not expect to pay the $25 but if the owner told me "I'll cut the price in half for you", then maybe I would feel that there's some sincerity in their offer.

All in all, I like the Doog's answer the best.  In spite of the fact that my emotions can get the best of me, I know deep down inside that the Doog's answer is the most gracious and  civilized one (at least in my opinion).  We need more of that in this day and age.

Eric

It sounds to me like the lady in question was having some major emotional problem - perhaps related to the time of the month. Her behavior was inexcusable, but she did apologize.

One other thing to consider, though. If you have a good, well-established hobby shop within driving distance, you're a lucky man. Unless there's another one nearby (in which case you're a REALLY lucky man), I suggest considering carefully whether you want to give up that priceless asset over an incident like this.

In Hampton, VA (near where I used to live) there used to be a good-sized hobby shop owner by a disagreeable man and his equally disagreeable wife. They divorced, and in the settlement each of them got half of the store. So they both continued working there. Talk about a less-than-congenial atmosphere....

If a deal looks too good to be true; it is.

I don't think you should worry too much about withholding your patronage; your LHS will be likely be gone by the end of the year.

Incidentally, I just picked up a Tamiya F4U.  The price tag said $33.99, but after taxes were added at the till it came to $32.89.  We both made a double take and checked the tag and what he keyed in.  He made a comment about it being a nice surprise.

As far as your continued patronage, I don't know what I would do. I might not shop there ever again.

As far as the posted price, see the second paragraph in this consumer reports link:

http://consumerreports.org/cro/shopping/december-2009/the-savvy-shopper/know-your-consumer-rights/the-savvy-shopper-consumer-rights.htm

Gentlemen, each of you has my sincere thanks for contributing your thoughts here. I truly do appreciate the input from all of you.

Those of you who pointed out that I should have questioned the price marked on the kit are absolutely correct. The old clichés about assumptions definitely come into play here. This shop has offered consigned kits since just before Desert Shield. If a local hobbyist comes into financial difficulty or if one should pass away and the family needs help disposing of their collections, this shop has always tried to help as best they can in each circumstance. The U-boat kit was in a beat up box, so I just assumed that it was simply another lost nomadic kit in search of a builder. I guess that I have been in the hobby long enough to realize that Revell of Germany seldom shrink-wraps their offerings, but it never really occurred to me at the time that this may have been a new kit.

Anyhow, I took some time from work and studies this afternoon to finally get this situation off my conscience. I stopped by the store and the owner greeted me at the door with another apology. She called me "Timmy" the entire time, but I did not feel the need to correct her. We visited for nearly an hour and she explained her side of the story. The shop is, in fact, experiencing some very great financial difficulties and the owner has had to take out a reverse mortgage on her property holdings to meet the payroll and taxes. A recent visit to the doctor has revealed that she has some very serious medical conditions. She is well past retirement age, but she cannot afford to close shop at this point. Her tears told me the rest of the story. At the risk of betraying my reputation and exposing the gushy nonsense under my exterior, I may have had to fight back a tear myself, but please don't tell my wife or kids...I've raised them to be Spartans and anything to the contrary compromises the integrity of my leadership. Not a word!

The conversation eventually turned back to the kit. As I had guessed, it was a consigned kit, but she offered to let me take a look at the contents. First impressions were not favorable. The majority of the smaller parts had been clipped off the sprues and gathered into a zip-lock bag tucked into one of the hull halves; the fine railings for the wintergarten were broken beyond any reasonable hope of repair; and it appears that there may be a piece or two absent altogether. Underneath a pile of instruction sheets and pages torn from magazines which featured articles about this kit was a couple of real surprises - a WEM set of etch (beat up pretty hard, but workable) and a Nautilus wooden deck (many of the pieces loose and floating around the bottom of the box). While it was a mess, it was pretty apparent that someone had very big plans for this boat once upon a time.

In the end, I argued that the contents of the box were worth quite a bit more than the $125 she was asking and that I would be taking advantage of her if I did not give her a fair price for the lot. I made an offer well in excess of the asking price, but she countered with an unusual proposition. "Timmy," she said, "if you will forgive a foolish old woman and pray for her, you can just take the model. Bring it in when you are done with it so I can see how it turned out." So, we hugged it out and I took a knee to offer up a little prayer with her. She handed me the kit, gave me her blessing, and excused herself to go into the back to make herself presentable again. I took the opportunity to pay for the kit and left the clerk with instructions that the "change" was to be given directly to the owner, along with my thanks for her graciousness.

So, I guess that I now have a project for the winter...

That... my friend is a class act on both sides. Bravo!

I cannot even begin to tell you how seriously impressed I am with what you did. It shows you to be a man of sincere integrity and honor, not to mention a generous and kind heart. It makes me glow to know that there are still people like you in the world. Thank you for relating your experiences here, and I Know that this will come back to you in good karma.

Well played, sir. A true class act.

The model itself is secondary here. The mending of fences in the manner that it happened is wonderful. And your secret is safe with us.

Well done, Knight Templar. Your screen name is well-chosen.

Talk about stepping up and doing the right thing!Kudos  for your great display of positive character!

Very well done.

I am truly impressed you did not take advantage of this situation.

Bless you

Good form sir.

You sir could teach conflict resolution to the world. Starting with our global leaders and moving on to us average Joe's on the street.

It has occurred to me that in reading your initial post, I put myself in your place and turned me (playing you) into the victim. But your story proves yet again that there are always two sides to a story. You made the effort to hear the other side, and to me, that is what is so cool about this.

My hat too is off to you, good show mate.

Lovely story. Nice to hear something uplifting for a change. May I make a suggestion? Well, I'm gonna anyway. Build that greasy pig into a real show piece and then offer to display it there. What a circle that would make.

Knight, you sir are a rare breed and I commend you on your actions.  The World needs more of your type of people in it, and less of the "What's-in-it-for-me" attitude.