Home Hardware Stores

Hi. I recently had the worst and most insulting experience of my life. An hour or so prior to arriving at the Home Hardware in Devon, after checking the website, I called the store to confirm that they had a cheap soldering iron in stock for $16 and the younger sounding male confirmed that they had two. Upon arriving, I started scanning the isles and upon reaching the isle that I thought the item would be located, an overweight female who I believe was manager or supervisor started frantically asking me questions about what I was looking for as she maneuvered infront of me and literally blocked my path into the isle (its a small store with narrower isles)
She asked: "what are we looking for?"
I responded: "a 16 dollar soldering iron. I just talked to someone on the phone and they said that you have two in stock"
She says: "who did you talk to?"
Me: "I don't know. A younger sounding male."
Her: "There are no younger males that work here"
Me: "Well I promise I did talk to someone"
Her: "How long ago?"
Me: "an hour or or two"
There was some more interrogating and I was already feeling extremely insulted and hindered but I remained very polite and patient. After some more interrogation, she called out across the store to another employee in a very condescending tone "Apparently he talked to someone and they said they have some soldering iron"
"we don't have soldering irons"
"we dont have that"
Then she said to me: "Do you know the item number?"
and I said: "No I dont have it with me"
and her reaction was is she had just caught me red handed stealing something she practically gasped.
I said: "cant you just look it up then? it's a 16 dollar soldering iron" she hesitated for a good 30 seconds give me stupid weird looks... it was extremelly uncomfortable than frantically goes to the back of the store for about 20 seconds and I just stood there because I just wanted her to come to the conclusion that I wasnt there to steal or whatever ridiculous idea she had in her head..
she gets back and says "computers are down but we dont carry anything like that"
I said "well its on your website can I please just look? that's not the only thing I'm looking for "
she amneuvers into the isle I wanted to look in and finds two soldering irons right there but they were move expensive ones.. and says "this is all we have"
I say again "can I please just look?"
then she says "lets look over here"
and she directs me to the other side of the store and repeatedly tells me nope we dont have it. I said to her "would you feel more comfortable to let me shop if I put my bag up at the front?"
she says "Oh I wasnt even thinking that but we do usually ask people that"
so I went and left my bag at the checkout to the non responsive cashier who I also found incredibly illmannered I tried letting her know but she wouldnt respond.
I go back to the isle she had directed me to and she finally stops blocking me from going anywhere but I over heard her telling other employees to watch me and then every 10 seconds they walked by... it really was just the most disrespecty and blatant discrimination I have ever expereinced. Then as I'm looking in the wrong area she directed me to, She finds the soldering iron I was looking for exactly where I was trying to get to and look in the first place and calls me over.
When I got to her I said very calmly and nonaggressivly "now wouldnt you have felt bad if I had just left when you said it wasnt here after making the trip to come here?"
and she laughed and said in an extremely condescending tone "Oh ya. Haha. I would have felt sooo bad for the pooooor man"
and then I needed solder and she of course wouldnt let me look and back to the "this is all there is"
and I said "well thats what you said about the soldering iron" and she put her finger in the air like a scolding mother and said "you be quiet." it was unbelievable.. I did a bit more browsing, holding and item in both hands with my hands which felt just ridiculous.. while her minions stalkjed me at her command.. and then when I finally got to the register.. and this.. this is just the cherry on top that just makes thgis too insane in ridiculous to believe. Right at the till, a black guy LITERALLY crumpled up some item and opened it right there infront of this insane lady and the rude cashier and asked for a discount saying it was used! AND SHE GAVE IT TO HIM! I was right after him and when I got to the till, I started saying.. the cashier wouldnt even look at me.. she looked just disgusted that I even existed.. but an older female who I must say seemed like a completely well mannered, nice polite lady, came in closer to respectfully hear what I had to say.. The worst lady who had made this the shopping run from hell had dissappeared but showed up again in the middle of what I said to the nice older lady
I said: "I know it wasn't you, but I feel the need to says that I really don't appreciate being treated like a criminal. " the terrible lady had returned by now.. "I get that you need to be careful of shoplifters but this kind of treatment will cost much more than any shoplifters." and even now with a rude voice she said "well I was just trying to help. I can't help if he interpretted it that way" and I said "well I have been helped by alot of people and it has never felt like that then I left and as I was leaving the nice lady said in an apologetic tone "we're closing soon so maybe thats why it seemed so rushed" and I said "I realize that was a part of it" but really I was just being nice because she seemed like such a nice lady. How I was treated was insane and for her to just watched as this black male crumpled a product right in front of her and give him a discount but then treat me like I was the criminal is just beyond words insulting and just insane.. Besides her and the rude cashier, the store seemed fine, but I know that this is not an isolated incident as I have seen this kind of feminist discrimination so many times and I am just so done with taking that kind of abuse or seeing others abused like that.