Trolley Discrimination

Today I visited the newly opened Eastland shopping centre.

I have to admit, I was going to be amongst the throngs of people who attended the grand opening yesterday, but at 9.30am it was impossible to get a car park.

This morning, credit card at the ready, I went extra early and found a park easily and prepared myself to be soaking up this new outer eastern shopping experience.

The new centre looks lovely and there are lots of big shopping names that are new to Ringwood which is pretty exciting.

Now, no serious shopper, one who is planning on shopping big time, would contemplate carrying alllllll those lovely designer brand bags on one arm – be smart – grab a trolley – which is exactly what I did – I was in serious shopper mode.

One store later I already had one rather heavy bag neatly stowed in my trolley – I was on a mission and my mission was unfolding very nicely.

The second store I entered had me coming up with some lovely Christmas gift ideas and although I didn’t make any purchases today, I came away with a lovely book of this store’s products to peruse and finalise some of my gift giving ideas.

Then I saw H&M! I must say, I haven’t shopped in H&M in Australia before, but I have done so many times in America and I remember all the beautiful purchases I have made in the past.

I aimed myself and trolley towards the very wide doorway with pictures of lots of shopping bags going through my head when I was faced with five, yes, five – 5 – FIVE – security guards stopping me entering the store. “No shopping trolleys are allowed,” was what I was told. I thought I must have heard incorrectly, no shopping trolleys? In a suburban shopping centre? In a shopping centre where there are supermarkets and convenience stores that provide trolleys? No, I must have heard incorrectly. As I stood there trying to process what I had heard, or thought I had heard, I was told again, “No shopping trolleys allowed!” Yep, I had heard it correctly the first time. I looked past the FIVE security guards and saw that there were people inside with pushers and prams – they were allowed in – why isn’t a shopping trolley allowed in? Not one to take on FIVE security guards at the one time, I walked away – quite humiliated I must say.

Well, H&M, here is one prospective customer who will now NEVER shop in your store in Australia.

I don’t know who you think you are, and I don’t know what it is you think you sell, you certainly don’t stock hundred thousand dollar diamonds but having said that, I took my trolley into a jewellery store that I am sure had some very expensive diamonds – the trolley wasn’t an issue for them. H&M Eastland is a large store; it’s not a tiny boutique where I could understand trolleys being a bit of a problem.

If this is your store policy, so be it, but having a shop front in a suburban shopping centre I think you will be losing a lot of business by disallowing people from bringing shopping trolleys in.

I know for a fact that you lost out today. The rest of my shopping expedition was extremely successful and that trolley was overflowing by the time I left the centre.

So, from me to H&M, in the words of Julia Roberts as Vivian Ward in the movie Pretty Woman – “Big mistake. Big. Huge. I have to go shopping now.”

#epicfail