Humiliated and felt like a shoplifter!
My husband and I popped in on the way home after a lovely trip away. We have visited before and found it to be a nicely laid out shop and spent a not inconsiderable amount in the store on clothes and other bits. However, on this occasion, we had our tiny dog, which we were carrying. I noticed two youngish members of staff talking and looking at me. The young man approached me in the middle of the shop to tell me that he didn’t “think” dogs were allowed. I said it’s ok, I am not going into the cafe. He advised that the dog ban applied to the whole shop. He told me I would have to leave. In response, I said that I would not be back- his reply was “that’s fine “. He was very brusque and cool about it, never once saying he was sorry that he was asking me to leave. I felt like a shoplifter. There were lots of people who would have seen me being talked to and may have assumed I was a thief or would be thief. Ironically four separate customers had stopped to pet the dog. There were people carrying toddlers, what is the difference? They have stickier hands! My wee dog was not anywhere he could be in contact with the stock, food, other people, or the floor. He suffers from separation anxiety which prevents me leaving him in the car. My husband was holding things I wanted to buy but when he came to the door, when he saw me standing outside, I told him to put everything back. We have run a successful family business for fifty years and would never treat customers in this way. We allow dogs in our non food shop and value their owners custom. I felt embarrassed and humiliated. Sort of ruined our trip home. If you don’t want dogs in your shop, even tiny ones being carried, please put a sign on your door, instead of embarrassing customers when they come in. It was a stop off for colleagues when travelling south, not now, dog or no dog! Not ever.
Also we were very casually dressed and do wonder if we were wearing our tweeds would this have happened?
