Never doing layaway at Toys-r-us again! UPDATE since original post!

OK so here is my very eventful day and why I will not do lay-away at this store again. Just a little plug first: I do not dislike Toys-r-us by any means, in fact I love that they have been lowering their prices over the past couple of years to keep up with Wal-Mart but today I seriously about lost it! I will go back, or course I will but I will NOT ever do layaway again and here is why.

We wanted to buy my daughter a barbie doll house for her upcoming birthday in April and I was wanting to do layaway for the main purpose of not having to store it and have her find it. I called around and Sears, Kmart and Toys-r-us all did layaway so this made me happy. I have done layaway in the past at Kmart, the last two years for Christmas and I love it. No one finds the toys this way and I have never had an issue. I like Kmart layaway as you can pay at ANY store, just as long as the pick up is at the store the merchandise is, well that makes sense.

I put the doll house on layaway a couple weeks ago and I needed to go and pay for it today. Well the store I put it on layaway is a little further then the store I would prefer, but only because I was at my in-laws the day I did it and just thought in my head “well I can make payments at the closer one, no big deal.” Well…I should have asked about this first.

One thing that this toy store does is that they do not actually have to have the merchandise in the store to layaway, in fact they won’t hold it in the store. They have it held in their main warehouse which is not even in our state. Again..no big deal, I don’t blame them here, saves on clutter. So you can only layaway certain items through them and the barbie doll house is one of those things. I have attached the doll house we purchased to this post. It is cheaper on Amazon and seriously next time I am buying amazon! I paid $159 and now it is listed as $179 on toys-r-us web site.

You would think that since the company holds it in their warehouse that it would not matter which Toys-r-us store you make the payment but NOOOOOO, they care.

I went to the closer store and could not get them to take the payment because “this is not the delivery location.” ME: “can I change the delivery location?” THEM: “NO.” ME: “Seriously?” THEM: “Sorry, but you have to go to the other store,” (20 miles away). ME; My thought “WTF!”

So I head over to the other store 20 miles away, mind you I just spent 15 minutes in the car going to the first store, packing the 2 kids in and out of car seats in the rain, so ask me if I was happy…Hell no!

I get to the other store and pay my bill and ask a few questions.
ME: “Can I change my pick up location?”
THEM: “NO.”
ME: “Why it is not out for delivery yet?”
THEM: “That’s our policy.”
ME: “Well my Mother-in-law lives real close to here if I GIVE her this receipt and give you her name can she pick it up?”
THEM: “NO.”
ME: “WHY?”
THEM: “You have to sign for it.”
ME: OK can I sign something now that gives her permission?”
THEM: “NO”
ME: Thinking, I seriously want to jump over the counter about right now but I keep my composure!
ME: “you offer free shipping for this barbie house on you web site, can I have it shipped to my home?”
THEM: “NO.”
ME: “WHY?”
THEM: “It has to be shipped here?”
ME: “HMM, doesn’t this come from the same warehouse whether I buy it on line or from you in layaway?”
THEM: “YES.”
ME: “That makes no sense!”
THEM: “That’s our policy.”
ME: Thinking…I know where you can put your policies!

I then decide to go buy my son another pair of shoes because I bought some for $6 that are toy-story and the light up and I decided to buy the next size up since the price was so good.

I did find the shoes and they were still the awesome price of $6. “Whihoo this is getting better!”

I get into a pretty large line at the check stand, mind you they had one girl checking out and another lady approached me and said “I can check  you out at the service desk.” I was very happy again and feeling a little less pissed at this time. Cool, I got checked out rather quickly. But….the service desk is directly in front of the “IN” door. I then asked the lady, “Instead of going all the way around again can I just go out the IN?” THEM: “NO.” Is this the stores favorite word? I said OK why? She said “it probably won’t open.” At this point I can feel the heat in my entire body and I am thinking “OPEN THE FREAKING DOOR YOUR DAMN SELF!” I have actually seen them do this in the past so I know it can be done.

I then head around the front of the desk and the line was still really long, I had the cart because my 18 month old was in it and had my 4 year old holding on to it too. Some people are really rude and I have to say that I have had many instances with very rude shopping Mothers. No one would move and let me though. I said “excuse me” to a couple different ladies and go a look that could have killed. Why is everyone so freaking bitchy today, I thought.

I finally made it outside and to the car. I was happy I got the house paid off and the shoes but I have this aching nerve of pissed-of-ness that is eating at me. I am not in my happy place and that is not going to benefit me, I know.

In the end this is what I will do.

If I want to store presents I will pay for them int he beginning and store them at the in-laws, If I do layaway again I will do that at Kmart again, they are so much easier!

I am so glad to be home!
Have a wonderful stress free day everyone!
Tawna

UPDATE:
Well…I just did the survey yesterday afternoon and it is 9:30 in the morning and I got a call back from toys-r-us just a few minutes ago. I have to say, that was fast. I was not even real sure they read the surveys.

The guy said “I can cancell your order and put the purchase price on a gift card and then re-purchase it as a pick up to the store you want?” I said “Does that mean I have to drive the 20 miles and pick up the card and then go do that at the other store?” He said “No I can do it all right now without you having to go anywhere.”  ME “YES PLEASE!”

So as he was doing that I asked him why their policy was so dumb that they could not take payments at other stores and you know what he said……..”Mrs. Richard, the associates should have been able to take your payment at another store, I apologize for all your problems.” ME: SPEECHLESS and….”seriously?! “Is there anyway you can let you associates know this?” Him: “Yes mam I will and you purchase will arrive in 7-12 days at the store you requests.”

All that headache and I KNEW that I should have been able to pay for this at another store. Do I still feel like i should be compensated more…YES, BUT….I am getting the pick up location changed so I am going to choose my battles. If I let myself continue to be upset about this then I am only attracting a negative aura around me and is it seriously worth it….NO! I will get the doll house, where I wanted to get it, my daughter will be surprised and excited, and this will be all worth it!

Thanks to all my readers and their kind and wonderful support. I am glad toys-r-us resolved this, for the most part. I am still not using their layaway again, but I will still shop there for things I want to pick up in the inventory already at the store.