Are We Still Doing ‘Pretty Woman’ In This Day And Age?!
I went to a furniture store with my daughter to get a new couch. Our old one had finally given up the ghost, and knowing that it was on the decline, we had been saving for a new one.
We were sitting on a couch we’d had our eyes on. She was bouncing next to me, excited to finally pick something nice. Now this wasn’t a full body, jumping on the bed kind of bounce, but the little butt bounce you do to test how cushy something is when you sit on it.
And that’s when the assistant manager, white shirt, gold nameplate, walked over and looked me up and down. He took one glance at my toddler’s shoes, and then leaned in, crossed his arms, and said:
Assistant Manager: “This showroom isn’t for single mothers.”
Me: “Excuse me?!”
Assistant Manager: “We also don’t do layaway here. Just letting you know.”
I froze. I had never said I needed it. In fact, this was the first time anyone had approached us in the thirty minutes we had been in the store.
My daughter looked up at me, confused.
Me: *Giving him an icy smile.* “We’re good.”
Assistant Manager: “No, you’re not. I’m only going to ask you once to leave. Then I’ll call security. We don’t do charity here. We sell furniture to people with actual money.”
Me: *Pointedly looking at his name tag for his name.* “Got it, [His Name]. We’ll spend our money elsewhere.”
We left the store, I pretending to be calm. But inside? I was shaking. Not from embarrassment, but from rage. I work, I budget, and I planned for this.
And yet, one glance at our clothes made him decide we didn’t belong.
I could have demanded a manager then and there, but my emotions were too high, and I didn’t want to act badly in front of my kiddo. I called the manager after calming down a bit and left a complaint about our treatment, and that we’ve decided to buy a couch elsewhere. No couch is worth sitting on if it means shrinking in front of your child.
We found a lovely couch at a different store that we bought that day. I haven’t been back to that furniture store since.
