My horrific experience at Jc Penney

[cearhart]

Here is my horrible trip to Jc Penney tonight and my letter to them:

Tonight I visted your Bellingham WA location to buy my son a pair of shorts. He found some that he liked so he proceed to try them on, once he finished I stepped across the door to see how they fit. There were no other customers in the changing room at that time. As I am trying to see how well the shorts fit my son I hear a voice yelling "Miss, Miss" very loudly from across the young men's depatment. As I turn around there is a employee aparently yelling at me. Continuing to yell from acoss the men's wear she yells "you have to come out of the fitting room it is for men only" I was stunned and embarrassed before I could leave the fitting room she yelled again "I said get out of the men's fitting room you are a women not a man" As I exited the fitting room with a blank face of astonishment she continue to yell at me this time she approched me and yelled directly at me "you can not be in the men's fitting room!" I tried to explain there was no one else in the fitting room but again it did not matter she was so livid and angry I thought she might become violent so I let it go. I told my son to change and I went and got the Manager on duty, once the manager approached I explained what had happened at the same time here come the employee yelling "that's not true I did not" I asked her if she was going to stand there and yell at me in front of the manager. The manager proceeded to tell her to go and then told me that I was in the wrong and that,thast sort of thing did not happen. The manager shook her head at me in disbelief and was angry with the fact that I had even bothered her to complain about this inncident. I was stunned that not only did I not get an appology but they made me feel guilty for shopping in their store. I told my son to put back the shorts and that we were leaving! As he put back the shorts and I walked out of the store the manager, the employee and some other employees were talking about me and how they were unhappy with customers like me. I did nothing wrong and was mortified by the way this situation was handled. I will never shop in any of your Jc Penny stores again!!! I have never been so embarrassed and ashamed in my whole life!! I feel that I was disciminated against and am very tempted to file some legal action against your company. Please contact me to discuss this matter further. I would like to know what disipline action is goping to take place against these emplyoyees. I tried to tell them the customer is supposed to always be right but the manager shook her head and told me no not always and not this time.
Thank you for you time to read my horrible experience

[KristiaMarie]

ugh, sorry for your bad experience :(

[maryjones25]

That sucks! I accidentally went into the men's bathroom today. Nobody yelled at me, but there was an old man who came in and looked pretty embarrassed. I guess I was confused because I saw a sign for a baby changing station on the bathroom door, and automatically assumed it was a women's bathroom. At least I had my 3 year old son with me, so I kinda pulled it off... because he's a boy... oh well, maybe not. LOL

[3timesoccermom]

I wonder if the security cameras could have caught it? Pretty ridiculous.

[everprincess]

I'm so sorry this happened to you. I would have been livid! So you can't see if shorts fit your son..how stupid.

[girlsgalore]

The only reasonable explanation I can think of is that there is some kind of liability on the part of the store involved in a situation like this. Otherwise, the reaction on the staff was really over the top. They could have been much more polite with you in explaining "the why" involved in this policy, rather than being accusatory.

[everprincess]

There are ways to handle situations and yelling at people several times just isn't it.

[MaMaHaHa]

Your post caught my eye because my older son lives in Bellingham...I have been able to visit once...incredibly beautiful! We went hiking in the mountains and along the coast---simply breathtaking views!!!

With that being said, as far as Penney's goes...there are stupid, rude people everywhere who will out and out lie to try and make themselves look better---don't let that experience color your shopping fun. Other people who witness such stupidity will know that the clerk was off---and if they don't realize that-who cares??? You certainly have done nothing to feel ashamed and embarrased about!

In fact, I think we should start a new contest-
"How many people did you manage to piss off today AND still stay smiling?"

Enjoy your window view of the mountains!

[Jwalker327]

While, I see nothing wrong with you or any mother walking into an empty mens fitting room ( which I RARELY see used by men as their sizes are easily fitted brand to brand & most men don't want to spend 30extra mins trying on clothes). I can also see the other side of the coin. So many privacy laws are in affect in the US it is unreal so the company could get in MORE trouble with you in the MEN's fittingroom then, a little spat like this. Granted the employee should have NEVER let the world know what was going on & she handled this VERY unprofessionally. I feel you SHOULD have appoligised to the manager for being in the wrong fitting room , even though most mothers would do the same thing ( myself included) but you feel the employee misshandled the situation & feel she owes you an appology for announcing to the entire store, at your embarassment & childs humility, that his MOTHER was in the fitting room suited for men.

Kill them with kindness. I try to keep my cool & will only lose my top, if after I have appologised for my wrong doings & am STILL being made out to be the reason for the other persons unprofessional actions.

I hope you get atleast an appology from Corp. & hopefully the manager will be offered a class on customer service, along with her employee.

[crabtree122202]

Does your store specific men's changing rooms? I know there are some in that dept. as in the women's clothing and children's clothing, but my store does not specify which are to be used by whom. My Dh regularly uses the one in the ladies dept. because that is where I usually am anyway so he can try something on while I continue to shop. We have even on several occasions gone in the larger changing rooms together with our children instead of playing the come out and show daddy game. We have never been yelled at or even glanced at and the registers are about 20 ft. away.

I'm sorry you had such a horrible experience. I really hope they check their tapes and give this rude employee and the manager some dicipline!