This is kind of long, but somewhat-kinda entertaining.
I start my first quarter of nursing school on Monday. The last thing I needed to check off my list of school to-do's was to buy scrubs from the school bookstore. I am required to buy two sets from my school's bookstore per the program's instructions and nowhere else (they are sent to the school with the nursing student patches already on them).
Now, I have spent a few years working retail/customer service and have done a damn good job of it, so I get really offended when I'm the customer who is treated like crap from those in similar positions.
I enter the bookstore. I ask a lady where the scrubs were, which she showed me. The tops and pants are each individually wrapped. I look to my left and see just a few tops and pants hanging labeled as "samples." I quickly gathered that "Oh, they have samples here, this obviously means that I try these on to find my size." However, I wanted to see if they had some sort of fitting room or what have you, so I find a guy and ask about trying them on. He says, "Oh, you can't try those on. You can only hold them up to your body to see if they fit."
...okay. I get closer to the sample scrubs and quickly realize that that doesn't make much sense as they're dirty and appeared to have been tried on by God knows how many people. There is makeup all over the v-neck necklines. This kind off grosses me out and seems unsanitary to me (they could at least clean them regularly). I then ask a different guy, "Do you guys have some sort of sizing chart related to these scrubs I can look at?" He says, "Ummm...I don't think - well, I don't know. Let me ask."
He goes to ask who I recognized by her voice to be the lady that first showed me where the scrubs were. All of a sudden, I hear her from accross the store in the snottiest tone, "Um, that's why they're ON THE RACK." I hear her walk with him to find me. It is getting closer to closing time for them (2 PM on Saturdays) and I'm getting frustrated because I could have been over and done with the situation by now if things were handled better...
Her: They're on the rack, right in front of you.
Me: I know where they are. What I asked was if there was some sort of sizing chart.
Her: *laughs slightly* Uh, again, they're on the rack...we don't have a sizing chart.
Me: Well the first guy I talked to said I couldn't try them on, that I could only hold them up to me.
Her: *calls loudly to the guy somewhere in the store so he could hear* Did you hear that? She can try them on, either over her clothes or in the restroom so long as we hold her wallet. *looks back to me, talking in a snotty tone again* Except, we're closed. In fact, it's a little after closing, and we would all like to go home now, you know.
Then, the lady, both guys that helped me and another guy all looked at me together CHUCKLING before they just walk away from me. Like I have two ******* heads and am completely incompetent with no active brain waves. It just wasn't appropriate. It should not take an act of congress to find the right size scrubs!!! This is how they treat students? I'm new to this school. Nothing says "Welcome!" than this behavior. I just left empty handed. It was a wasted trip anyway. From just eyeballing it, it seems like the only size that will fit me is an extra small. Even the small appears huge. But of course, they don't have those sizes in and they have them on order...
I felt embarassed and humiliated. No customer should ever feel that way.
I'm really crossing my fingers and hoping that this is not a bad omen/a reflection if what is to come of my nursing program...
This is funny because I actually posted something similar to this in the pre-nursing section. Different senarios but about rude workers. Being unprofessional. Apparently here on AN only nurses are allowed to vent because anytime a student vents about something all hell breaks loose. Anytime we want to vent about something that is inappropriate in the workplace people feel like we wont make it as a nurse.. what? That's insane. Anyways, I understand. It's sad that people are like that but they are EVERYWHERE.[/quote']
Some of us nurses are students, too. She was treated horribly!! I say vent away!!!!
At the OP, I would purchase my books elsewhere!! They're probably cheaper that way, anyway! People read the news and people talk. Therefore, people know how nurses have to take **** because of that Press Gainey ****! So, it is MY theory that the general public feels its ok to take shorts at ANYONE wearing, or in the market for, scrubs!!! Welcome to our world! Sucks already, doesn't it!!!!
That was a rotten thing to experience. You are right to feel angry and humiliated. Being reprimanded here for sharing it sucks too. Hope tomorrow goes better for you! (And no I do not think sharing this experience makes you a weak nursing student! (Eye roll)
Absolutely. If this is the worst thing you encounter during nursing school, you're living a charmed life.
Except this didn't happen during nursing school. It has nothing to do with nursing school. Didn't even happen in a clinical setting or in the classroom. Not even a comparable situation. I was attempting to purchase a product.
Apples and oranges, folks. Trying to compare this situation to how I'll handle nursing school is asinine and unfair.
But wait, I should probably expect the "But there will be times where things in class or clinical will seem asinine and unfair, and you will have to deal" comments...
Point is, I know that. I don't need to be educated on the trials I will face. I do not have unrealistic expectations, I know it will be rough at times and that's fine with me.
This situation is not, will not, nor will ever be nursing school. It is a bookstore on campus with non-medical staff whose job it is to help me purchase merchandise.
Wow if that gets you "completely enraged," you may be in for a long, long haul.[/quote']
Yep.
Apparently here on AN only nurses are allowed to vent because anytime a student vents about something all hell breaks loose.
If this is your definition of "all hell breaking loose" ... be happy. You haven't even seen heck break loose.
Absolutely. If this is the worst thing you encounter during nursing school, you're living a charmed life.
And with this, I hope that you can put this experience behind you -- you have a life-changing experience ahead of you, starting bright & early tomorrow morning.
Edited to add: DON'T sweat the small stuff. It kills the soul. As you will soon learn ... life really is too short.
This is kind of long but somewhat-kinda entertaining. I start my first quarter of nursing school on Monday. The last thing I needed to check off my list of school to-do's was to buy scrubs from the school bookstore. I am required to buy two sets from my school's bookstore per the program's instructions and nowhere else (they are sent to the school with the nursing student patches already on them). Now, I have spent a few years working retail/customer service and have done a damn good job of it, so I get really offended when I'm the customer who is treated like crap from those in similar positions. I enter the bookstore. I ask a lady where the scrubs were, which she showed me. The tops and pants are each individually wrapped. I look to my left and see just a few tops and pants hanging labeled as "samples." I quickly gathered that "Oh, they have samples here, this obviously means that I try these on to find my size." However, I wanted to see if they had some sort of fitting room or what have you, so I find a guy and ask about trying them on. He says, "Oh, you can't try those on. You can only hold them up to your body to see if they fit." ...okay. I get closer to the sample scrubs and quickly realize that that doesn't make much sense as they're dirty and appeared to have been tried on by God knows how many people. There is makeup all over the v-neck necklines. This kind off grosses me out and seems unsanitary to me (they could at least clean them regularly). I then ask a different guy, "Do you guys have some sort of sizing chart related to these scrubs I can look at?" He says, "Ummm...I don't think - well, I don't know. Let me ask." He goes to ask who I recognized by her voice to be the lady that first showed me where the scrubs were. All of a sudden, I hear her from accross the store in the snottiest tone, "Um, that's why they're ON THE RACK." I hear her walk with him to find me. It is getting closer to closing time for them (2 PM on Saturdays) and I'm getting frustrated because I could have been over and done with the situation by now if things were handled better... Her: They're on the rack, right in front of you. Me: I know where they are. What I asked was if there was some sort of sizing chart. Her: *laughs slightly* Uh, again, they're on the rack...we don't have a sizing chart. Me: Well the first guy I talked to said I couldn't try them on, that I could only hold them up to me. Her: *calls loudly to the guy somewhere in the store so he could hear* Did you hear that? She can try them on, either over her clothes or in the restroom so long as we hold her wallet. *looks back to me, talking in a snotty tone again* Except, we're closed. In fact, it's a little after closing, and we would all like to go home now, you know. Then, the lady, both guys that helped me and another guy all looked at me together CHUCKLING before they just walk away from me. Like I have two ******* heads and am completely incompetent with no active brain waves. It just wasn't appropriate. It should not take an act of congress to find the right size scrubs!!! This is how they treat students? I'm new to this school. Nothing says "Welcome!" than this behavior. I just left empty handed. It was a wasted trip anyway. From just eyeballing it, it seems like the only size that will fit me is an extra small. Even the small appears huge. But of course, they don't have those sizes in and they have them on order... I felt embarassed and humiliated. No customer should ever feel that way. I'm really crossing my fingers and hoping that this is not a bad omen/a reflection if what is to come of my nursing program...[/quote']
I called corporate, explained how unprofessional my bookstore was (similar problem). I got a free top and a $10 gift card. Ha!
Except this didn't happen during nursing school. It has nothing to do with nursing school. Didn't even happen in a clinical setting or in the classroom. Not even a comparable situation. I was attempting to purchase a product.
Apples and oranges, folks. Trying to compare this situation to how I'll handle nursing school is asinine and unfair.
But wait, I should probably expect the "But there will be times where things in class or clinical will seem asinine and unfair, and you will have to deal" comments...
Point is, I know that. I don't need to be educated on the trials I will face. I do not have unrealistic expectations, I know it will be rough at times and that's fine with me.
This situation is not, will not, nor will ever be nursing school. It is a bookstore on campus with non-medical staff whose job it is to help me purchase merchandise.
Then perhaps this post should have been made on the SchoolBookStore.com forums.
Is it so wrong to be sensitive in today's world? Is it so wrong to feel a tad let down by people's behaviour and just vent without people making you, the already offended person, feel worse for not being able to 'handle' stuff? Gosh! the OP did not fly out of the handle and nobody here ,including me, knows their ways of dealing with situations. Not everyone is born with a tough skin and not everyone needs to just become this person who can handle crap with a zen-like attitude. It is okay to feel upset about crappy things too.
Hey, student or not- she makes a valid observation, especially since we are supposed to be customer service oriented nurses nowadays. I find myself saying the same thing if I am treated like crap from another service industry! I am not allowed to treat my customers that way, why should I be treated that way??
I'll bet you that those "employees" know that she has no choice but to buy the uniforms there exclusively, since they have the school patch on. They think they can be rude. seriously- " we're closed" with you standing right there??? I would be making a formal complaint to the manager, quoting everything said, especially the "we're closed thing to your face.
They could have looked up the supplier, or asked someone who does the purchasing. Lazy azzes. That's all. People wonder why some jobs don't pay people above minimum wage? I wouldn't pauy these tools that , and if I got wind of it as a manager, the'd be out the door.Just like in nursing- there's many others waiting( and more deserving ) to take your sorry place.
They have the same type of people working at my school's bookstore. In the 4 or so years that I have been at this campus, I have walked out of that store cussing under my breath and raging on at least 5 occasions. I don't understand why the people that work there feel the need to provide such terrible customer service. In my many years of working in customer service, if I ever treated someone in the way they treat me, I would have been fired. Maybe it's a prerequisite for bookstore employees to be rude dumba**es.
But I will say this- the bookstore at my 4 yr college had the greatest employees- very helpful, professional,etc, even when the lines were going out the door. I dont recall this when I went to the community college- nobody even acknowledged your presence there.
NotMyProblem MSN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN
2,690 Posts