Question:

Question:

I was at a store the other day - a store I'm a fairly frequent customer at - and was talking to one of the sales persons. She broke the silence with me, "I haven't seen you in a while. What's going on?"

"My dog died and I haven't really been too sociable and haven't really cared enough to go shopping."

Then she asked me a series of questions about my dog: what age, what breed and when I said he didn't die of old age but rather by cancer she ended by telling me, "That's because you fed him kibble."

Um, what? I was caught off guard. "No, I fed him [brand], which he was on his while life. It's rated as one of the better dog foods out there."

Now, you have to remember, I was not buying dog food from her and this was not a pet store. This was a particular warehouse store which does sell dog food, but she was not selling it.

She then pulled a card out of her pocket, "Here. Give me a call and we can discuss the proper nutrition for your future pets." I looked at the card, which appeared homemade, and it advertised "organic raw meat" pet foods. Ask for details.

I'm not against people peddling their businesses but I found it a bit untoward that here she was at one job pushing her interest in a home-based business.

I've been trying to decide if I should complain to her managers or not. This happened on Saturday so it's been a couple of days that I've been mulling over whether or not to say something. I mean, maybe she just felt comfortable enough with me to peddle her business or maybe she does this to many other customers who she learns has pets.

Would you say something or just let it go?

Comments

Jason ON said…
Yeah, but it really annoyed me that she blamed Rufus' food on his cancer and as a result pretty much said I gave him cancer.

At another time, in another place, I might have hit her for that accusation.
John Bump said…
That's weird and inappropriate, particularly the part about essentially blaming you for cancer, but I don't think you'll get anything from pursuing it.
Jason ON said…
Maybe she'll get additional training? Hell, I've been fired from a job for less.
Shannon B. said…
I wouldn't expect any satisfaction from complaining, but if you're doing so with the hope that others might be spared this experience, I say do it... But do it calmly and in writing.
Tony David said…
If somebody accused me (directly or indirectly) of killing my dog without even knowing what happenend I would be severly pissed off. I don't care what the ramifications would be but I wouldn't let her off the hook that easily
Jason ON said…
Tony David that's kind of where I'm at.
Tony David said…
What even makes it worse here is that she actually uses it as a sales pitch. I'm usually not one who wants to stir things up, but that's a pretty disgusting thing to do
Mike Gordon said…
I've read these responses, and those who say to let it go seem to be thinking what you get out of this. It was very unprofessional, and uncaring of your feelings, to try to sell you on her home product. Her management should know. But if you call them, tell them that you don't want her fired. She needs that job, and maybe she has children that need her to have that job. Or, as said, write a letter
Bob Lai said…
If someone had made a similar comment about a human child (‘it’s because you did X’), I would definitely complain. Are our pets any less deserving of our care or empathy? The woman’s statement was insensitive at best, and could be seen as detrimental to her employer’s business (since they sell kibble).

I think a letter of ‘concern’ (not necessarily a complaint or demand she be fired) is in order.
Raw meat to a dog? Crazy.
Condolences on the lots of your dog.
Eph Zero said…
UGH!! I would send them a letter, definitely. She shouldn't be promoting her business on company time, regardless.
Keith Keber said…
My point is this: it is more important to concentrate on assimilating your grief for Rufus. Getting involved in something like this is more of an escape or a distraction than going through whatever you personally have to when a pet dies. Seriously, if she's willing to talk to you in this way immediately after hearing about the loss of your pet , I can almost guarantee you that karma is about to catch up with her pretty quick without your help at all.
Jason ON said…
For what it's worth I stopped at that store a couple of hours ago and spoke with the manager. She was shocked to hear my story but immediately knew who I was talking about. I told her I wasn't interested in anyone losing their jobs over this, but a quick reminder that the employee had gone out of bounds might be worthwhile.

She said she would remind her entire team at their next training session that some lines shouldn't be crossed.

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