Boycotting Consum

That's it. I'm boycotting our neighborhood grocery store. I just can't take the rude clerks and their lack of tact. For the past five years I've put up with it. I've tried to say hello to them, they ignore me. I've tried to be friendly despite the complete disregard for my and every other customer's existence. I've tried to frequent CONSUM less and less, but I still seem to give them my business despite the fact that they clearly don't deserve it. Enough is enough.

Today we went to CONSUM after making a stop by the Natural Foods store. After dodging the obstacle courses that the workers had set up to restock during the lunch hour (and feeling as if WE were invading THEIR space and inconveniencing THEM), we made our way to the check out line. We try not to use disposible grocery bags, so we had put the groceries from Ecomercat in my backpack and were pushing it around on the stroller. As we were waiting, we yanked the other resusable shopping bags out of the backpack, in turn, exposing the organic baby food we'd bought at Ecomercat. As the clerk began passing our groceries - packages of chicken, beef and cheese over the scanner, she gave us a suspicious smile and asked, "was that macaronni I saw in your bag?"

Alex kind of laughed and explained that we had stopped by the natural food store beforehand.

"Well you have to show me what's in your bag" she said, a bit too severly. So we did. And then she started going on about how we aren't allowed to bring food into the store, that it's not ok, that it's against the law of Consum... and on and on. When I asked her what we're supposed to do with our bags then, she rolled her eyes and signaled toward the entrance of the store where there was a row of unused lockers.

Now, I understand that it would have been better if we had used one of the lockers up in the front of the store that serve this very purpose. That's fine with me. If it's store policy, it's store policy. I won't argue with that. But, when a shop assistant lacks the tact to introduce her customers to store policy without making them feel like macaronni theives, there is a serious problem. Why the heck would we be stealing macaronni in the first place? I'm going to pay for all the meat and cheese - all the most expensive stuff, and smuggle a 50 cent bag of macarroni out of the store? Oh please.

I am so fed up with the lack of customer service in this city, I just can't bear it anymore. I am tired of feeling angry every time I return from the grocery store, or trying to let the rude behavior roll off my back. Alex has no problem with confrontation and will tell them not to be so rude, but it doesn't change anything. They just get defensive and then an argument ensues. I feel that my only option is to boycott the store, and that is what we will do.

From now on, we'll go to the central market on Mondays, buy the main ingredients for the week, and go to the other grocery store, Mercadona, if we need anything mid-week.

Consum on Calle Amadeo de Saboya,

You're out of my life. I no longer need to put up with your snotty treatment of customers. I no longer need to listen to your gossipy conversations that you have over your customer's heads while you disregard them or accuse them of macaroni theft. I no longer need to feel like I'm inconveniencing you if I ask a question or try to find the watercress while you are trying to stock the spinach.

I'm over it. Se acabó.