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I’m a big fan of the movie Swimming with Sharks.
If you’ve seen it, you probably remember a scene where Kevin Spacey tears a strip of his subordinate using the classic line ‘Shut up, listen, and learn!’
Well, that reference took on new meaning this past weekend as soon as I ran into State of Mind
(a clothing store on Davie Street here in Vancouver near the Davie/Thurlow intersection in the photo).
In fact, I think it would be fair to say that the store owner (I believe her name is Linda) could have easily re-enacted that scene with me taking on the role of Spacey’s subordinate. One big difference, aside from the fact that neither Spacey nor the subordinate were there, was the message was just a little bit more direct: ‘Shut up, listen, and leave!’
I can’t even begin to tell you how horrible the service I received at this place was. Actually, I’m not even going to honour that as service was the LAST thing I got.
I think my mind was in a state of quasi retail shock after being shown the door and took about 15 or 20 minutes to recharge. When I got my bearings, I recalled an exchange that just felt wrong (you know the kind)…and in fact, WAS wrong.
Try, if you will, to picture the following scene unfolding and then decide what you think:
- a boy and a girl are shopping downtown on a sunny Vancouver weekend
- after a while, the couple walks into a very well-kept store (I found out later on that the owner washes the sidewalk/windows in front of the store incessantly - ummm….ok)
- clerk/manager/owner/angry woman approaches the couple quickly and barks out the following in rapid succession:
- ‘Hi…who told you about this place?’ [the couple responds with 'Uhhh...no one, we just walked in (the door was open)']
- ‘Do you have an appointment?’ [the couple responds with 'Uhhh...no' and the male takes a sip of his Starbucks]
- ‘You musn’t be from Vancouver as I dress men only by appointment.’ [the couple, shocked by the aggressive tact that this lady has taken say nothing and both take a sip of their Starbucks coffees]
- ‘You obviously don’t read signs either as I don’t allow drinks in my store.’ [couple still in shock]
- ‘I’m a stylist, and I only dress men by appointment.’ [couple moves toward the door]
- ‘Please leave.’ [couple already outside the store]
Now, I’m a consumer just like the rest of you, but I don’t appreciate sales people (or whatever that lady calls herself) who treat potential customers like that. I actually did some research after the fact and discovered that countless others have had similar experiences. In fact, some are downright nasty! I’m not surprised.
Suffice to say that I refuse to shop in a store (by appointment, of course) in which staff feel that it’s OK to treat people in this way. It’s just not good business (I don’t care what planet you’re from).
Flashing ‘movie star/rock star references’ doesn’t really phase me either. I don’t care if she dresses Vin Diesel and Depeche Mode (apparently true). I don’t know them, I don’t care to know them, and even if I did know them, it would not change the way I feel about this store. If you haven’t picked up on that already…it’s not a good, puppy dogs n’ ice cream type of feeling, either.
Believe me when I tell you, there is much better value out there (and talent) - I talked about once such example here. If you do decide to venture through the doorway at State of Mind here in Vancouver, though, here’s some sage advice:
- Don’t bring any coffee;
- Be in a bad mood yourself (it will probably be easier on you);
- Don’t expect to look/buy/try on anything;
- Book an appointment; and
- Always keep the nearest exit close.
darren
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That’s HILARIOUS!
here are a few more choice “rants” I’ve found about this store … (but can you still call it a store if no one is allowed to buy? maybe it’s better described as a giant clothing diorama…)
“When I went in and she actually ordered me to leave! I asked her ‘So you mean I cannot buy this shirt?’ And she said ‘No you have to get out of my store.’ She has real, valid mental problems.”
“The women is crazy and has no fashion sense, though she’ll tell you (or yell at you) otherwise (with terrible breath). She confronts you at the door and tells you how Vancouverites are arrogant and how they won’t buy ‘European’ fashions, and she won’t leave you alone until your run out of there.”
“I went in there to get some stuff for a photoshoot, and she was seriously the rudest woman I think I’ve ever met in my entire life. Her ending comment to me was ‘Nice Pants.’ I’ve since went back and brought friends just for a laugh and to torment her. She actually even told a girlfriend of mine that she ‘was tacky and should go buy a flair magazine.’”
This woman and her store are well known in the neighbourhood. As someone who lives and works nearby I have heard tons of stories!
I know designers and manufacturers who refuse to deal with her.
She is usually scrubbing down the sidewalk as I walk by on my way to work, and I have to admit, I do take some perverse pleasure in spilling a little of my expensive latte on her freshly scoured patch of concrete in front of the shop!!!
Mua ha ha
Hah. I remember once when I went in she started ranting about how people in Vancouver couldn’t dress. Said she only dressed out of towners and not even the gays along Davie could dress. She then told me that I was better off shopping on Robson!
I sometimes work on Davie and noticed that she frequently has a barrier at her door. God knows how she pays the rent.
I (Luckily) happen to be forgein, and visited the store (without appointment). Linda was Fantastic. Yup she took me and my boyfriend, locked the store and continued to dress us both in wonderful trendy fashion, most of the items coming from Europe. She took her time to dress us, suggest what worked and how we should try to dress to make the different parts of our body look more glamourous.
I can definitely see why her approach to running a shop would shock the living daylights out of the wonderful people of Vancouver. Indeed she kicked someone out while we were there as she felt that they would not have bought, but knew that we were going to buy.
It is a pity though that she is annoying fellow shop owners around her, but it’s good that she takes care of her store area.
Well good luck and I hope that you have better experiences in future.
Jules
hahahahaha. I stumbled upon this store with my mom. I didn’t have an appoitment but linda k let us right in and showed me some of the best clothes I’ve ever seen. It was one of the best shopping experiences of my life. Now that I see all of these bad reviews, I realize I must not be neither fat nor ugly. Yay!
Leave the lady alone. Linda may be abrupt and be of a bit of a shock to some at first, but she has a very specific service. She dresses men, very professionally and very very nicely. She has some of the newest, hottest products from Europe and she knows who to put them on.
She has an amazing eye for fashion, and I’m very glad I accidentally tried to open her locked door.
If you are serious about getting some very professional styling from a lady who knows what she is doing, Visit/call and tell her.
If you have no business with her, please dont bother her.
She has an aggressive personality but has the experience and eye to back it up. Thanks again Linda!
WOW, what a service we received from this psycho lady at the “STATE OF MIND” store in Davie.
She is a weirdo, while me and my cousin were reading the comments, we realized that she does the same thing to every single customer. We were both shocked of the way she treated us, we are Middle Eastern and she was so racist BIG TIME, she told me you don’t have an appointment so leave. I was going out already even before she wanted to ask me to leave.. and she was saying some things about canadian people. When I tried to open the door, she said “DON’T TOUCH THE DOOR”
When I left the store, I told her very sarcastically, “wow, what a nice attitude”
She got very pissed, and said , and you got a nice ass. LOL
I started to laugh then we walked out the store, however, she was still pissed and she kept staring at us and making phone calls……
Someone should give her immediate help.
@tokyo - she may have a specific skill, but I don’t care if you’re the world’s best designer, Vancouver is a small city and if your style of customer service is ‘rude’ to people you don’t know, best of luck to you.
@Vancouver Tourist - that’s horrible! Although it’s been a while since I had the pleasure of ‘meeting’ Linda, and her style of service, it sounds like not much has changed.
What a shock ! I’m a tourist & decide to visit the davie street area. I walked into this store and was treated in the most appauling manner. It totally turned me off Vancouver not to mention ever setting foot in Canada. I would NEVER recommend traveling to Canada if that is how business owners treat customers. What an absolute travesty. The owner was rude, abrasive, & nasty. I’ll take my money and gladly travel elsewhere !!!