March 14, 2008

Oh no you din't......oh yes I did !!!!!


Raise your hand if you know that's it's against corporate policy to take photos inside a retail establishment !!!


I'm kind of one those girls that if you tell me, "no" you can't do that......then I'm going to work really hard to see what I might be able to get away with and maybe piss someone off in the process.
What can I say?
It must stem from something in the way I was brought up... {hi mom}

Anywho.....
Yesterday I was in Anthropologie....the only store I drool in.....and I saw exactly what we've been talking about doing in the cottage.

A tree.

Rebuilt..... inside.....on a wall.

YES....they stole my idea...oh yes they did !!


So after looking at it closely, I asked a salesgirl if I could take a picture of it.
Stupid mistake on my part.
I could have taken 50 pictures while I was examining the tree and nobody would have even seen me, but out of the goodness of my heart, I actually asked for permission.

The store manager stuck her head out of the office door and shook it "NO" in my direction and that was that.

After I was done shopping and ready to check out, a cheery salesgirl {a different one from the beginning of this story} comes up to the counter and says, "how are you today?" and I responded with, "I'm actually pissed to tell you the truth."
HONEST....that's what I said.

So I tell her what had happened and she asks if I want to speak with the manager and since she couldn't show me anything in writing saying pictures aren't allowed inside the store, I said "yes...I'd like to speak with the manager."

She leaves to go get her and after 5 minutes of waiting and my blood pressure getting higher, I walk over to the tree, take a photo and calmly reclaim my spot in front of the cash register.
She returns with the manager.

The manger then spends the next 5 minutes telling me that it's corporate policy that you can't take pictures inside their store or any store for that matter.
I asked her why it's not written anywhere...or posted inside the store.
She said it's a verbal policy......WHAT ?

She said that if someone get's caught taking pictures inside their store, the pictures would have to be deleted off of their camera, in front of the manager....WHAT ?

So I calmly said that I was very disappointed, and could understand her point of view {policy, whatever} regarding photography of certain things in the store....but a tree ?
That just didn't make any sense to me.
And I'm all about sense.

She said it was the designers creation.

IT'S A TREE.

I bit my tongue.

What I really wanted to tell her was that MOTHER NATURE was the person responsible for creating the tree....but that might have ended in a fist fight and since I was meeting my sister for lunch, I didn't want to take the chance of showing up with a fat lip.

So I let her think she won.
But she didn't.
I did.

Because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties {thank you Jack Nicholson} I found my rebellious side......

And today she came out in full force and was walking on the wild side !!!






8 comments:

  1. This gave me quite the laugh.
    It's always fun with the inner rebel comes out. :)

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  2. Good for you! Sometimes rules are really made just to be broken! :) BTW, I was in Anthropologie just a few weeks ago and took tons of pictures. Who knew I was a "corporate policy" law breaker?! I take pics in stores all the time (although I have to admit, I'm VERY sneaky when I do so!) LOL Now I'll be even sneakier! ha!

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  3. Beth, it was your idea, they stole it from you and didn't ask YOUR permission! What a stoooopid policy, and no manager in her right corporate mind would ever say 'verbal' policy. I take pictures where I want, although I'm with Lisa-- I always have my Mata Hari disguise on and my MuthaCam is usually peeking out from under an armpit or some such. The other thing that tends to work in higher end stores is to say you're scouting a baby shower (or wedding, or anniversary) gift that a group of you are going in on, and you need pictures to 'send to the girls' so they can decide which they prefer. Since I actually do a lot of group gift giving at the office, I don't feel like I'm tale-telling ... & last but not least is that I tell the manager I'm taking a photography class (also true) and where ELSE will I be able to shoot photos of exotic vegetables except at the Chinese market? (or whatever!)

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  4. Wow -- I never knew that. Never at all. Verbal policy? For "every store?" I confess that often I ask, especially if it's a small store or something that's really arty (because I've tried that before on arty stuff and been chastised) but no one has ever turned me down in a "regular" store. In fact, I'd think they'd feel flattered! I have (and this is actually legit, when I've been writing an article) told them I'm taking pictures for a feature on whatever and that's fine. I like Toni's ideas, too! Oh, this must makes me mad! I'm glad you went back and shot the tree!

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  5. If you call up to cancel a flight you booked, some airlines charge you a lot of money- but if you simply don't show up for the flight, you don't pay any penalty. The moral of the story seems to be not to ask, not to be polite. Just do it. Same as in your post. It's very sad.
    I'm glad you took a picture and shared it. I once wanted to buy a library book nobody had checked out in ten years and when I asked, the library wouldn't let me. I think that they threw it away soon after. If I had said I lost the book, I would own it now. Why do they do that to us?
    Fantastic post.

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  6. ROFLing! You REBEL! I would have done the same thing- sneaked a picture like you did. LoL

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  7. Your free wheeling camer action almost caused a "retail incedent"! Isn't it fun to walk on the wild side?

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  8. Too funny because I just returned from a trip to Colorado and went to an Anthropologie store (we don't have them where I live) and I took i think,6-8 pictures of all the goodies!!! Thankfully I didn't ask first hey...lol...

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**I love reading the comments you leave, as they make me feel like we're sitting in my kitchen, having a cup of tea, discussing life and wondering where all the time has gone ...beth