What’s the story with retailers that think the consumer must be honoured to be their customer? This weekend it really got to me, both times at Sandton City.
On Saturday night I tried to take two of my ex-pat friends to my favourite Thai restaurant, namely Wang Thai above the Nelson Mandela Square. We got there just after 9pm only to be chased away as their kitchen was closed for stock take. You gotta be kidding me! A stock take on a Saturday evening at the end of the month? That’s what Sunday morning is for damnit. Anyway Pappas on the Square next door was more than happy to feed us and the live entertainment was great too.
Now Sunday I found myself back at Sandton Shitty to watch Inception with friends – a great movie by the way – and found myself amidst the Sandton Winter Sale. Ok I’m not such a fan of the crowds but I love to shop, especially for tech. First stop, the Apple iStore for a wireless keyboard. Not a single salesperson offered assistance nor did they seemingly have any wireless keyboards on display or in stock. Useless!
Next stop, Incredible Connection – a trusted tech haven. Oh wait, it appears the store has moved from one side of the mall to the complete opposite side. No fear, brisk walk and lo and behold what do I find? A pathetic excuse for a tech store and not even the Incredible Connection store name to be seen – more HP and Vodacom signage than anything. A complete waste of my time!
My conclusion is to steer clear of the excuse that is Sandton Shitty.