Employees behavior towards customers

I would have said something really sarcastic, like "poor? excuse me
but you are the one working a retail job for probably less then $9.00
an hour"! Yes, that sounds snarky and no I don't look down on people
in retail, worked in myself for years and recently worked part-time at
Applebees. I would have said it just to put that person in their
place. BTW: you should have added more information in your complaint
so that Corporate could identify the employee.

I used layway when my kids were little. Didnt mean I was poor. Just
meant that I didnt want my closets ramsacked by nosey kids looking for
their presents.

And a lay a way progam would have come in handy recently for my grand
daugthers birthday. I was carting all the stuff around in the trunk
of my car. We had bought her some rather large items and could not
hide them in the house, and since they were in the trunk of my car - I
couldnt put grocries in the truck which made for some rather
interesting trips home - since I have 2 car seats in the back and
usually their mommy in the front.

I think just because someone opts to use this program doesnt make them
poor or stupid or unable to budget for their shopping needs.

from a poor person's point of view...lay away is a poor choice. buy
things on clearance, clip coupons, buy clothes when they're out of
season. i buy winter sweaters at wal mart for 1 dollar (nice sweaters)
for my children when it's summer time. i just estimate what they will
be wearing next season. it's worked out well.

i NEVER do lay away. trust me, i'm a typical lay away candidate, and i
don't do it. why? because it's crazy!

still...that doesn't excuse the employee's actions. if i worked at
macy's and saw someone buy a pair of jeans for $170 dollars, should i
tell them they are stupid for paying that much for a pair of jeans?
would that be okay? NO WAY! it was the employee's job to respond in a
COURTEOUS manner that they did not have lay away, and then suggest
other options. sounds to me like the employee must be a spoiled brat
who has never heard of a budget. that is totally unacceptable.

Was this the South Westnedge Ave. location at Southland Mall? If so, I
agree, I have received less that courteous service from them on
numerous occasions.

This conduct is unacceptable, and the comment was un called for. The
employee in question definately needs a little more tact.

You should be aware however that layaway is becoming a thing of the
past, and is becoming more and more rare.

Using the phrase "poor people" was poor form.

But it does sound like your reason for wanting such a service is
because you don't have a means of managing your own budget.

Lay-a-way, I've heard, is great for capturing an unexpected sale. Or
for where you fear an item won't be available later.

Unfortunately, many people are under the impression that (outside of
capturing a sale) it helps people afford things they otherwise could
not. It does not.

I think the response to the sales person should have been "no, I just
want to make sure that this book will still be here when I'm ready to
buy in a few months" or "this is a great price and I don't want it to
slip away."

Or "I want B&N to hold this for me while I look elsewhere for a better
price." (Obviously, if this is not your intention, that you wouldn't
say this!).

Ha! That employee was exactly right! (But plenty of poor people do
NOT use layaway.)

Heck, even Oprah has said the same thing.