‘Cranky’ lady tangled with ‘Mr. Nasty’
Christina Brown said she wanted her $30 back. The cops said she must be crazy.
That’s how a 79-year-old New Hope woman ended up having her head examined when she asked the SuperTarget in Plymouth to refund the $30 she had paid for shirts that did not fit. When store workers offered her a gift certificate in return for the shirts, but would not give her cash, Christina Brown stood for her rights.
[…]
Target had the proceeds from her check, Christina had her receipt and bank records showing her money had been withdrawn. She wanted her $30 back.
[…]
Christina said she would stay in the store until she got her money — all day, if she had to. At that point, she says, the store manager told her she was trespassing.“I’m not trespassing; I’m a customer,” she said. “Give me my money and I’ll go.”
When the manager said he was going to call the cops, Christina beat him to the punch: Taking a cellphone from her purse, she dialed 9-1-1 and called police, asking them to come and help her. Officers responded and later filled out a report, but no charges were filed.
[…]
The store wouldn’t budge. Christina wouldn’t bend. A stretcher was brought in.
The article mentioned that “…Brown is a feisty, funny woman who doesn’t let herself be pushed around…”
The translation of that is that she is a cranky old bitch.
I don’t doubt for a second that the manager acted like a dick, but if he deals with people Brown all day he probably just ran out of patience.
The linked article is worth a read.
Its not clear that Target even requested a psych eval and certainly they can not require one. THAT decision was made by the arresting cops.
The kicker is that the lady will have to pay for the Hospital Visit. That makes sense which is why I’m surprised it happened.
In fact, the lady was wrong and was trespassing so she has the rights she had before the arrest and Hospital Visting–ask nicely, escalate to the manager, accept the decision, sue if you don’t like it. Its called living in society and not your own world.
This might just cost that store a wee bit more than the cost of some clothing.
I suggest as a monetary amount something like oh ,say maybe $53 million !!!
Looks like she’ll not have to worry about getting by on social security now!
#3 –what do you think Target should have done instead? And in failing to do that what was “wrong” with what they did do?
The lady was trespassing. Address that issue if you repost?
Here is how to do this:
1) Take managers name. Take cop name and report number.
2) Let manager know that you will talk to his manager, and the target regional manager.
3) Let manager know that you will file for small claims, and likely win. In any case the lawyer for target will cost more in 15 minutes than to refund this.
4) Follow through and make sure your estate will follow through on this if you become incapacitated.
have fun and wait about 2 to 5 years.
Best bad pr money can buy … well done, target! Now we’re talking about how rotten you are to old ladies on the internet!
This one bothered me so much that I sent some feedback to Target. Customer service just isn’t what it used to be, especially considering that she had her proper documentation (I.E., receipt.)
If she had her bank statement showing that the 30 dollars had already come out of her account they should have refunded her money no questions asked. The manager should be fired immediately for having no common sense. And she was not trespassing she had every right to be there to get a refund. This will cost Target some serious change. Im sure there are lawyers up in Minny banging on her door as we speak. Whatever happened to common sense and treating elderly customers with a bit of respect. Cops are morons in this also but what else is new.
These retail managers are so moronic they don’t understand that something this simple will cost you more in the long run then the $30 and this is not even a loss, but the form of refund returned.
Another example of how ordinary people abuse their power by living vicariously through acts of Congress.
Thanks, Patriot Act!
#8–Tommy==you have a privilege/license to enter the store as a member of the public/customer and that privilege ends when you are asked to leave. Failure to leave makes you a trespasser. How else could you ever get your drunk friends to leave your apartment hours after the party is over? Do you think once someone is invited into “your” place, they can stay forever as long as they want to? Is that what you think?
Old people suck. I feel sorry for the manager.
I agree with the manager. You need your head examined if you shop in that store…
I think there is an important (possible) fact that is being overlooked…
The woman brought documentation showing the $30 was withdrawn from her account for the purchase. Now if the “bank” is involved with the purchase, then I would assume that a bank debit or credit card was used for the transaction. If that is so then the woman’s ACCOUNT is usually credited for the return… NOT CASH IN HAND. that is usual store policy at every store I know of.
It says a $30 gift card was offered instead of actual cash. I am assuming that this is being offered by the manager instead of cash as to not change the $$$ records but still basically give the lady something physically in hand.
I am trying to use logic here. Anyone see what I am getting at? Maybe the Elderly lady did not understand the way the return policy worked and things unfortunately got… silly.
The oldest scam out there is to pay for goods by check (later, credit cards), then return it for cash. Even if a check has cleared, a bank can still have it reversed if it detects fraud. Why would anyone expect to get cash back on check or credit card purchases? She must be crazy
Bobster –
What the fuck is wrong with you?
The woman paid for the items with real money, returned them, and expected real money back.
And you want her to turn that into some kind of $75,000 lawsuit over a $30 refund?
Unless you’re doing something “wrong” (stealing, puking on the floor, knocking over display cases), any store that demands a customer leave is just asking for trouble.
Target just pissed about about $5,000,000 worth of the good will they get from all those charitable donations they tout so proudly.
I’ll bet if the manager moves fast, he can get a job in the Bush administration, or work on McBush’s “campaign”, such as it is.
That manager should be smacked down, hard.
thats the check return policy. she knew it thats why she brought her bank statement. she is just a bitch that dose not think rules apply to her.
the manager is just doing his job, if he gives the bitch her money he loses his job. this is also every major retailer.
read the return policy
#16–MM==I don’t think anything is wrong with me. And if there was something wrong with me, that wouldn’t affect the validity of what i posted, which, by the way, is exactly what in fact happened all under authority of law and the legal system with no one here including yourself offering up what else should have happened.
The store policy (from memory) was a 7 day wait to assure the check cleared. Bringing in your own paperwork before 7 days does not meet the reasonable store policy.
Whats the matter with the old lady that she could not come in puruant to store policy.
Just a bunch of self centered egotists here.
Commenter Somebody_Else said, “old people suck”.
Perhaps he/she would prefer not to get old. If so, I hope he/she gets his/her wish.
#17 – Bobbolina
Aw, give it up, will you?
The woman paid by check; the check cleared the next day. She brought in her bank statement showing that the money had been removed from her account.
Sure, I guess an 80-year-old woman from Minnesota in a wheelchair, blind in one eye, could have taken the trouble to forge bank documents in order scam Target out of thirty bucks, but come on. The store obviously has the technology to cash her check in less than 24 hours (which they did); don’t you think they would have known if her check bounced?
Use a little common sense.
I’ve been to the Super Target in New Hope (they have good wasabi peas), and you don’t see that kind of fraud perpetrated by customers that frequent the store.
If the manager had the sense God gave a rock, he’d have given her the $30 back, sent her on her way, and everybody would have been happy.
If I were the district manager for the Minneapolis area Targets, that moron would be delivering pizzas for Domino’s right now.
Sheesh.
#19 – Hillbilly
Yeah, yeah, we know. You only shop at Saks Fifth Avenue. And Victoria’s Secret.
Not everyone can afford your tastes in formal wear and lingerie, though.
I’m afraid I have to side with Bobbo. The store policy is reasonable. She could have come back after 7 days and everything would have been cool. Except that she paid by check, and expected cash…the store should pay by check after the 7 days.
Of course there is yet another issue here. She was returning things because they were the wrong size, not because they were defective. Her mistake for buying the wrong size. That’s why they have fitting rooms.
And, while the manager could certainly have been more cordial, it’s Target for chrissake, not Nordstrom! What do you expect?
#22 – Dave W
The store policy may have been reasonable when some assistant manager delivered paper checks to the Night Depository after closing hours, and they might not know for 7 days whether her check bounced or not.
Times have changed, and the store policy should have too. They knew right away that her check was good, and had the money in less than 24 hours.
It’s not like it was some guy in gang colors and tattoos trying to return a $3000 high-definition TV. It was an 80-year-old half-blind lady in a wheelchair, for chrissakes. Returning $30 worth of apparel that didn’t fit.
The manager may have been within the letter of the law, but for common sense, I’d score him 0 on a scale of 0 to 10.
And if he worked for me, he’d be delivering pizzas for Dominos right now, unless he wanted to drive out to the old lady’s house with the $30 in hand and a heartfelt apology on his lips.
Wow Mr. Mustard, I live 3 miles from the New Hope Target. I would have to agree with you about the clientele that frequent the establishment.
We should go for a beer at BW’s across the street and stare at the waitresses.
#25 – Gwendle
I’d take you up on that, but I don’t live in MN any longer. I was usually more of a patron of the New Brighton Blvd. or Nicollet mall Targets, as they were closer to home.
The Archer Farms brand wasabi peas at the Super Targets are great, though, so sometimes I’d make the drive.
The whole thing kinda reminded me of my marriage.
Sometimes when the old hemorrhoids are acting up, you don’t want to take shit for an answer.
You go granny.
#19
“Perhaps he/she would prefer not to get old. If so, I hope he/she gets his/her wish.”
You enjoy working with cranky/possibly crazy old people? I was just stating a fact, nobody wants to deal with them.
I’m sure that someday I’ll be a cranky old fart myself, but hopefully I wont try to get anyone fired by being an insolent tard over $30 I could pick up in a couple days. The fact that the police had her sent for a mental examination suggests that she shouldn’t be out shopping on her own anyway.
The woman paid with a check. Why should she expect to be given a return in cash (even if she said it had already gone through) if the store’s policy was to only give refunds for checks after 1 week? Maybe she should have tried on the clothes first?
Bobbo – Is there any authority figure whose cock you won’t suck?
#29 – The Other Dude
Did it ever occur to you that maybe a half-blind old lady in a wheelchair would find it inconvenient to drive 15 miles back home, then make the round trip all over again to get a refund on something that she had already paid for (and that Target had taken the money out of her bank for)??
Or maybe that a half-blind old lady in a wheelchair wasn’t up for sprinting in and out of the dressing room to try on her new duds, and just bought them based on the label size? Label sizes that turned out to be inaccurate?
>>You enjoy working with cranky/possibly crazy
>>old people?
Strib columnist obviously talked with the woman, and he didn’t consider her “cranky/possibly crazy”.
Looks to me like the manager was just being a dick.
#30–OFTLO==easy to bitch. What would you do?