Mission Hollister Part 2 - It's not a pretty sight (largely because I can't see anything in there!)

You may remember that on 12 December I wrote a post entitled "Mission Hollister".  This was a tongue in cheek account of my many unsuccessful attempts to purchase a Gift Voucher from Hollister.  Since then I have had emails, comments and discussions with many others who have encountered similar problems and I have to admit to being somewhat relieved as it makes me feel less of a dinosaur!  It's not my style to stick my neck on the line and to criticise a brand but for flips sake!  So, here are some of the other tales I have been told:

• One lady, unable to see the price of an item due to the totally and utter rubbish (my words not hers) lighting in there took an item to an assistant to ask what the price was. The assistant couldn't find the price either.  When asked why the store had such inadequate lighting the assistant said that it "added to the ambience".  I like it!
• Another lady, having picked up an item, had to go and check out the nearest lightbulb to find the price, where she met other customers doing the same thing.
• Another lady went in with some information about a sweatshirt that she wanted for her daughter.  She took details of the sweatshirt, what it said on the front etc but was told that without the code they couldn't trace it.  Top service! Mary Portas would love that one!
• Another lady had to queue in a snake around the shop and half way down the stairs as the number of staff was so inadequate - or, in fairness to the store, it could just be that it is so popular that it simply couldn't cope with the number of customers - so I might let that one go for now but they could do with some more tills;
• Another lady went in with her elderly mother who has a condition which means that she has difficulty seeing in certain light. She couldn't see her daughter which caused her to panic and because she couldn't see, she then tripped over a rug.  Now whilst some of the above are vaguely amusing, this isn't in the slightest.  Have they never heard of Occupier's Liability for Dangerous Premises or all of the Health and Safety Legislation?

I know I know - I sound as if I am ranting and really it's not that bad. My friend and I have decided that it's the messing about with our senses that we can't deal with. 

You know that whole school disco thing of no light, lots of sound and the smell of sweaty bodies was fine at the age of 14 but now - being starved of light whilst at the same time our auditory and olfactory senses are overloaded (I was told that they pumped the smell of their fragrances through some system in their stores) means that we get dis-orientated.  It's an interesting concept really isn't it?  Employing methods that are used to torture people to sell clothes?  But somehow it works. I am still struggling with it!