I’ve never made a request of this sort before — I don’t intend to make it a regular thing — but I’d like to ask you to not shop at Budds clothing stores, and to share this message if you’re willing to show your support.
The owner of the Kitchener Budds store wrongfully accused my 57 year old mother of shoplifting, by yelling it to everyone in the store. He then proceeded to physically stop her from leaving the store by pushing on her shoulders.
She was forced to remove her coat, undo her sweater, and lift up her shirt to prove that she didn’t have any items, and finally he let her leave.
Later, after cooling down, she decided to return to explain that she’d initially headed for the door after a bad customer service experience. She wanted to give them an opportunity to apologize, but instead, they told her the experience was fine and that she was wrong. Then the owner said that they’d never found the items he’d seen her holding earlier.
So she walked with him to where she’d put down the $15 worth of clothing on a shelf. My mom told him that if the store weren’t such a mess, it would have been easier to find. She didn’t know he was the owner, so she asked to speak to a manager — that’s when he yelled at her again, that he owned the place, and that she was unwelcome there. He went so far as to shove her on her way out.
The website for Budds[1] has written things like “YOU ARE FAMILY TO US”, “Remember that your customers are the ONLY reason you and I are in business, without them, you are nothing!”, and “At Budds our customers are the real reason for our existence and they will always be like family to us.” They have placed a great deal of focus on providing good customer service, and utterly failed to deliver on that promise.
Mom has filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau and the KW Chamber of Commerce. I just want to make sure that people hear about this, because it’s unbelievable and angering. If this is how Stan Budd of Budds treats people like my mom during the holidays, then he and his store simply don’t deserve to be in business. They say so themselves.
Thanks for reading.