is customer service really dead?  At the 99 cent store it is, and I'm going to try to vow never to shop there again!  Dollar Tree for me!

Last night I decided I was going to teach my daughter the art of candle making - the cheaters way.  I needed wax, what not a better place to find it than the 99 cent store?  I found just what I was looking for, cheap tapers in multiple colors with 3 signs clearly below the multitude of of boxes reading 4 for 99!  Below that shelf there were more tapers, but fancy ones, you know, sparkly and without flat bottoms instead tapered in to fit into your holder.  Those were clearly marked 2 for 99.  I dug around the boxes for a while and eventually filled 9 boxes with 12 candles each of the 4 for 99 variety.  Then I found a couple cheap pots to melt the wax and and some tongs to pull the wicks out.

At the register the clerk was pleasant, nice girl, you could tell just by her demeanor.  She began to ring up the candles and they came up at 2 for 99.  I told her there were 3 signs below them stating otherwise and I'd made certain to select from the less fancy tapers below.  She called another clerk over who followed my daughter to the shelf where she happily pointed out that they were 4 for 99.  The clerk returned with the 3 signs in hand and another clerk, they agreed that yes, they were clearly marked, and my clerk began to delete the incorrect pricing when the 3rd clerk who had joined the trio stated, "but we have to ask Oscar".

Aww, Oscar - a manager just doing his job ... but my 99 Cent Store wrath will forever be pointed towards him.  He agreed that the shelves had been mislabeled and that he'd honor the error (quietly telling the other clerks to make sure any other mistake labels had been removed) ... BUT he would only honor 4 for 99 and the rest would have to be 2 for 99. 

As my eyebrows raised and the clerk ringing me up was trying her hardest to keep a blank face, but I knew she was on my side, I asked, "So you aren't going to honor your pricing?"

"I'm sorry, but that is company policy"

My ass.  You know Walmart would have honored every single stupid taper and just quickly had the signs removed so another customer wouldn't get the same deal.  Now, I know Walmart is the devil, but at least I've never once had a problem with their customer service - maybe a few fry short of a happy meal clerks and stockers, but that's about all my issue other than my feet being ran over by over zealous shoppers and their race carts.

"I can sell you the 4 for 99, but the rest have to be 2 for 99"

I angrily reply, "Well then ... I don't want any of them.  I'll just take the pots and tongs"

The look on his face was like, "What?  You don't want any?!  Why not?  I offered to give you 4 for 99!"

Then I sneered and my anger began to bubble more, what was this man's problem?  Why couldn't he sell me a bunch of stupid tapered candles, for the price clearly marked on the shelf, that probably fell off a truck somewhere anyway?!

"Never mind, I don't want anything from this store.  Why in the world should I buy your tapers when I can go to BIG LOTS and spend the same amount?  I'd rather shop at BIG LOTS than have to dig through your messy shelves again"

As I grabbed my purse and stormed off with my daughter parroting me, "Yeah!  They said 4 for 99 Mom!  I saw it!  I showed them!  They should do what is right!" ... Oscar continued to look completely dumb founded as to why a customer was walking out of the store completely pissed off.

I went home and bought several pounds of soy wax on Ebay.