I often shop at Value Village; however, I have noticed that certain items are priced higher than expected given they are both used and donated. Additionally, some merchandise is visibly damaged and honestly shouldn’t be for sale, but that’s another issue altogether.
A few months ago, I noticed that shoes in the store were zip tied together in pairs. While this may be practical for transportation to other locations, I feel it is really unnecessary when they are on the shelves. Having the shoes tied together not only makes it difficult for customers to try them on, it makes it impossible to walk in them to get a good feeling for how they fit and if they are comfortable. It’s also a huge safety concern. If you try to walk to a mirror with the shoes still tied together it is extremely hazardous. I am talking from personal experience here, as I nearly went A over T, doing just that.
I should tell you I am 64, but I go to the gym, and I am perfectly capable of standing in the aisle and putting on a shoe. But you can’t just slip a shoe on anymore, being zip-tied to its mate makes it heavier and extremely awkward.
When I was attempting to try on shoes myself, I was watching a lady next to me clearly struggling to slide a shoe on her foot. I bent down to help her and actually ended up staying for nearly an hour, chatting and helping her to try on different shoes. I am going to say she was around my age, but I learned she had painful arthritis, and one foot was slightly swollen, so it was more than a struggle for her.
Eventually she found two pairs she liked so I asked one of the retail clerks if he could cut the ties, so she could try walking in them. The young man very graciously helped us but made it clear that he was very concerned that he would get into trouble for doing so. As it ended up, once the lady had a chance to walk in them, she realized neither of the shoes were going to work for her. Honestly what a huge waste of time for everyone. If she could have just tried them on and walked in them in the beginning, she would have known that in 5 minutes. It’s so annoying.
If others have encountered similar issues, it may be appropriate to post feedback on their Facebook page to encourage reconsideration of this policy. The primary concern is that this new policy is truly an accident waiting to happen.
