Dry Skin at Holt Renfrew

For some reason while laying in my bed I had a memory come across my mind, maybe it’s because my mom is on a different continent at this time or I just miss her. Anyways, I remember this like it was yesterday, so I thought to myself why not share this memory. By reading this story so far you’d think it was a nice memory with my mom, but it’s not. It is my first memory of being offended to the point of speachless. So anyway let’s get on with the story. I had made plans with a friend to meet up at the mall and this was prior to me learning how to drive, so I had to rely on city transit. It was a regular cold winter day where the city was grey and gloom and the air was so dry as a chinook wind was sweeping through the city. Here’s a fact about me I always figured better be early than late to anything and this mall we were meeting at was across the city so I arrive nice and early, some of you may be thinking fifteen to twenty minutes early. That would be considered a joke I showed up an hour and a half early. So now I could wander and explore the stores myself before meeting up with my friend. I obviously stopped by chapters, which is now Indigo I believe but at the time it was still chapters and Starbucks my two favourite places to be; the smell of coffee and untouched pages of the bookstore are my favourite smells. I looked at a few chapter book considered buying one or a few, but I left empty handed (this was back when my Starbucks addiction was under control) so I kept on wandering and I saw the store Holt Renfrew and see if I could guess the price tag. It was a game I would play since I knowingly could not afford anything in that store; I would stop by and see if I could guess the ridiculously high price of the items. I spotted a dress with sequins in my head I guessed 564.00 dollars I flipped the price tag and I was only a thousand two hundred dollars off. I looked at the materials of the dress and quietly laughed to myself. My hands were noticeably dry and I looked in my purse for the hand lotion I swore I had, I only had a lip balm, which I then took out of my purse and applied. I looked around the store and found the cosmetics department not thinking to buy anything but hoping someone was standing there giving out free samples of lotion as they do from time to time. I approached the cosmetics aisle and I looked around hoping someone would bother me for a free sample and no one appeared yet, which was unusual as I am usually dodging them and avoiding eye contact at all costs. Finally, an older lady she must have been in her sixties with red scarf and red lipstick approached me.

“Hello dear, how can I help you?” She asked me.

“Oh hello, I’m just looking at lotions, but I’m allergic to some and I don’t know which ones would be best for me,” I replied, which I did not lie about being allergic to certain lotions, some cause my skin to feel like it’s in fire. However, I was dishonest about actually purchasing anything from her.

“Oh well sure I can help you out, do you know what you’re allergic to?” She asked.

“I actually don’t really know,” I said honestly.

“Okay, well this is a hypoallergenic one to try,” she said and she squeezed some into my hand. I rubbed it and I had found a solution to my dried hands.

“Thanks for your help I’ll think about buying it,” I lied. I just had an excuse to get out of there before she actually did try and sell me something.

“Oh but your face, let me tell you if you were my daughter, you would not be allowed to leave the house with skin like yours!” Is what she said next. A few thoughts came into my head the first thought “thank goodness you’re not because I would’ve killed myself by now”, then “that’s a horrible thing to say about me and insinuating that my mom didn’t care about me” and third “that’s what you say to get a sale?” And fourth “she did not just say that to a customer”. I stood there for a minute digesting of what this woman had just said to me.

“I’m sorry, can I speak to your manager of this department,” I said as calmly as possible.

“Oh that would be me,” said the lady smiling sweetly.

“Is this how you treat all your customers?” I asked. “That’s a terrible thing to say and I’m glad your not my mom.” I said and I turned on my heel and walked out of the store still baffled by this experience. Yes, maybe karma wanted to get back at me for a free sample, but to that extent? I don’t think so. I know how much these ladies make from Commission, but you insulted my skin and my mom all in one blow that is too far for me. I don’t get get offended easily. I left that store fuming and that was nearly ten years ago to this day I can hear her “sweet” lady voice saying those exact words. They’ve been scratched into my brain for sure. I never walk into that store unless accompanied by a friend or my mom.

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