Currys

There are some places in this world that deserve only one star, but there are also places that make you slightly nauseous even giving that one. This particular branch of Currys is one such place.
I went in there recently with my wife in order to purchase a new television. We’d looked online and seen the various models and prices so we knew exactly what we wanted to buy before we set foot in the store, but though the televisions were easy to locate it took a good ten minutes to find the one we wanted, in part because it was hidden away down an aisle and in part because the price tag showed it as being £40 more than advertised.
Still, we found what we wanted and the price was not completely unreasonable, so we began looking for a staff member to help us with our purchase. We didn’t have to look hard. The one good thing I can say about Currys is that staff are easy to locate. There are more staff in every store than penguins at the South Pole. However, actually getting one of them to help you is another matter.
We spotted two chatting at the end of an aisle, so I went over to ask for their help. They were busy talking about football so didn’t hear me at first, but after repeated attempts to attract their attention they finally noticed me — and promptly moved to another aisle to continue their conversation undisturbed by the inconvenience of doing their damn jobs.
A minute later my wife spotted a staff member. My wife has excellent eyesight because I would have missed the elderly lady, all of four feet tall, scampering down the aisles as if hiding from us predatory customers. Unfortunately she spotted us coming and craftily gave us the slip in the toaster aisle.
I spotted the next one, a young girl striding purposefully from the back of the store. I approached her and before I uttered a word was told, «I’m dealing with another customer at the moment. I’ll be with you shortly». Fair enough, as she did then go and speak to another customer. Ten minutes later, after escorting them to the till (I think they were old enough to find their way, but I guess it’s all customer service) she came marching back, walked right past us and announced to a colleague she was going for her break. Of course, the colleague in question followed her into the back of the shop.
Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait long to see another member of staff. A teenage boy emerged from the rear of the store and ambled towards us. I stopped him and asked if he could help us, but his vacant stare answered my question. The wheel was turning, but sadly the hamster was dead. He did, however, say he would find someone who could help, and disappeared into the back of the store. Seriously, how many staff do they have back there?!
After another fifteen minutes of trying and failing to attract the attention of the staff, the girl we’d seen earlier returned from her break. She began making her way to the front of the store, but by that point I was ready to tackle her to the ground and drag her to the televisions. I didn’t need to, luckily, as she stopped when I stepped into her path and fixed her with a thoroughly p*ssed off stare.
In short, it took us ten minutes to find what we wanted and nearly twenty to find a staff member willing to serve us. Sadly the tale does not end here. She entered the details of the television we wanted to buy into her computer, asked a colleague to retrieve one from the back of the store, but when he returned he brought with him the wrong television. He was sent back and returned, once again, with the wrong television. He was sent back again and returned, this time, with the right television.
I would sooner drive a rusty nail into my eye than shop at this branch of Currys again.