なぜ私はウエストゲートショッピングモールシンガポールで東急ハンズから購入することはありません。
I have been to Tokyu Hands in Japan (Shibuya) & it's 3 or 4 floors. Very big & sells almost everything including DIY pieces of wood (like Daiso) & hardware items (at rather expensive prices). At that time, I never heard of Tokyu Hands. I was desperately looking for a bag/luggage & happened to see the store.
Bought a black, business-like haversack that cost around SGD 80, the cheapest among the several black bags available there at the time & it's been excellent quality. Very soft material yet firm with many useful & easy compartments. Definitely a man's bag. No frills, just simple & stylish practicality. Just the right size and surprisingly spacious and flexible when things inside expand it.
In Singapore however, Tokyu Hands has only been small, limited-time floor spaces that sell very expensive cosmetics, skincare, unimportant personal care & household items.
So when I finally saw that they were going to open at Westgate, I waited to see how small it was going to be & what they were going to sell. The single floor didn't look promising.
About 2 weeks after they opened (I wanted to be there when they opened but missed it), I dropped by & selected some soap. Total = $43. But I never bought them because of the very rude cashier. An old man called Mak with strange skin (I was a little concerned about him handling my items).
Last I saw, he is still cashier there (even though I phone-called the Japanese manager to complain). If he happens to be rude to you or disrespectful to your purchases, by all means, tell him off on the spot & inform the manager.
As long as he is still a cashier there, I won't be stepping into the store. Tokyu Hands can forget about getting a cent from me.
As I told the Japanese manager on the phone, there are many people they could have hired. Why hire such a rude old man? (My thoughts: Did he pull strings to get in? Is he related to them in some way? Is it that hard to find better Singaporean applicants?).
After calling the manager, I let it pass. But every time I pass by there after that, I feel quite upset. I didn't get the bars of soap that I wanted. And that man is still there.
I kept telling myself I have to talk about it here, but I always let it pass.
Before they opened, I already knew of these soap bars and was considering buying them online. But once shipping fee is added, the total price is unreasonably high. So when I saw Tokyu Hands carried the soap bars that I have been wanting, I was really happy & put a few into my basket. But ended up upset at the cashier counter & had to let them all go. All because they hired the wrong person to stand at the cashier counter.
He does nothing but talk to the young cashiers there. And speaks rudely to customers.
While being rude to me, he went on being rude to a male customer who was holding a tap. As that male customer was unsure where to queue, he stood ahead of us & very gently placed his tap on the counter. (I was wondering why don't he buy it from a regular store that would be cheaper?).
That old man Mak said to him in a rude and loud tone, "Are you buying? Are you buying?".
For a moment, the customer seemed rather taken aback and didn't know what to say. But then he spoke quietly, "Yes.". (He should have scolded that man.).
The Japs in Singapore have very poor hiring ability. Daiso, Japanese restaurants (example: CocoIchibanya) & now Tokyu Hands. They seem to hire anyone who drops by.
For the bars of soap I wanted, the moment I saw that old man cashier, I was reluctant to go to the counter. Just a feeling from the look of his face. Turned out I was right.
1) He handled the soap bars without looking at how he was handling them. To him, they are just soap bars, even though they are expensive. He impacted them against the counter-top, dropped them rather carelessly into the bag.
2) When there was a problem swiping our card, he said that it was our fault. I said, "We just came from Tim Ho Wan and it was fine.". He argued that his machine has been doing fine.
3) When Bro said he will go to withdraw from the ATM and I said I will remain at the counter, he stretched out his hand and demanded in the rudest voice that I return the bag of soap bars.
4) When I gave it, he took it from me and set it aside on the other side of the counter and kept watching it while I stood there.
5) After a while of watching him with displeasure, he seemed to realize it and was red-faced for whatever reason. The more I stood there, the more it became meaningless to buy. So I walked off. $43 saved while Tokyu Hands lost $43.
When I returned home, I called the Japanese manager to the phone. He seemed to politely understand my English and said he will speak to the man. But nothing seems to have been done since that man is still there behaving as if nothing happened whenever I look in while passing by. (I don't expect him to be fired, but I won't be stepping in either).
That man should be thankful he has this job at his age. Yet he is rude and has no respect for customers' expensive purchases. As he is old, such things are just things to him, as if he is bagging items in a market.
At $43 for just a few bars of soap, I expect the cashiers to handle my purchases well. Even if it's just a $1 item, I want respect for my purchase. If you cannot do that, then you don't deserve my money. Tokyu Hands.
(Anyway, bro says the household things they sell can be found at other places for cheaper. As for my soap... I have to give them up, even though the Japanese manager apologized and said in English on the phone at the end, "Please come back again.").
It doesn't matter anymore, Tokyu Hands. Keep that man Mak. Whether he is there or not, I think I'm not going to care anymore. I just won't be stepping into your store.
