Warning...there will be some venting going on, but please do read and proceed with caution! :P
Around this time last year, the idea of opening an eBay store was concieved. My brother Mike was visiting from Dubai and I told him how I had bought a Gymboree velveteen coat and matching hat that retailed for $52.00 together for only $6.00! "Just imagine the profit!", I thought. Since then, I have built up over 30K worth of inventory, wisened up and always have a 20% off coupon on hand, and have even met some so-called competiton.
Just this morning, I ran into another eBay store owner who asked for my number after seeing how much I was purchasing. I'm not sure what to say if she ends up calling me because I'd rather return an item than exchange it. :/ Just minutes later, I received my first "call out". Yesterday while at another Gymboree location, this lady that I've seen several times in the past, kept standing really close to me as I was rummaging through the sale racks. Twice she reached across me to grab clothes that I was standing right in front of and taking items that I would have purchased! Rude! Needless to say, I wasn't very happy with her, so when she arrived at the Gymboree this morning and decided to yell across the store "you have an eBay store, right?" blah blah blah, I was not in the mood to talk. First of all, "what you don't know can't hurt you", so I haven't straight up told Gymboree associates that I resell on eBay, though it's obvious and they don't seem to mind. Also, the one time I did fess up to a Houston Gymboree store, they got all weird on me and started limiting my purchases. I totally understand if I'm buying out all the sizes, but not if I'm just buying a few here and there and random sale items; I do know most customers are purchasing for their own personal use. (Of course, that Houston Gymboree store let me purchase whatever I wanted of the older items, but when it came to the new items, the claws came out.)
Anyhow, I gave my usual speech to the lady how I buy for family and friends, which is very true, plus, I didn't feel the need to tell her any of my "business." So, I finished shopping and as I was leaving the store, I could hear her ask the manager what the policy was on reselling on eBay. I know what the rules are and follow them; if the managers are willing to bend the rules once in awhile for me since I am such a loyal customer, that is their choice (like extend a hold an extra day). Regular customers, however, have the same opportunity to buy the same clothes as I do, I don't get any special discounts or advance shopping time. After about thirty minutes, I called the Gymboree manager and she told me how she has had issues with that lady in that past and that her policy is to basically just sell clothes... to eBay store owners or not.
I know that I should probably expect other Gymboree customers to be angry with me because I am buying all the good deals, but "first come first serve". Plus, if they really wanted a certain item, they could have purchased it before the sale or made an effort to come in a day early or call and place it on hold. Please feel free to give any thoughts on this topic as I'm curious to know what you think.
Today Susanna and I took the kiddos out to enjoy the gorgeous weather. Our first stop was Target to buy some odds and ends...the kids fit perfectly in the store's "car". At one point in time Susanna and I separated, and she took the kids. She said people were commenting how cute "her kids" were...hee hee. Imagine really having three kids these ages to tote around if it was feasibly possible! It sure is fun though, but totally crazy!
