Bulleen Art & Garden — Attraction in Melbourne

Today I visited Bulleen Art and Garden nursery and left feeling humiliated, angry, and disgusted. I will never be returning.

It’s such a shame, because this nursery had left me with a good impression in the past — I bought an orange tree and a peach tree here last year, both of which have grown beautifully and produced fruit true to description. That’s why I decided to visit again today on a rare day off from work and parenting my three young kids.

Because my car was being serviced, I caught an Uber to Bunnings first, bought some fertilisers, and carried them in plastic bags. I then decided to stop by Bulleen Art and Garden before heading home, putting the bags in one of their trolleys for ease. I didn’t end up finding anything to purchase, so I wheeled the trolley to the entrance, stepped outside, and stood right next to the door waiting for my Uber.

That’s when it happened: A tall male staff member (approx. 1.9m, Caucasian, 30s) came out of the store and — without a word and without my permission — started rummaging through my bags. He physically opened each one, going through them item by item. It took me a few seconds to even process what was happening. I told him the items were from Bunnings (easy to see, given they were Bunnings-exclusive brands), yet he continued until every bag had been opened. Then he simply walked back inside without saying a single word, no apology, no explanations, nothing.

I have never been treated like a thief in a store before. There was no “Excuse me,” no request to check my bags, no basic courtesy. I understand some shops have bag-check policies and would have allowed him to check if he asked. But no words from him, he simply treated me like a criminal. He clearly disrespects the fact that you cannot touch and open a customer’s belongings without asking.

And honestly, if I were stealing, would I really be standing right at the entrance leisurely scrolling on my phone?

This experience left me feeling disrespected, embarrassed, and unwelcome. I will not be returning — and I hope management rethinks how their staff approach...

What a displeasure it was giving this business my patronage this morning. Unfortunately I had few other options as not many places stock the item I needed. The shop itself is lovely - a good selection of plants, garden wares, and other whimsical knick-knacks. Despite this, I will not return due to the complete lack of customer service. It's clear the staff here see some customers as nuisances, and others as worthy of their time and effort.

I approached two staff members (an older man and woman) for some assistance. The pair were deep in conversation, and were visibly annoyed I had disrupted their chat. The woman pointed me in the direction of the product I was after, and then provided absolutely no assistance. I asked her how much of the product I would need, to which she replied "it depends how much you want to put in there". Very helpful - thanks, captain obvious! I was then on my own. I loaded two trolleys with 12 20kg bags in total made my way to the counter, and was "served" (the term is used loosely here) by an equally unpleasant younger woman. For reference, I am a 160cm tall female. I then made two trips to my car, at one point with the bags slipping off. At no point was I asked if I needed assistance. After my interaction with the first woman, it was as though I ceased to exist.

When I returned the trolley inside, I was surprised to see two staff fawning over another woman, who was purchasing one product - a door mat. I am not asking for special treatment, but I have received better customer service at my local fruit and veg shop in asking if I need assistance to my car. There were about 8 staff members (that I could count!) on this morning idling about. Luckily for me, I am an able-bodied young woman and didn't hurt myself, but a little bit of help, or simply the offer of it, would have been much...

I've been going to BAAG for years and have had very good experiences with most of the staff. There is one older gentleman who serves on the counter who should really reconsider whether he is suitable for customer facing roles. I made a suggestion this morning in a chatty and friendly way asking him whether BAAG would consider a ceramic pot exchange program. My thoughts were that BAAG, in the spirit of the circular economy, could have an area where people could bring back the ceramic pots their indoor plants have grown out of and exchange them with each other. I said that it was just something BAAG could think about. The chap responded in a rude and dismissive way that was disrespectful of me and the friendly way I had suggested it. He was similar last year during Covid outbreaks when I told him the hand sanitiser bottle was empty when I came in. Instead of thanking me for the information, he snapped at me that he had just filled the bottle. BAG needs to consider whether customer interactions are his skill set or send him on a customer relations...