Tarpon Springs Shepherd Center — Attraction in Tarpon Springs

I want to apologize to the Shepherd Center. I know Kathy always talk to the customers like they are beneath her but I kept coming back. After she disrespect me for years I kept coming back. Even after I put my foot down and said I wasn't taking it anymore and confronted the issue I still kept coming back. Now on 06-05-2020 I had the wonderful privilege of being accused of shoplifting by Kathy. The wonderful attendant in the back gave me permission to take a pot that cost $2 and bring the $2 back. Kathy ran out the store after me like I just stole a diamond ring and told me I didn't pay for that pot, I told her I did pay for the pot and that she could ask the attendant in the back. The attendant in the back Lacey told her she gave me permission to bring the $2 back. Maybe I use a miss choice of words saying I paid for the pot because if I have permission to take the pot and bring the $2 back the pot is covered in my mind. Since I didn't have any cash on me I tried to ask Kathy to let me refund the stuff I just bought with my card then I buy everything together but she told me she don't want to hear nothing I have to say and I need to stop talking to her before she say I was shoplifting. EXCUSE ME! NO YOU DIDN'T JUST GO THERE! When I went to Mr. Andrew the supervisor he explained to me that everything is just a big misunderstanding, she's a volunteer and she's overwhelmed because she's short-staffed, that I'm taking the abuse she just inflicted on me calling me a shoplifter personal. He remind me that they are a faith-based organization. But doesn't that mean you should treat people kindly with love the way Jesus did? Most of the bad complaints you see come from Kathy treating people disrespectful. Because you help people doesn't mean you have the right to disrespect people, I have no idea why they don't understand that. If it wasn't for that wonderful attendant in the back Lacey I would have been stopped coming there. Again I apologize to the Shepherd Center Resale Shop because I'm the fool for keep coming back but I'm not going to be a fool anymore. There's not a thing you got in your store that's worth me having to put up with the disrespect Kathy LIKES to dish out to nice people. And the fact that even after Lacey told her she gave me permission to take the pot and bring back $2 she still had the nerve to call me a shoplifter; SHE SICK, DRUNK WITH POWER! If it was so wrong for Lacey to let me bring $2 back then why did Kathy allow me to do the same thing multiple times? Hypocrite! And Mr. Andrew I had every right to take it personal and if you cared about your customers and employees you wouldn't have been making excuses for her awful behavior. I owned my own business for 35 years and I would never had treat a customer the way you allow her to treat your customers. I'm sure both of you have good clean satisfying Christian consciences the way you treated me today. P.S. Mr. Andrew if you think about saying anything negative to Lacey who allowed a good paying customer who spend over $100 a month in your flea market tob $2 back then you need to be ashamed of yourself and I pray she find a better job because you do not deserve her as an employee you deserve...

The only reason this place got a star at all is for the variety of merchandise. The lady inside was rude from the first moment that I asked if they had any books and just got progressively worse. They have a flea market in the back. The gates were wide open so I walked back there to look around. She said they didn't have any books, but they had several bookcases full back there. After browsing for about 15 minutes and selecting 2 books, a very nice gentleman let me know that the flea market section was closed on Sunday, but the truck driver had left the gates open. He told me to just take the books inside and get them since there was no way for me to know they were closed. Back inside, rude lady told me she couldn't let me buy them because the flea market was closed and she didn't know how much the books were. I told her that there were a minimum of 10 signs posted all over the inside telling how much they were and her response was "Show me!". When I walked away to get one she told me never mind, gave me the correct total and said I should have known the flea mkt. was closed due to the sign on the front door. The sign said no donations on Sunday. As a tourist, I was supposed to know that the donations area was back there and that since they were in the same area, the flea mkt. was closed. Save yourself some grief and go to one of the many other thrift stores...

I walked in today at 4:15 and was made so uncomfortable by an employee who yelled through the store “hello we are closing” I checked the door and it said 4:45, I nicely said “I thought you guys close at 4:45, that’s what the door says” in which the employee rolled her her eyes and said “if you NEED to say until 4:45”, I said “oh wow I guess I’ll spend my money somewhere else.” I had about $40 worth of stuff in my hands, I checked my phone and it was 4:23 so I decided to keep shopping because the store closes at 4:45, then the employee started yelling across the store to another employee that I was so rude to talk to her like that and that I was young and disrespectful and that how dare I question the time they were closing. I’ve been frequenting this store since the old location, and donate frequently, after today, I will NEVER step foot in this store. If your workers or volunteers don’t want to be there then they shouldn’t. By far the worst experience I’ve ever had. If the store closes at 4:45, and it’s 4:15 I’m not understanding why I couldn’t shop. By the time I walked out it was only 4:30, I could have 100% purchased the items in my hands and been out by 4:45, but I will never spend money at a store who’s workers talk to...