Readings Carlton — Local services in Melbourne

Firstly, I asked the lady serving if I could purchase a particular style of glasses and she told me that, no, they only sold the styles on display. It wasn’t until I insisted that I had previously bought ones that were not on display that she went out the back to 'have a look', but she returned saying that they only had the ones on display. I’ll return to this point later. Secondly, I asked to buy a different pair of glasses on display and she told me, no I couldn’t because they didn’t sell the actual pairs on display, only ones in storage in the same style. Since I’d previously bought ones on display, I told her so and it was only when another sales person said that I was correct, that she agreed to sell them. Thirdly, when I went to buy the glasses, she charged me $55 dollars instead of $30 dollars as advertised. I would have walked out paying this inflated price had I had not noticed and pointed out the error myself. After waiting for the sales person to print a new receipt, I decided to ask someone else about the glasses that I’d been told weren’t in stock. He went out the back, returning with the glasses that I’d originally asked for - they were in stock after all!

Sure, people can make mistakes, but this many‽ As a Black woman, I walked out feeling suspicious of not only the difficulty I had making the purchase, but the fact that the person serving me did not...

My experience at the store left much to be desired due to the behavior of the cashier, Joanna. Despite attempting to engage politely, Joanna's demeanor was consistently cold and rude. The interaction left me in confusion that I had to walk back again to ask her name so that I can use it in the review. When I tried to establish a friendly connection by thanking her and expressing it was nice to meet her, I was met with silence followed by laughter with another customer, leaving me feeling disregarded.

Moreover, my inquiries about accessing my online account were met with blatant rejection and dismissiveness. Joanna's refusal to assist and her unprofessional handling of the situation only exacerbated the unpleasant encounter.

Additionally, it was evident that Joanna's demeanor created a hostile environment not only for customers but also for other staff members. Overall, Joanna's behavior significantly detracted from what could have been a positive shopping experience, leaving me with a lasting impression of dissatisfaction.

I would love to visit this store again. However, at any costs I will avoid being served by this lady at...

I am 30 years old and have never written a review, positive or negative about any experience. But after yesterday's experience, (maybe it's the rona making me irritable), but I've had enough of the attitude of the staff at Readings. I've been going here intermittently since I was a Melbourne Uni kid, as I love the way the shop was and is designed, as it encourages endless browsing. My main issue is the staff. I cannot for the life of me remember one positive interaction I've had with the folks who work there. They always seem uninterested in helping...and making eye-contact (God forbid!) with anyone who works there to disrupt them from their reverie to ask for some assistance or to pay for a book will most of the time result in a curt glance and a no-frills interaction that leaves you feeling like they don't even want to sell books. It doesn't matter the gender or the age, young old, female, male, they always seem grumpy and in particular unhappy serving customers. I adore this shop, and the feeling of getting lost in there, but I always hate having to ask for help or going to the till to...