Spencer's — Local services in Bloomington

My wife and I visited Spencer's Gifts at the Bloomington, IN College Mall this past Monday afternoon. While my past shopping experiences at this location have always been good, I unfortunately cannot say the same for my most recent visit. We were there sometime between 12pm and 2pm. Upon being informed about the BOGO sale on jewelry, my wife and I decided to purchase some earrings. I bought a set of gauges, as I was contemplating re-gauging my ears. My wife selected a set of plain silver hoops for her ear cartilage piercings. The sale went smoothly and the associate who helped us was friendly (I don't recall her name but she had long, black hair). However, we later realized that we had mistakenly grabbed a set of hoops meant for nose piercings and promptly returned to the store to request an exchange for the unopened jewelry. The associate who initially helped us told us it was okay to select another, more appropriate pair. While looking for a new pair of earrings, my wife and I were discussing which ones to get. I suggested she buy some standard 16g hoops, given that it is the size she has already been using. At that moment, another associate (a young woman with short, dark blonde/blue-tinted hair and a septum ring) walked around the corner and began telling us that we were picking the wrong size of earrings for cartilage piercing and began lecturing my wife on how she was going to damage her ears if she didn't get a size lower. I tried to politely explain that my wife has had these piercings for at least a decade and that we felt confident about our selection. When the associate walked away, I told my wife to get what she wanted, because she already knew what size is appropriate for her piercings. After all, she was there when she got her ears pierced. Once again, the associate came back to reiterate to my wife that she was making a mistake. I did not feel like arguing and simply replied, "Okay." By this point, my wife was also frustrated and declared that we would just like our money back, instead of exchanging. She told the associate that her approach was aggressive. Either the associate did not understand that my wife was telling her that her behavior was inappropriate, or she simply did not care. She merely continued to claim that she knew best in the matter. My issue with the occurrence was not that the associate's information was incorrect (16g is actually the standard for cartilage piercings among most professional piercers; 18g being used for lobes). My frustration stems from the fact that, three times, she presented her information in an aggressively condescending way that is not appropriate (particularly when the customers in question did not ask for such input). I understand that she is younger and might not know better, but it was an exceedingly unpleasant experience. My wife and I have regretfully decided that we will not return...

Spencer’s in Bloomington is a fun store with a mix of trendy accessories, novelty items, and unique bags. They often have good discounts, making it a great spot to find affordable gifts or school essentials. The selection of bags is especially nice for back-to-school shopping, with plenty of styles to choose from. The store is clean, organized, and the staff are helpful, making the shopping experience easy...

A couple of the employees didn't seem to realize we were in earshot, or just didn't care, and we overheard them saying some really offensive things about several of the other customers. I got the impression they make a habit of entertaining themselves making fun of customers. Hate to think what they had to say about us and definitely won't return to...