AAFEE's I Love You!

To Whom it May Concern,

On Saturday, April 11th, I had the pleasure to shop in your Bolling Air Force Base location. After walking around your store which was a balmy 85 degrees I found several items that I wished to purchase.

The first item was located in a bin that read "foam ball 2.99", because the bin contained a plethora of foam balls I decided to double check the price at a scanner. The actual price for the foam ball was 6.99. When I returned to the bin, I read each label, looking for the correct one to put the item back into. There was not one bin marked 6.99. I put the item back where I found it.
After this I proceeded to the check out counter. Three registers were operating and the lines were two to three people deep. I opted to stand in line at register six. As I was waiting the line grew larger, and upon inspection there were seven people in line six. An AAFEE's employee tapped the women behind me on the shoulder and said "I can help you at customer service." Then her line filled up to five people deep.

Next register five opened. The cashier announced "I can help the next in line." But when I stepped a little to the left the people behind me scooted up and before I could blink line five had more customers than line six. I continued to wait in line six.

Line six was entertaining at best. The gentlemen in front of me had an entire cart filled with clothing and accessories. He would only give the employee one item at a time. Once the employee rang in the item, removed the hanger, and folded the clothing perfectly the customer would ask for a total. Once seeing the total he would then decide weather to keep the item or ask the cashier to remove the item from the bag. A few times he made a phone call asking the recipient if they really want the item he was purchasing. If the item needed to be removed the employee would unfold the clothing, find the hanger, and rehang the clothing. He would then leave his register, walk over to a cart next to customer service and hang the clothing on the cross push bar. This back and forth motion went on for twelve minutes since I had stepped in line. I cannot be certain how long this transaction had been going on prior to my arrival.

On minute thirteen the customer began to find his money. His total bill came to one hundred and sixty five dollars. The man gave the cashier one 160.00. Then he began to ask the price of certain items he began pulling out of the bags. He asked that a few be removed, and the dance started all over again, unfold, fold, hanger, no hanger, over to shopping cart at customer service, and back again. By now the lines were down in line five and I stepped left. But my stride was interrupted with a "Sorry, I am closed."

So there I stand in line six. Seventeen minutes passed with me as the second person in line before I was called to the front. My transaction was quick, one bag of Easter candy and a plastic egg filled with bunnies for a grand total of $3.36. Obviously the purchase was 100% necessity or I would have stomped out at after five minutes of watching our slow shopper and methodical checker. Certainly I cannot fault you, the BX, for a slow check out where blame lays at least partly on the shopper - No, really I can. It is all your fault.

First, you could price all items. Second you could price all discount items and make sure each item scans at the new price. Third you could demand that your workers do their best to check out customers in a timely manner. Really - each item the customer rejected was individually put back on the return cart - really? Could we have just done that at the end? and Fourth, you could have let me, the second person in line, go first in line 5 or at customer service.

Now certainly I understand that store was busy. I understand that 85 degrees might be comfortable for those who were born closer to the equator and I certainly understand that shoppers are picky. However, what I certainly do understand is that the Bolling BX held up the base mantra "mediocrity at it's best" and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you.

Thank you for wasting my time. Thank you for helping me loose two pounds as I sweated out a seventeen minute wait in line six. And most of all, thanks for the bunnies with jagged edges I left in my child's Easter Basket this morning. I am sure you can understand why I will not be back.