Thursday, July 16, 2009
Kid Friendly?
Some stores and restaurants are just not kid friendly. And that's okay of course because you'd expect for certain places to exclude kids. It's ironic, however, when you receive an unfriendly scowl or a glance of disdain at a place that you'd expect to be kid-friendly.
I recently had an extremely negative experience while perusing kid's books with my three young children at Barnes & Noble in San Bernardino. Since we were in the kid's section, I was surprised to receive such a harsh request for my daughter to stop playing with the plush toys. After being treated quite rudely, I asked the employee why they placed the toys down at kid-level if they didn't actually want the kids to play with them. She responded that "It was a courtesy to the customers for the kids not to play with the toys," to which I wondered, "Am I not a customer?"
Another unpleasant event took place in a Boy Scout's supply store, where I tried to outfit our son for his first den meeting. The woman "helping" me seemed put out and unnerved that I would actually bring my children into the store with me while shopping. I was flabbergasted at the minimal effort she provided, especially given that she didn't seem to want us in her store. I rhetorically thought, "If you want us out of here so badly, could you please help me out a little bit so we could just leave?"
In contrast to these two stores, Borders in Riverside welcomes the whole family. The kid's section radiates a message that children are permitted and celebrated. The section might not always look perfectly arranged, but it's because kids are actually there reading the kid's books. The plush toys will likewise come pre-hugged and loved before your purchase which is fine with my three kids. We've made our fair share of purchases there for years now and are thrilled to maintain our frequent member's card with them.
Another great place for kids is Pat and Oscar's in San Bernardino. They love the whole family. Right when we walked in during our most recent visit, we were all handed a tasty and buttery bread-stick to munch on while we placed our order. So smart since the whole family was starving. The food is filling and reasonably priced. The entire restaurant is kid-friendly and welcoming. The family can sit in a variety of booths indoors or choose for a more airy setting outside on their patio. Right next to the restaurant sits a pond full of geese and turtles. The fish are quite assertive though, so watch out for little fingers.
How about you? Have you had any positive or negative experiences with your kids while out and about in our community? Share your thoughts here.
I recently had an extremely negative experience while perusing kid's books with my three young children at Barnes & Noble in San Bernardino. Since we were in the kid's section, I was surprised to receive such a harsh request for my daughter to stop playing with the plush toys. After being treated quite rudely, I asked the employee why they placed the toys down at kid-level if they didn't actually want the kids to play with them. She responded that "It was a courtesy to the customers for the kids not to play with the toys," to which I wondered, "Am I not a customer?"
Another unpleasant event took place in a Boy Scout's supply store, where I tried to outfit our son for his first den meeting. The woman "helping" me seemed put out and unnerved that I would actually bring my children into the store with me while shopping. I was flabbergasted at the minimal effort she provided, especially given that she didn't seem to want us in her store. I rhetorically thought, "If you want us out of here so badly, could you please help me out a little bit so we could just leave?"
In contrast to these two stores, Borders in Riverside welcomes the whole family. The kid's section radiates a message that children are permitted and celebrated. The section might not always look perfectly arranged, but it's because kids are actually there reading the kid's books. The plush toys will likewise come pre-hugged and loved before your purchase which is fine with my three kids. We've made our fair share of purchases there for years now and are thrilled to maintain our frequent member's card with them.
Another great place for kids is Pat and Oscar's in San Bernardino. They love the whole family. Right when we walked in during our most recent visit, we were all handed a tasty and buttery bread-stick to munch on while we placed our order. So smart since the whole family was starving. The food is filling and reasonably priced. The entire restaurant is kid-friendly and welcoming. The family can sit in a variety of booths indoors or choose for a more airy setting outside on their patio. Right next to the restaurant sits a pond full of geese and turtles. The fish are quite assertive though, so watch out for little fingers.
How about you? Have you had any positive or negative experiences with your kids while out and about in our community? Share your thoughts here.
Labels: kid-friendly, parents, restaurants, stores
