Things That Are Not Lovely

I recently received a coupon to Restaurant.com, which I don't think is lovely by the way (sort of scammy), and used it to buy a gift certificate to Northport Tasting Room and Wine. Great, good. Wonderful. The gift certificate said it was only good Sunday through Thursday. Great, good. Andrey and I went today for lunch. Awesome, wonderful. We show up and this is what we find. Chained up. Nothing but a few stray chairs remained. Okay, re-calibrate, where do we go now? Let's wander and take a walk. We like walks. We love small, quaint towns (and we know Northport is great for that). Let's go into this cute new tea shop. The Clipper Ship Tea Company. 

Cute packaging, okay tea (but nice samples). And listen, maybe I'm sensitive, but a tea shop is a store that I would presume deals mostly in customer service. I say maybe I'm sensitive because of the following: So we walked into the store and I was all "omigosh my readers need to know about this place!" Because this is what I do, I share with you. I go and I tell. And you know what? For Long Island there are not a whole lot of us who keep consistent and fun to read blogs (we're fun, right? RIGHT?). There are not a whole lot of us, I repeat. There are not a whole lot of us who can give you a good review. Or to tell you that while I was in the store, trying to get pictures for you adorable lovelies so I could write about what an amazingly adorable place it was, I was very brusquely and rudely told by one of the employees that "No photos are allowed. And could you please delete the one you just took?" Um, I'm sorry, what? 

1. Rude. 

2. RUDE! 

3. There is no sign, why would I assume that in a tea shop I could not take photos? 

4. Since there was no sign, why did you need to be rude. 

5. Don't you dare ask me to delete a photo on my phone. 

6. The jokes on you, I took a few photos about 5 minutes ago. I was trying to take a cinemagram. That's not even a photo. I should have said that, "It's not a photo, it's a cinemagram, so shh so I can focus."

7. I was taking a photo of my boyfriend, not your logo or your packaging. My boyfriend. 

8. I was about to go drop a lot of money at your store. Like a lot. And we were going to come back, Andrey loves tea. Loves it. Only drinks tea. Ever. So, I would have been back every birthday, Christmas, Valentine's and anniversary. 

I do not take well to being scolded. And even Andrey agreed her tone was scolding. We left the store, me feeling embarrassed and foolish (what good customer service!), and like I said, maybe I'm sensitive-- but wouldn't you imagine the tea drinking crowd is generally sort of...sensitive? I would. Anyway we left. I said "Why would I not be able to take photos in a tea shop?" Andrey said that was a good question and why didn't I ask it. And I said because I am too shy, I was embarrassed by being scolded and I feel foolish. So, Andrey being the world's best said he'd go ask. And I said I couldn't go with him. And he said that was okay. And I said I would be down the block. And he said that was okay. Best. Ever. 

So he asked, and the woman said it was "Just policy" and he said, "Well why is it the policy?" And she had no real reason...she said something along the lines of not wanting their logo copied (wouldn't a better way of copying their logo be to buy something and simply scan it?). He informed the woman that I was a blogger and that I was taking photos for my blog. She said well if she had known...they have different rules (? standards maybe, I wasn't there and you know what it can be like to get a play by play) for press. Different standards for press. I'm not shopping in stores and interacting with people as part of the press. I'm a chick who has a blog, a blog that I want to use to reach you. So that when you're in Northport you know where to go. And apparently, if you're not known press and want to take a photo at Clipper Ship Tea Company be ready to be scolded. I am not going around seeing how people treat press, I want to know how the my readers will be treated in stores. 

So, that's the deal- readers, enter the Clipper Ship Tea Company at your own risk. And yes, I am that dramatic.