I hate it when stores are named names which indicate that they sell something specific, and then you go in to the store only to find out that they don’t sell that specific thing at all. CASE IN POINT: Wild Birds Unlimited. If you go into a Wild Birds Unlimited, I submit to you that you should be able to purchase an unlimited number of wild birds. But you can’t! You can only purchase bird-related items. I find this completely unacceptable.
There are loads of other examples. Dame suggested two others - Pier One and Pottery Barn. You can find neither piers nor pottery in either of those stores.
Let me tell you the story that actually inspired this post. A couple of years ago, I needed a dress. I don’t even remember what the occasion was, but I recall that the event for which I required a dress was sometime early in the year - January or February-ish. So I thought, what better place to find a dress than the Dress Barn? Why, “Dress” is right there in the name of the store!! They probably have zillions of dresses and nothing but dresses!!
So I went to the Dress Barn and started to walk the aisles, looking for a dress. I saw skirts, and pants, and pantsuits, and sweaters, and various tops. I walked further and saw jewelry and shoes and various accessories. NOWHERE did I see a dress. So I approached one of the salespeople and had the following exchange:
Me: Hi. Can you tell me where I might find your dress section?
Salesperson: Oh, I’m sorry. We don’t have any dresses.
Me: (silent bewildered and somewhat accusatory staring)
Salesperson: Were you looking for something in particular?
Me: Yes. I am looking for a dress. Am I, or am I not, in The Dress Barn?
Salesperson: Yes, this is The Dress Barn. Ordinarily, we get dresses in stock in time for Easter and Christmas. We don’t always carry dresses.
Me: May I suggest that you change the name of your store then, to Everything But Dresses Barn? Because this is like, total false advertising.
Salesperson: (silent deathstare)
Me: I bid you good day.
Seriously. How do you even justify calling yourself The Dress Barn unless you are chock full of dresses ALL THE TIME!?
I asked Holmes if he could think of similar examples…and all he could come up with was this:
A few more:
Walgreens…not selling green walls
Big Lots? no.
All of these stores need to follow in line with the classic “N’ Things” or “and Beyond”…then you will never question what they do or don’t have.
I’ve never bought a secret at Victoria’s Secret…
In my state, there is a large grocery store named Copps. Yeah, they sell donuts, but not cops.
Try buying a target at Targets
Hehe I always call Dick’s “Dick’s Hardware”… how mature of me.
Panda Express… no pandas in there, I hope.
I always thought Dress Barn sounded like it was for the plus sized crowd.
Despite being a size 4, I refuse to shop at a clothing store with the word ‘barn’ in it!
Totally disagree. I would shop at anything with the word “barn” in it because what it signifies is that it has LOADS OF whatever it’s selling at low prices, NOT that you are as big as a barn if you go in there.
Jewelry Barn? I’m in. Shoe Barn? All over it. Robbie Williams Barn? First in line.
Do you remember eating at the Red Barn?
I’m squarely in the anti-Barn crowd here. I could never understand why they named the store “Dress Barn.” It’s like they’re begging for farm animal jokes.
How ’bout
Crate & Barrel
Diesel
Fossil
There’s a store that came to my town just about a year ago called Moonstone. I thought it would be a really cool beadery… It’s a furniture rental store!
Yeah…how about Forever 21? I’m still 37, you bastards.
You must have gone to the crappiest of crappy Dress Barns. My local Dress Barn is awesome, has totally nice people who work there, and always has amazing dresses that I look awesome in. I am sorry that your Dress Barn is poop!
Did you really say “I bid you good day”? I imagine it something like a Willie Wonka thing - “I said good day!”
I’m cracking up as I’m reading this! My husband once saw a discussion thread that I was posting to, where we heavier women were advising another about where to shop. Dress Barn was one of my suggestions, and my husband said, “What a name! And they sell PLUS SIZE clothes there? What does that make their customers?”
I promise you it hadn’t occurred to me until he made that comment — I just figured, “store is as big as a barn.”
A few years ago, they had a very nice selection of dresses, and not just around Christmas and Easter. I’ve been losing weight, so I haven’t been shopping for a while, but the last time I went in, I was disappointed, too. They had nothing but various types of t-shirts, pants, shorts, and shirts. No dresses at all.
Strange. Never heard of the Dress Barn before. After I read this, I had a client mention that she shops at the Dress Barn. Synchronicity!
Here were I live… I never found any companies for sale at “Companys”, nor any dogs / clothes made from dogs at “Blue Dog”… and at the Outlet there’s of course no mountain lions at “Puma” or fuel at “Diesel”…
As Paris Hilton so eloquently stated, “Do they sell walls at Wal-Mart?”
When I pass a Dicks Sporting Goods, I always say, “Man, I hate Dicks”. My daughters find it funny. We also refer to Wal-Mart as Wally World or Wallypalooza. But yeah, its weird that there aren’t dresses at Dress Barn or pottery at Pottery Barn, and you can’t buy a Home at Home Depot either.