"Welcome to your local discount store...

Please do not purchase anything you intend to return. EVER! Thank you, and have a Merry Christmas. :)"
How in the world to begin this....maybe just by saying GOOD GRIEF!!!!
It started last night, when the girls and I decided to go to our local, loveable, discount store to by Ini some medicine (she is sick.) Well, every single time I go in there I wander into the fabric section. Usually this is due to the fact that the bathrooms are located at the back of the store, as is the fabric section, and the girls ALWAYS have to Go the second we hit the doors. (Pretty common with children, I have found.) Anywho....last night I found a cut of the prettiest purple flannel in the remnant bin, and since Cait's fav colour is currently purple, I purchased it against my better judgement. I don't normally purchase fabric from said discount store, but I figured 2 yrd of flannel for a decent price in a colour she would LOVE would made FAB and comfy PJ pants, so what could it hurt. Right?
WRONG!!!!!!!!
I brought said flannel home, washed it, dried it, removed it from the dryer and sat down to trim the ends only to find that running straight down the middle of my lovely purple flannel was a rather noticeable line in the prettiest shade of LIGHT BLUE!
I just sat there staring at this line, thinking to myself "Now what am I supposed to do with this?" Then it hit me "Take it back, and never buy fabric there again. Simple."
This discount store has been well known in the past for taking back returns on items that are defective, too small, stop working shortly after purchase, etc. (Well, there was the one time my mother returned an alarm clock that she had which stopped working after 5 yrs or so. That was just RIDICULOUS and they never should have taken it back. But whatever!) So I pack up Ini this morning, and haul her back to the store. Immediately, I was met by a woman at the door. (Apparently, due to the current holiday season they are manning the door with people to tag items for return and then you proceed directly to the service desk with your tagged item.) I explained to her that I needed to return the fabric, and she said to me "Well, where is the tag?" I thought, "Tag. Tag? Oh yeah, that thing I threw away last night." So I told her I didn't have it, so she said "Well, we will need to go measure it." Then I informed her that I had washed it so it had shrunk from it's original length, 'cuz -obviously- it is flannel and that is what it does. She informed me that it would still have to be measured, because they would only refund me the money for the fabric that was actually there and not the amount for the yardage that I had actually paid for. WHATEVER!
We trek all the way back to the fabric dept, only to be met by another "associate" that states that they no longer take returns on cut yardage of fabric. Basically, their policy is that if you have it cut, take it home, and find something wrong with it, you are stuck with it. I then explained to her that is was already cut and in the remnant bin when I bought it. And she proceeded to tell me that it would have been marked on the wrapping as to the defect if it was in the remnant bin, and that is probably why it was in there in the first place. I simply asked her why the packaging had no such marking when I purchased it if all the flaws are supposed to be noted before it is put in there for sale? She just shrugged and said she didn't know.
At this point I am thinking to myself "Oh, this is not going well. I am going to be stuck with 2 yrds of fabric that I can't use. This sucks!!" Then she looks at me and says that since it is defective, they will take it back but that she doesn't have any other flannel that is the same colour. I will either have to pick something else (that I would not get enough fabric to make the PJ pants with) or take the money in return.
So, I took the money. I figure I can drive to an actual FABRIC store, and get better flannel with potentially less hassle.
I am guessing that the moral of this story is...Do not buy fabric from a store where the return policy is actually "If you would like to return something, please bring it to the store. If we deem that you do not deserve the refund/exchange, even if the item is clearly defective and can not be used for the reason with which you bought said item, then we will look at you with a smile on our face and simply say Thank you and Have a nice day. But hey, at least you will get screwed with a smile!"