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Please read on, I would like your opinion...

The other day, I was at Wal-mart doing a grocery run. Of course, I was on my own with all three of my small children (meaning that it was not a simple task). I really dislike the big carts because they're like navigating semi trucks and they cause more problems between the kids than they are worth. Not to mention, it's rare to find that all the buckles work. So, I chose to take a normal cart and put my smallest child in the seat and train/scold/threaten the other two to stay near the cart as we all navigate through the store. This actually goes alright except for my dawdling daughter's slow-poky nature.

Anyway, I gathered all my groceries and began to head towards the check-outs. But, I decided to pass by the dresses because I need a new dress for a banquet coming up. I thought I'd just see what they had. Well, I found a clearance rack full of some pretty nice (and obviously cheap) dresses. Perhaps deciding to consider Wal-mart dresses for a banquet was my first mistake and then choosing to browse and collect dresses at the end of a grocery trip with two small children enjoying gymnastics on the clothing racks was my second mistake (remember the third child is strapped in). However, I was determined to find a good deal on a dress and they had some pretty cute dresses. So, I picked up four and headed to the dressing rooms with all kids and groceries in tow.

Upon arrival to the dressing room I found three workers. I had draped the dresses over the end of the cart (I ran out of hands about 3 years ago) so I looked up to the lady and said to her that I had four dresses. She said that I would need to hand them to her to be sure. Then she proceeded to tell me that I would not be able to take the cart into the dressing room because I had so many items in my cart.

I get this often so I began to assess the situation and the possibilities (usually people are reasonable and work with my limited resources). I looked at the dressing rooms to determine if the doors and walls allowed for an escape of a child. There was plenty of room underneath the door. I imagined myself half-dressed with two children in a dressing room with the messy and chaotic clothing racks as a maze to maneuver as the third child expertly escapes into the Wal-mart. I thought to myself am I willing to handle that situation - quick answer: NO. So then, I assessed some more and saw that there was a large dressing room available with plenty of room for the cart.

At this point (about 10 seconds after she said I would need to leave the cart outside) I looked up at the lady and said that I couldn't do that because my youngest (currently strapped into the cart) would escape underneath the doors. She replied with [pay attention here, this is the part that I want your input on] "you can take the children in with you or I can watch the baby for you but you cannot take the cart in with you."

Okay, so let me give you some more detail. I had enough groceries that I couldn't just take them out and set them aside but less than a total of $70 worth with the most expensive item being a box of wipes for $10. And, I wanted to try on dresses that ranged in cost from $10 to $13. However, she was willing to watch my child for me so that I wouldn't be a threat to steal something potentially as expensive as a $13 dress. I suppose, if I were a career thief, I could have been thinking big and hidden something small but expensive in my cart. But really, how expensive must it be to say that watching my child would be the item of lesser value.

I looked at her with an exasperated look and confirmed that she was unwilling to work with me. So I responded: "Well, I guess you'll be putting some dresses away." I plopped all the dresses on her pile of clothes to sort and yelled to the kids who were already in the large dressing room (they've done this before) to come because this lady wouldn't let us try on dresses. She then gave me a look of surprise like, "Oh, but you can, I'll watch the baby for you!" ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

Now, perhaps you think I'm overreacting, but this isn't the first time this has happened to me. Once I was at the exit of a Wal-mart with purchased groceries and entering the bathroom. I had already been checked by the "loss-prevention lady" but she still stopped me to tell me that I wasn't allowed to take the cart into the restroom. I told her I needed the cart to contain my children while we all used the facilities. She proceeded to ask what I would be doing in the restroom (I promise, I'm not exaggerating at all). She realized quickly (perhaps my look told her she had gone too far) that she had asked something absurd and then offered to watch my child. Now come on, seriously. Her job is to check for loss-prevention at the exit. My child would have been on wheels ready to cart right out of the store. Again, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

I could go on with other examples, but I think I've made my point. Here's my question: Is it over-reacting and too obstinate of me to think that a little compromise is reasonable in my situation?

I guess I'm saying that I feel entitled to some rules-bending, but am I so wrong? They offered to watch my child. Do you really think that's in the rules book? Do you think it says in the Employee Manual to offer to watch a person's child in order to obey a rule? I really hope not!

I firmly believe that it's important to make the customer happy. That's what makes return customers. And, that's what creates new customers by word of mouth. Financially it is always (perhaps there are some very rare exceptions) in the best interest for the company to make the customer happy.

But wouldn't it be easier to allow me in the dressing room with $70 worth of groceries rather than offer to watch my child, something I consider so valuable I would die for it.

Please, give me your comments. I'm dying to know. I admit, I can be stubborn, but am I absurd?