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| - I have a love/hate relationship with the EpiCentre which extends to many of the businesses in it. Living a couple blocks away, some of the shops come in very handy. Conversely, the clientele the EpiCentre attracts reminds me that we humans really are just hairless apes. I half expect Sir David Attenborough to start narrating in hushed whispers all the alpha male posturing and female displays of fertility. Paradoxically, the mere attribute of being located in the complex is both a virtue and a weakness.
This brings me to CVS, easily the most useful shop in the EpiCentre. They're open until midnight, a good 1-3 hours later than everywhere else one might hope to find cigarettes, alcohol, espresso, chocolate and other necessities for clean living. So how does a store that would otherwise have a solid 3 or 4 stars end up with only 2? Read on, dear Yelper and heed this cautionary tale of the dangers of mediocrity. Or rather, learn how with a good enough location, poor customer service can incur virtually no consequences at all. Viva la EpiCentre!
I find myself in this CVS several times a week. And like Bill Murray's character in Groundhog Day, I know exactly how it's gonna go down. As I approach the store I can be certain that the amount of time waiting in line will far exceed the amount of time actually shopping. One of the 3 U-Scan terminals will not be working and the other 2 will have difficulty keeping up. Progress will be further retarded by the lone attendant who has to scan a card to confirm age for those buying tobacco and alcohol, retrieve cigarettes from a locked cabinet, and--presumably--make sure nobody just walks out without paying. Given the amount of time it takes to pay, one could be forgiven for trying. However, at no point will it occur to any of the employees that perhaps 5 minutes ago would've been a good time to open a proper register or two, before the U-Scan lines got long enough to fork and extend down 2 aisles.
If you're lucky someone may eventually announce the opening of a register in the cosmetic department, a courtesy afforded only to those not purchasing tobacco products. Just don't expect anything approaching civilized decency from your fellow customers if you do choose this option. People who know damn well they were behind you in one line will miraculously appear ahead of you in the new one. To avoid the very real risk of violence, it's best not to make an issue of this with the offending customer. Remember, this is the EpiCentre, the Heart of Darkness. Polite social norms are not recognized on this corner of College and Trade St. You're in the jungle now, baby. Sha-na-na-na-na.
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