If you often go to Woodland mall, you might have noticed a new store from as far back as last spring. As someone who desperately tries to avoid shopping, I only took notice of Garage this week. I was drawn to the store by the large neon sign on their storefront and I was kept in the store by the unique array of garments.

With a name like “Garage” you might think the retail store would be filled with edgy clothes laced with a bit of teen rebellion. And for the most part you would be right. The style of clothing that Garage sold was similar to that of PacSun or American Eagle, just at a slightly lower price. Pastel, striped t-shirts lined the walls. Chunky, dark knits hung among the racks. Flannels made an appearance with almost every other article. It was as if I stepped into a grunge Tumblr blog, and I was ok with it.

As I began to pick through the shelves and cubbies each hiding a new piece, I was asked an easy enough question: “Can I help you find anything?”

Being a classic introvert myself, I cringe at every question I have to answer in public. However, I knew it was the employee’s job to make sure each customer was well taken care of so I begrudgingly responded (with a grin of course) that I was in fact just looking around for now. That was enough of an answer to keep me question free for the rest of my visit, or so I thought. I was sorely mistaken.

As I wandered around the store I couldn’t help but shake the feeling that I was being treated more as a potential thief than an actual purchaser. Every two or three minutes, one of two employees working inquired things like, “Are you finding everything ok?”, “Can I help you find your size?” and, “Are you still doing okay over here?” While this would have been more acceptable if their voices were filled with pleasantry and had smiles to match, their tone was accusatory and their expression annoyed.

In addition, the group of girls who were working that day sat huddled around the register talking in not-so-hushed voices about how they couldn’t wait to leave, with one girl even having a countdown on her phone. That was when I put the many pieces of merchandise I had draped across my arm back in their respective places and proceeded to walk out.

While the clothing style itself is cool and comfy and the prices can appeal to a wide demographic, the poor customer service proved to outweigh the benefits. Whether it was just a bad batch of employees working that day or if that is really how Garage as a whole values it’s buyers, I might never know. All I can say for certain, is that to enter their Woodland Mall location should be done at your own risk (and maybe on a good day where you’re not as easily annoyed).