I went into this Walgreens to make some copies of photos. We are having a surprise 60th for my mom, and one of my gifts to her is a "video photo album, " which is a DVD set to songs while different photos and/or video clips appear on the screen.
I wanted to make it very special for my mom and show the pictures in order from when she was born until now. I went to see my 87 yr old grandmother to get some pictures of my mom's youth. She had amazing pictures from the day my mom was born. These pictures were nearly 60 years old and incredibly preserved. My late grandfather had taken most of them as he dabbled in photography. I told my grandmother I would take them to the Walgreens down the street, make copies, and bring them right back.
When I pulled up to the store I saw an employee (with a Walgreens smock on) outside smoking. I went in and proceeded to the photo area and began using the touch screen system to make my copies. I had gotten one sheet almost done and had to get a password to make the print — the young girl behind the counter seemed bothered to come help me and there were a line of other customers.
I waited and within a few minutes this stench like I have never smelled comes from behind — the grossly obese gentleman who was outside smoking comes over. Please know that I am not intentionally trying to judge or discriminate him because of his size — please keep reading and you'll understand.
He asks me what I am trying to do, (keep in mind that he REEKS of body odor AND cigarettes and is completely out of breath from the walk which was just outside the store) I tell him I am making some copies of photos. He immediately, without asking or anything, while trying to just breathe, puts his dirty, stained, disgusting, greasy, cigarette smelling fingers all over my photos, saying "you can't copy this one, and this one, and this one..." etc... Because they were professionally done. I tell him (nicely, with no attitude at all) they are 60 yrs old. He yells at me (with a line of customers right there) that the copyright is for 100 years after the photographers death.
I then tell him that my own grandfather is the one that took the photos. All the while, he's still putting his greasy, smelly hands and prints all over these photos. I finally asked him nicely to please stop looking through them and touching them and that I would just leave and go elsewhere. He again yells at me that that won't matter, this is the law and it's the law EVERYHERE! One sheet was printing and he literally SHOVES me out of the way and puts his hand to get it and asks me "are you all SET?"
I explained I was waiting for the sheet to come out, he again yells that "you can't HAVE THIS ONE!" I just turned and left. As I am walking away, I can hear him say loudly to the employee and other customers "she wants to copy freaking copyrighted photos...! She can't do it whether she likes it or not.." blah blah blah...
How professional.
I proceeded to go 10 minutes away to CVS and got ALL my pictures copied in no time. I was so tempted to go back there and show him and tell him to stick his attitude you know where, but I didn't.
Meanwhile, I still have my photos, but they have his disgusting, greasy hand and finger prints ALL over them. These photos are irreplacable. I tried to wipe most of them off but it didn't work on all of them.
Now, if this IS a law, fine. But my grandfather took these pictures. I tried telling him that. And again, I am not trying to be insenstive because he was so large, what I have a HUGE problem with is his lack of any sort of people or hygeine skills. When you deal with the public, if you are 350 lbs, smell, smoke, can't breathe wehn you walk 10 feet, and are the rudest a*hole on the planet, DON'T work with the public. This guy was the biggest, rudest, most socially inept jerk there is!
So I have boycotted Walgreens and will never, I mean NEVER, step foot in one of their stores AGAIN. Just a warning to you all and please feel free to join me in the boycott. They should know better than to hire people like that.
Thanks for reading!
Joan
Manchester, New Hampshire
U.S.A.
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