Vent A touch appaled...

mam521

New member
So, I went to BRU today to check out a TF. I just wanted to stick DS in it and see how he fit, harness adjustment, ect. When I was strapping him back in his stroller, one of the salespeople came over and put the seat back up on the shelf...using the harness to lift it! Shell people...shell!

Not that I'd ever buy a demo seat because of the abuse they undergo, but I would have thought that sales staff would have been preached at to know some basics, one of which is that you don't haul a child restraint around by the harness. Maybe they are, but food for thought for sure.
 
ADS

Shanora

Well-known member
lol, I lift mine all the time by the harnesses......But its not usually very far. As for TRU/BRU employees, not very many of them are techs, and their 'training' isn't very good when it comes to car seats period.
 

mam521

New member
I know, and you'd assume since the webbing is designed to hold a person back in a crash that its OK, but most manuals will tell you not to do it. I guess my point is if you're selling the seat, you should know basics applicable to most seats, that being one of them. Advocate in favor of rules because lord knows there is enough car seat misuse out there that someone will see that and think "well BRU staff do it, why can't I wing it around that way?".

The other concern - if someone has been messing with the harness adjuster and its not locked in, it can tumble pretty easily. Tumble = drop. Thats not good either.

I suppose I hoped BRU being sort of the middle of the road between higher end stores like E-Children and Baby Sam and the lower end WalMarts and Zellers stores that they'd be a bit more educated in the basics. I've never seen anyone handle them that way in the higher end stores, although I'm not naive enough to think it doesn't happen...I am sure it does!
 

TXDani

Senior Community Member
BRU doesn't sell their floor models so I don't see the issue...we all know BRU employees are not trained in carseats or how to use them.
 

ntrenary

Active member
I carry my seats by the harness all the time. I'm pretty sure my manuals say it's ok to carry it by the harness, but not the adjuster strap. I'm going to have to go check now.
 

TXDani

Senior Community Member
*BRU employee right here*

Manager. To be exact.

It sometimes pains me to see the slack people put on BRU employees and assume they are ALL like that: not knowledgeable. Please know, some us know our s*it and some of us actually are techs :thumbsup:

Carry on ...

Of course there are always exceptions but as a whole it is pretty common knowledge that BRU does not train their employees on proper carseat usage. That isn't a bad thing it is just a fact that they aren't there to offer carseat advice to customers...just as Target employees are not there to educate parents on carseat usage. Now when they start spewing off incorrect information to parents is when the trouble begins.

I believe some people have actually been told they won't hire them being a CPST because they don't want that liability.
 

NannyMom

Well-known member
BRU doesn't sell their floor models so I don't see the issue...we all know BRU employees are not trained in carseats or how to use them.
Our BRU knocks off $20 and sells them as clearance.

*BRU employee right here*

Manager. To be exact.

It sometimes pains me to see the slack people put on BRU employees and assume they are ALL like that: not knowledgeable. Please know, some us know our s*it and some of us actually are techs :thumbsup:

Carry on ...
:thumbsup: I know 1 of our local BRUs has at least 2 knowledgeable employees, 1 of which is manager.
 

techie

New member
I believe some people have actually been told they won't hire them being a CPST because they don't want that liability.

US BRU and CDN BRU are run differently.

When I hire, if i see they are a tech, I WILL hire them! I have 7 employees (not including me) and myself and 4 others are techs. 4 out of 7 ain't bad!
 

NannyMom

Well-known member
US BRU and CDN BRU are run differently.

When I hire, if i see they are a tech, I WILL hire them! I have 7 employees (not including me) and myself and 4 others are techs. 4 out of 7 ain't bad!

arg, I didn't even realize this was in the international forum. lol
 

tjham

New member
I try not to carry mine by the harness but it sure would be easier if there was more of a lip or hand grip on carseats. Some are easy to carry the right way and some are just so awkward.
 

mam521

New member
We're pretty lucky...Snowbird is a CPST trainer and works with TC and also works at BRU...but she doesn't work at the BRU I was at.

I guess I hoped when I went in that the expectation is higher when it comes to product knowledge. It is afterall, a baby "equipment" store. I reiterate that some people DO know their stuff and know it well. But its disappointing when you meet someone who is guiding often overwhelmed, bug eyed parents into making a very major decision. It applies to more than just carseats too. If I'm in a store and the staff member helping me knows a coworker has a greater encyclopedia to draw from, I'm never turned off if they call that person over to assist in their place. I truly appreciate it.

Techie - do you try to encourage the non-tech staff to learn some basics? I suspect you might and that comes down to managers and what they value as important :thumbsup:

And as for the carrying by the harness, some manuals say you can, some say you can't, other specify how/where to carry it (my BV says carry by the shell or tether). Universal consensus seems to be no harness adjuster strap (this seems like a no brainer to me, but...) Regardless, the sales person was struggling to lift the seat up by the harness, banging it into the metal shelf in the process. I took it off the shelf by the shell - logic was that it was FAR easier!
 
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TXDani

Senior Community Member
US BRU and CDN BRU are run differently.

When I hire, if i see they are a tech, I WILL hire them! I have 7 employees (not including me) and myself and 4 others are techs. 4 out of 7 ain't bad!

That is awesome! Y'all need to have some talks with BRU USA and get them to change their ways.

And I also did not see this was in the Canadian forum...I use the "new post" feature and missed that tidbit of information quite frequently.:eek:
 

Shanora

Well-known member
I've been offered a Job at BRU, but didn't need the job (was helping someone in the car seat section and the manager walked by and stopped to listen), and was still on mat leave. But if I did need a job I might consider working there....
 

Twinklefae

New member
I've never been offered a job, but have had several TRU employees basically tell the customer that if they needed prices or help lifting to let them know and let me do the talking. ie. they knew what they didn't know.

Even Walmart can attract some very interested employees - I met one young girl who would read the manuals whenever she got the chance so that she would understand what she was selling.

And a lot of the demo seats here are marked with 'Demo, do not use'.
 

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