Keone Morienga

Review of Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

Negative experience at gift shop with volunteer Su...

Negative experience at gift shop with volunteer Susan. She kept coming up to my wife and I to - totally serious - SCOLD us. It was unnecessary and rude, and left us with a negative feeling after what was an enjoyable visit in the garden.

What's more, the things on which ol' Susan was scolding us could've been prevented by 2 one-sentence signs.

"I know you clicked open the lotions and smelled them only because our lotion testers (besides sporting the letters TESTER in the most microscopic font known to man) don't look anything like the bottles they're advertising - but hey, that's what this sign's for!"

"I know the stuffed animals shaped like birds that make bird sounds say PRESS ME (which you did exactly once apiece to hear each individual bird call), but that's a lie because we're jerks and hate when people follow certain instructions."

Two sheets of paper. Easy peasy.