A MUM was left fuming after she claims her two-year-old son was rejected by a store when he tried to buy a toy.
Emily White, 26, says the problem started when they were told by staff they couldn’t buy a toy airplane and a tea set using loose change.
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The family had gone to the Smyths Toys superstore at the Portland Retail Park in Mansfield on November 24 after her son had saved up some money.
However, when she tried to pay with the change, she said she was told she needed to pay either by card or go to a cash point.
Emily claims staff at the store told her and her mother, who was also present, that there was a £10 limit for people trying to use coins to buy items.
According to Emily, who lives in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, this was a store policy.
She explained she’d taken her son to spend the money he had been saving in a money tin.
Emily said she’d separated the money beforehand “so it wasn’t just small change”.
She told the Nottingham Post: “I took [my son] to Smyths to pick what he wanted. We were walking round, he was finding what he wants, we get to the till.
“My mum pulled out the bag with the money in and the worker is like ‘I can’t take that’. We said ‘what do you mean?’
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“She said it again and said she’d get someone over to explain it to us. So someone came over and said ‘sorry, we can’t take that but there’s a cash machine at the Sainsbury’s’.”
Emily said though the Sainsbury’s store was a fair distance away, adding: “They [Smyths staff] said ‘come back, pay for the toys, and then it’s all sorted’. Well obviously, at that point my mum was questioning what was happening.
“We were told there was a £10 limit on how much you can spend in pound coins.
“So I just got my card out and paid for it on my card, as you would because I didn’t want my child to go without.
“I just think it’s a bit disgusting that my child is three in February and he needs to learn the value of money and that’s how they dealt with it.”
Emily’s stepdad Peter Kirk, 52, said the money the youngster had saved consisted mainly of pound coins and 50ps.
He said: “The Sainsbury’s where the cash machine is in Mansfield is some trek. It’s so far, I couldn’t believe it. It’s disgusting.”
The Sun Online has contacted Smyths for comment.
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