I am writing a story about how shoppers' experiences shape their future habits.  A study earlier this year found that one third of shoppers who were upset about a problem at a store will tell an average of four people about their experience.  It also said half of those questioned avoided a store in the past because of someone else's negative experience.

What do you think?  How much can bad customer service, rude salepeople or refusing to return an item hurt a store?  What is the worst shopping experience you've had or heard of others having?  Has it cased you to stop shopping at that place?  I'm also looking for local shoppers as sources for the story, so if you have a shopping experience you'd be willing to share with our readers, you can e-mail me at: rschuster@bakersfield.com.

As Bakersfield grows, so do our dining and shopping options.  We're still a mid-sized city, but are starting to catch up to Fresno and other larger areas.  We have a Red Lobster, are getting a P.F. Chang's, don't have a Bloomingdale's or a Cheesecake Factory.  What types of stores and restaurants do you think Bakersfield needs?