Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Good Old Fashioned Customer Service

Warning: This post will start out as a rant.

I hate the Jo-Ann's Fabrics near me. Hate it with the fires of a thousand burning suns. Before I moved out here, they built a brand-spanking new Jo-Ann's down the street from my apartment in Orlando, Fl. It was a mega store - massive, with more merchandise than you could ever want. If it wasn't in that store, Jo-Ann's didn't carry it.

Then I moved to Glendale. *sigh* My Jo-Ann's, which I visit because I can walk there from work on my lunch break, is a pit. A disgusting, dark, tiny pit of a store, with empty shelves, disinterested employees, and the most pathetic selection I've ever seen. They have one (1) usable type of yarn there (Patons Merino), and the rest is that plastic eyelash stuff, which they're currently trying to unload on an unsuspecting public at 50% off. In fact, I don't know why I go there anymore. I always go needing just one little thing (size 7 bamboo dpns, bobbins for the intarsia I'm attempting, etc) and I almost never end up finding it. So I walk there on my lunch break, return to work empty-handed, and then drive to Michael's on my way home from work. In fact, the only time I ever find what I need is when I go there for fabric or sewing notions.

So on a happier note - I bought a drop spindle off the Joann's website (only $7, after 40% off) and I was soooo excited to try my hand at spinning. I've literally been day dreaming about it at work. So when it arrived Monday, with the wooden rod broken in half already, I was very sad and disappointed. Imagine my surprise when I called Joann's today to see how I should go about exchanging it, and dear Bridget (I wrote down her name because I was so happy!) said "Don't worry about sending it back, we'll just send you a new one. It should arrive within a week! Thank you for calling Joann.com!"

I think she singlehandedly raised the status of Jo-Ann's in my eyes. Thanks Bridget!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

well, considering jo-ann's started as jo-ann's *fabrics*, it's not much of a surprise you can't find non-sewing items at the regular stores. :)

but yay for bridget and spindles and rants with happy endings! i don't know what you're talking about....this is knitting related. :) that's awesome that you get a replacement without an exchange. i expect pics very soon!

-annie. because i can't sign in to blogger with my sidekick :\

JayJay said...

The quality of the selection and service at any particular Jo-Ann's varies by so much it's crazy! I often use my Jo-Ann's coupons at Michael's because it has a bigger selection.

Lisa said...

I hear you. I used to have an awesome JoAnns near our old place and now that we've moved the JoAnns here is staffed by the rudest human beings in retail. I love to sew and they have an amazing fabric collection but I was treated so terribly last time I was in there I've sworn an oath to never shop there again.