We went into the Michaels at 5:45 PM. They were open with customers. We had a shopping cart full of items and were getting ready to check out but needed to use the restroom. I asked an older female employee if I could use the restroom prior to checking out and she said "no" that the restroom was closed for the evening for customers and told me to walk across the parking lot to the Safeway. Note that it was raining at the time. This was extremely unprofessional, and we left without purchasing any items and will not be returning. I would have been a paying paying customer and there is no reason unless it was out of service that I should Not have been allowed to use the restroom that is designated for customers. They even had the restroom area barricaded so you could not get to it. The female employee did not say the restrooms were broken she simply said they were closed for the evening, Yet they were open for at least another hour. I hope Management addresses this matter. I understand having to monitor the restrooms in stores due to People that misuse them but that's not me. I should Not be prohibited because of those that do. I am very Disappointed with Michael's in Alameda as this has not been an issue in any of the other Michael's I frequent. read more

You can sign up for free rewards account from Michaels. They pretty frequently will send you a 30% or 40% off regular price item coupon. This can be a good or bad thing, depending on if you're prone to impulse shopping. I appreciate that they have self checkout and they have a bathroom that doesn't require a code or talking to an employee to access. There are frequently some items on sale. I was surprised that it's end of August but they already supposedly have some Halloween decor on sale. I was able to buy a large quantity of stickers and then apply a discount code so that it was fairly inexpensive. They often sell candles at a pretty cheap price, compared to other places. A friendly store employee at the checkout checked in on me just to make sure everything was okay and let me know to ask them if I had any questions. There's plenty of parking in this plaza, but also a couple of AC Transit bus stops within 5 mins walking. read more

Went to this Michael's specifically to drop off a package for return via UPS; I found the site on the web (easier than out by Lucky's or the one near Nob Hill - also out a ways). The young woman who helped me was very cordial & pleasant. I had no wait at all. As soon as she scanned my package, she sent a confirmation to my email. No cost at all for this excellent service. There's no signage on the outside of the store so just go to the 5th St. Safeway; the 2 stores adjoin and share some of the same parking. After I left Michael's, it was a short walk over to the grocery store to pick up a few things. easy peasy read more

The best people serving and helping customers at all times. S/o to ms stephany always ready to help, always smiling, always sweet and PROFESSIONAL.... #1 branch for michaels for me! Team alameda!!!! ONE LOVE GUYS. read more

I love a Michael's store and this one was cool. I came in for a brief moment They had all of the sections - paper, art, yarn, framing, culinary, and more. They were getting ready for the holidays while I was there. The value was good for their products and services. I didn't see anyone working there, while I was there, so that was different. If in the area, I could come here. read more

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This Michael's store states their official business hours on Sundays are 10 am - 7 pm. Can someone please tell me why I went to this store today at 6:51 pm to do a quick return and the doors were locked closed? More info: I went to Michael's today at 6:52 pm and the automatic doors were shut. As I was re-checking the business hours posted on the door, a skinny, tall, black man manually opened the door from inside to let a shopper out. Employee: We're closed. Me: But it's only 6:52. Employee: We're closed. *shuts the door in my face and walks away as I'm responding to him* Me: *stands there stunned* So I tried calling the store to talk to someone about them closing early. Of course no one picked up and it rang and rang and rang. How annoying and rude. read more

Michaels - Business hours show they close at 7 pm on Sundays. Why does this Michael's close before their posted hours? - Arts & Crafts Near Me - Alameda, California

Prices are often wrong. Sold me multiple canvases with gray marks on them, conveniently hidden behind a tag or branding.

Amazing collection of craft paints in any color one could want. Especially beautiful metallics. Unfortunately the display is completely in disarray, the signage of the display is in teeny tiny letters, and bottles are labelled in teeny tiny print It was frustrating to pick out the colors. Bring reading glasses if you want to shop for metallic craft paint. I had to remove a bunch of bottles from the display and look at them one by one because it was all so mixed up. There was one color in particular that I wanted which appeared in stock on the website but I couldn't find it on the shelf. Frustrating. read more

So in an effort to shop in store I went in after confirming availability on a cricket maker 4. Get to the store and the first two people had no idea what to do to sell me this machine. We get a third person. Who verified there stock but said it was delivered on a truck and they wouldn't send more than 15 mins looking. Frustrating it's $400 in sales. This is why people shop online read more

I recently bought some frames here when they were on sale and had a very good experience. The staff were very friendly and helpful and the frames were high quality, especially for the price. They also had some picture hanging kits that included everything you need except the hammer, including a small level. I get happy in this store just by all the crafting ideas and supplies, and possibilities. Ok it's a chain, but a good one IMO. read more

Clean store but took me 2 attempts to locate someone to assist me. When I finally came across an employee, she helpfully found what section I should search. When I finally found the product, it was only available in such a large quantity that it would have been a lifetime supply -- and at a correspondingly higher price than I was unwilling to pay! Oh, well, no purchase that day. read more

Fantastic service from Arman and Julie at Michaels in Alameda, 5th Street. Professionally Greeted immediately and offered to help me. Made my Day to be treated with respect. read more

Tonight I stopped in for the UPS drop off service. Who knew. Michaels is an awesome store for arts and craft supplies, but it's also a very fast and friendly place to drop off your UPS package. read more

Love this Michaels! Lester, who works in framing, is awesome and was a great help when I needed to get 4 large posters framed for work.

I came into the store to purchase an item I had seen online but was listed as having limited quantity. I showed the associate the item I was looking for and she went above and beyond, not only did she walk me to the aisle, help me look for the specific color and then when we could not find it immediately went into the back and searched the inventory to retrieve the item for me. That qualifies as A+ service in my book! I had some extra time to kill so I wandered around the store checking out the aisles. Everything was very neat and well organized. Periodically when I ran into an associate they were always very warm and friendly and checked if I needed any associates. I randomly joined a macrame class that was being held at the front of the store. The instructor admitted she was new to this process but we tried our best and the class was filled with laughter despite the fact that our projects came out looking very different from the diagram. I have nothing but positive things to say about this store. read more

Whenever I go to Michael's in Alameda, I hope to find Nicole working. The first time I met Nicole I was shopping for paints and canvases with my wife. When I got to the register with my purchase, Nicole went out of her way to show me how to save a substantial amount of money with their current promotion. I was very impressed. She is always pleasant and tries to help. I watched her interact with other customers the same way she treated us. I hope management notices her exceptional customer service, which is rare. read more

Beware of buying from Michaels online. They won't refund the full amount of returned items, deducting shipping costs! They didn't deliver by their scheduled date so items I received were too late to be used for gifts. read more

Customer service needs improvement. The self check out machines don't work and when you ask the cashier to help check you out they act like they have a whole line of customers waiting. I asked the cashier with blue hair if she could help me and she kept repeating she was currently helping someone which I could obviously see. I was not expecting her to drop everything she was doing to help me but to simply charge me out when she was done. She gave me attitude which did not make sense since there was literally no one else in line. She kept telling me to use another self check out even though I repeatedly told her I would prefer if she simply charged me out. This place used to be great with friendly employees but I guess now they're just desperately hiring anyone. read more

Trader Joe's is my happy place, but Michael's is a close second. I absolutely love MIchael's for their selection, sales and service. (See what I did there?) I've come here for supplies for various DIY activities, scrapbooking, card making, frames, etc. and can always get a good deal. They often have coupons online you can show the cashier on your phone, and everyone at Michael's is super friendly and helpful. With COVID, they do try to enforce social distancing, and have online pickup and curbside pickup options available. I recently placed an online order for some Christmas supplies, and the person putting my order called to let me know they were out of one of the items, and if I wanted to sub another item. She patiently waited while I checked online for an alternative. I really appreciated this, especially since she could have simply omitted the item from the order. read more

Does yelp offer 0 stars yet? Because that's what this store deserves. I bought a sewing machine, turned out to be too small for the project I was working on. I went back to return it, just to be told that it was part of their "circuit policy". It was finely printed (shocker) on a sign within the store. In short what this ridiculous policy entails is that you cannot return an open electronic item. The cashier had agreed to refund me, however when the nosy district manager came over, she overturned the decision for a refund. She said it was discretionary per store and manager, so essentially it was her discretion NOT to accept the turn. If $100 petty dollars is what my business is worth to the regional manager, then so be it, I'll never step foot into a Michael's store. It's beyond reasonable doubt for someone to be siting on the couch, twiddling their thumbs and then saying to themselves "I'm bored, let me continue down the list of fine print material published by big Corp, Michael's is next, what's circuit policy?" That doesn't happen and it's unreasonable. I did go to another location, Emeryville where they accepted my return. Hoping it's the same regional manager so she takes the hit. According to her, it's "company policy". It's company policy to inconvenience its customers by not accepting returns. That's not customer service, that's lazy managers and Corp execs passing the buck to the customer. There's way too many small business wanting my business and that's where I'll be going. read more

my 3-year-old decided she needed me to be A LEAF for halloween. it was Saturday night, and Celeste helped me get everything I needed to make a killer last-minute DIY costume. she was awesome, not only for helping me when I asked but also for finding me later in the store to share that she'd gone digging and found one last pack of green felt. great to have a place (even a chain) where the employees really know their store, their crafting, and their customers. oddly enough my costume went wildly viral on tiktok (@kingcyrusking). a great experience overall! read more

Michaels - A LEAAAAAF - Arts & Crafts Near Me - Alameda, California

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This review is specifically for the framing Department - big shout out to Dion & Levondre! I've been coming here since the pandemic started way more often to have framing done and both Dion & Levondre have helped every time with my artwork. I've always appreciated their attention to detail, frame recommendations and advice on colors to go with my art prints. Every time I pick up a finished piece it's look awesome and so happy with the final result. Thank you both so much for always helping! read more

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I went in looking for metal Christmas die cuts. The associate had no clue and she called someone to ask and same response, what is it ? When I tried to explain, associate said if you don't see it then we don't have it. Ahhh... I am Asking you where is the die cut section and you don't even know how am I to find it if you don't know what I am talking about. The store needs to hire knowledgeable people who know about craft. I felt that I was brushed of . Online said they had it but associates did not know what I was talking about. Walking around the store trying to find it myself, I am at a lost. Shelves are empty. This store is empty. I ended going to emeryville Michaels, and shelves are full and staff are more than willing to Show me where the metal die cuts are. read more

Very awful store ! There was an Asian lady which I'm guessing she's the manager I asked her a question and she was very rude about it. I will never come here again !!! The other employees treat their customers with horrible attitude. Fire the manager being rude for no reason !!!! San Leandro Micheal's way better. read more

Michaels had its grand opening this morning in the newly developed area of Alameda Landing. Target opened about a year ago, and this is the second business in the area. There will be more businesses opening in the future - Safeway, Chase Bank, In-and-out Burger - just to name a few. I missed the ribbon cutting ceremony at 9:45 AM, but I did not miss their promos and registering for a door prize of custom made baskets containing art supplies. The gift basket entries and drawings are only valid for this week. Other activities in this store for this week are as follows: Monday, knit & crochet and circle cut demo by OLFA; Tuesday, Grumbacher Fine Art Demo; Wednesday, Stenciled FolkArt by Plaid; Thursday, Jewelry making - learn how to create a Blue Teardrop bracelet; Friday, Kids' Demo by Klutz; and Saturday, Wilton Instructor Cake Decorating. The store is very spacious and carries a massive assortment of art supplies, baskets (50% off of regular price), children's books, crafts, cookbooks, plushies (TY), posters, Christmas decorations and holiday baskets, photo frames, photo albums, scrapbook albums, knitting yarns, acrylic paints, duct tapes (in decorative prints and I thought duct tape came in gray), etc. Ambiance: well lit store, very clean and organized. It never fails that they always have candies and snacks as one proceeds to the check out line. (It's like that at every store...the one last temptation before exiting the store.) Customer service: great, very attentive and helpful employees. Finally, I am glad Michaels is back. They were at the Southshore Shopping Center years ago, and moved to San Leandro. It's nice to have them back in town, so I don't have to travel all the way to Emeryville and/or San Leandro for their merchandise. Yea, yea, yeah!!! read more

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This Michaels location is so much better than the Emeryville location! If you don't mind driving a bit further south to Alameda, you will be glad you did. The inventory at this Michaels is very accurate to what the online inventory checker shows, and additionally, the store feels very organized: unlike the Emeryville location, where items randomly placed by guests sit out of place around the store, unreturned to their proper location, I did not sense the same situation at this location. Though I didn't interact with any of the staff in the store while shopping around, the person behind the register helping us check-out was kind and efficient. I appreciate that this store had a staff member stationed at the front regulating how many guests could go enter the store in light of COVID regulations. read more

This place may be new and convenient but the customer service is consistently bad...just called to check on an item so i don't have to make an extra trip... 6:00 p.m on a Sunday and .right away put on hold...okay, i get it, you're busy...but so far been on hold for 18 mins.... ...tired of listening to 60s music while waiting for someone to REMEMBER there's a call on hold.....went through...Mrs Robinson, Dancing in the Streets, Well, its Alright....If you're going to San Francisco....maybe the songs have to reach 2015 before they pick up and acknowledge. PASS and minus a star! read more

Excellent service . One of our best Michaels experiences ever. FREDY is the man! He gave us great customer service .

I rarely ever go to Michael's, but I decided let's see if they have what I need. This is specifically for the flower/garden area. I was looking for some plants and fake plants to hang and put on the wall. I found 1 square of a connected set like a puzzle for making a lattice of leaves, but not the rest. The place was empty. I'm like people must have really ran through this place, or they didn't want to organizing and put any new stock I from the back. Either way, I was disappointed in the selection being all over the place and not organized...but the women who helped me was very nice, so staff was great. Maybe I'll try it again another time. read more

As a teacher and a Pinterest-addicted crafting fool, I'm telling you right now my life would SUCK without Michael's in it. I was sick to death of having to go to Emeryville and San Leandro to get my Michael's fix, so when one went up LITERALLY around the corner from me??? I did a freakin' happy dance and scooted my arse over there! Yes, it is smaller than other locations. But what it lacks in size it makes up for tenfold in thoughtful, well-stocked sections, higher-end materials and less crap, and an intelligently laid out store. Stuff is always on sale, and if you're not using the Retail-Me-Not app on your phone you are missing out on some incredible deals. The staff is always helpful and willing to physically show you where things are instead of grunting and nodding their head in a general direction. I don't compare it to Beverly's because they are very different stores, and I still head over to South Shore to do anything fabric-related. I am tickled pink to be able to almost smell the cinnamon tea lites and potpourri from here. I loves me some Michael's, yo. read more

Michaels - Omg I'm not hating on this store. I LOVE MICHAELS! However, this tickled my funny bone. - Arts & Crafts Near Me - Alameda, California

I Came into this location for a quick purchase. I came strictly for melting chocolate to make chocolate strawberries for Valentine's Day. . They were all out of the small bags, but they still had a few of the larger bags. There was no line. So I went directly up to the counter. And the girl who greeted us was very nice. Her name was Tatiana. I remember her because she was so kind to let us know about a coupon that was available for the chocolate that we were buying. It was a coupon for 40% off. And I am so thankful because nobody these days are nice enough to do something like that. So, thank you very very much Tatiana for making our visit at Michael's so Awesome read more

I've always enjoyed these overwhelming craft and knick-knack stores, and the Emeryville store is especially comfortable. I've had several good experiences and after the recent one, finally felt compelled to write a glowing review. Shopping there alone is lovely, but the employees seem to really value the customer experience. That goes from the way the store is set up - clean and clearly marked - to the way their staff cover the many different areas requiring dedicated support. In particular, I want to give a shoutout to the staff doing online order pick up and the UPS access point. I have used both these services and though the online services may have created glitches in the system (including UPS which will get a terrible review later for not only losing my box but then treating me very poorly when I called for information), the Michael's Emeryville employees were helpful, thorough, and most importantly kind throughout the whole frustrating process of finding my lost box. For Ken and Lisa Marie especially, thank you for your calm, clear, and professional support throughout the UPS confusion. You have made a loyalist out of me! (Though I'm switching to USPS now). read more

I love crafts. I love Michael's. And do have one in Alameda is a blessing. Always clean and neat. read more

Michaels - Arts & Crafts Near Me - Alameda, California

I generally like Michaels but this one isn't on the top of my list. People are really nice but overall I've never bought anything from here. This time they had just out there Halloween products and I was super excited until I saw these skulls. I can't believe they are still selling them on their shelves at this quality. Why?! They need these taken down. read more

Michaels - Skulls at $20 full price. Melted. And ugly - Arts & Crafts Near Me - Alameda, California

I really wanted to like this store but it seems like the store lack customer service and maintain a clean store. I usually come to his store when I'm in Alameda. The last two experiences has been the worst. The last time I came in I knew what I wanted and was ready to pay for my item. The cashier, Alyssa (I think that's her name), had an attitude. I'm not sure if she was sick or was tired of the customer service industry or management but it was something that caused her to have an attitude. Today I came in to use the bathroom and cruised through the yarn aisle. The yarns seemed to be undone and hanging out of the shelves. The bathroom was horrible and dirty. It seems like someone threw up in one of the toilet while the other toilet hasn't been swept. Also, one of the sink was clogged. In the bathroom, there has been a weekly schedule for clean up 6 times in one day. I came in around 4:20 PM or so and there hasn't been a cleaning inspection at all. I'm sure the staff has been in the female bathroom and yet none of them cleaned the bathroom?? read more

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Is was a nice place for art work good for fun things to do. I go here every weekend but i dont chick in sometimes there alot sales going on in Michael right now people read more

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This is specifically for the alameda store! Horrible customer service, when you have more employees than customers in the store you'd think you would get some sort of assistance. Not in alameda Michael's. FYI this is after 3 trips to Michael's within a month! read more

Apparently, Michaels like to request feedback on their services only if it is good feedback. If it talks about how poorly their online ordering service is or a product that they sell, they will stop your feedback on their site and ask you to rewrite it more acceptable review. So you can't express your negative feedback on their website. Apparently, writing to their CEO does nothing to either because he or his staff doesn't reply back to emails. It is a shame however; it has been a theme in the way big companies operate. In my opinion, you should stay away from ordering online with Michaels for anything. read more

Great customer service! Thank you KAYLA!! You helped me out with me with what I needed tonight! Thank you so much for you positive and bubbly personality, you are very appreciated! read more

For the past decade, I have relied on Michaels as the go-to place for buying Testors enamel paint and Testors fluorescent enamel paint. At Michaels, these paints are available as individual bottles, and also as boxed kits that contain either six bottles or nine bottles. These boxed kits include a brush, but the brushes are suitable only for spreading the paint over large surfaces, and cannot be used for painting detailed images. And so, for painting images, I use this brush: "Spotter PRINCETON velvetouch 3950MSP," and I modify this brush by using an XACTO knife to cut off all of the brush hairs, except for three or four of the brush hairs. Although the Testors kit also comes with thinner, I prefer to use "WEBER artists pure gum turpentine" with these enamels. In the past few years, I have bought enamel paints from Michaels at all of these locations in California, but most often at the Alameda location: (1) Alameda; (2) Santa Ana (Bristol Street); (3) Mission Viejo; and (4) Poway. On a rare occasion, I use this enamel paint for painting my name on my computer and on my camera equipment (tripods, telephoto lens, camera). But usually and frequently, I use the enamels for painting compact discs, after burning a compilation of music on a blank disc. Photographs of some of these discs are attached. SHOPPING ENVIRONMENT. Michaels in Alameda occurs in a humongous shopping center, and so there is always parking within 50 feet of the front door. Often, there is a short line at the checkout counter, and the line moves quickly and there is often two checkers. Usually, I bring a loupe (magnifying glass) so that I can read the very tiny print on the labels of the enamel paint, but once I forgot, and so I asked one of the employees to tell me if the paint was glossy, or matte, or fluorescent (I could not tell on my own). The employee, a tall man, glanced at the label and read it easily. I thanked the man, and exclaimed, "You must have magic eyes, to be able to read print that is so small." SMALL CANVASES. From Michaels, I have also bought small canvases (5 inches by 6 inches) mounted on wooden frames, for use with acrylic paints. To date, I've painted six of these miniatures, where I copied my photos from my trips to Oregon and to Glacierless National Park. These include paintings of Silver Falls and Mt. Hood in Oregon, and of Hidden Lake in Logan Pass at Glacierless National Park. PICTURE FRAMES. From Michaels, I have also purchased ready-made wooden frames (19 inches x 25 inches) and custom-made aluminum frames (3 feet x 4 feet), for my landscape photographs. Fortunately, Michaels carries non-reflective glass called, "museum glass," which I use with the small frames. Also, Michaels carries non-reflective clear plastic, which I use for my large frames. I bought twentyfive of the smaller ready-made frames and five of the large frames. The technical staff at Michaels has always done a perfect job at mounting my photos inside of the frames, and assembling the frames. read more

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