This store USED TO be a great consignment shop - hence some great reviews from the past. Please pay attention to the most current reviews for a truer picture of what the customer experience is. I've consigned with this shop for 7+ years, seen it go from a fun shop to a grueling experience to shop. Yesterday was - sadly - my last visit. I brought a bag of items in for possible consignment. Several items were new, tags still on. The woman at the counter was talking, loudly on the phone. I just wanted to make eye contact, to let her know I was present. She turned her back on me & continued a very personal conversation with what sounded like an event planner - for her & a partner. This went on for several minutes - to the point of flowers, caterer, venue, etc. being discussed. Another customer, who was present when I arrived came over & asked me if I had even acknowledged me, I said I wasn't sure...hoped so. The counter person NEVER told the person on the phone that she had customers in the store and needed to go/call them back, etc. Eventually (almost 10 minutes in) she finally thanked the caller for calling her & offered to send a link to them for the venue. It seemed very clear this was a call for a personal issue. When she finally did turn to me, I said that I noticed she seemed pretty busy, but wondered if she might have time to look at some consignments. She told me to "back up and set my bag over there" so she could ring up the other customer. I had no problem - or even question of letting the purchasing customer go first - just wanted to make certain the clerk had seen me & had time to look at my things.
I backed away to give her time to catch up, and looked around the store. I returned to the counter after several minutes & I noticed that my bag had not moved - or even been looked into. My own knotted ribbon on the handle had not been touched. She curtly said that her "boss had told her to be really picky about what she was accepting & I had "nothing worth taking." I buy/sell from a number of consignment shops, I am certainly used to having some items accepted, some turned away. I am not used to what came next. She asked what else I wanted...since I had seen three other customers come and go during her extended phone chat, I thought perhaps her involvement in her own event planning had blinded her from the job she is paid to do. There was one other customer at this time, so I said in a lower voice, that yes, she could do better with her customer service. She did NOT want to hear any of my comments, said she did not care & it was none of my business (in spite of it being EXACTLY that - a business, & one could not help hearing her EP phone planning session). I asked if she was the owner - she said no. Could I speak with the owner, she said no. Would the owner be in later, she said no. In the next day - she said she could not tell me. Ok, I admit, at that point, I was tired of playing 20 questions just to find out how to contact the owner. I asked if there was a phone# to leave a message for the owner, she said no. Could I email the owner - she said she did not have an email. She began defending her phone conversation by saying that "in fact, one of those calls actually WAS the owner". Hmm, if no email or #, where was she going to send that link to the venue... & do I really believe for a second that the owner would have kept talking knowing that there were customers in (& leaving) her store? This is where I draw the line, when one chooses to lie to me to defend their own bad behavior. I asked for the number for the STORE so that I could call back later & talk with the owner. She said she did not have that! No business card, did not know the number of where she worked, in spite of JUST "talking with her boss". This was really getting ridiculous. She was now loud and surly - and started saying "you need to leave now, I am feeling harassed by you". Really? Harassed perhaps because she realized that a customer might actually tell her boss how well she was running the store? I began to leave when mentioned that she had not yet checked my balance. She said "how could I, I don't even know your name". I said, "EXACTLY - you never even asked". I had to again ASK her to please check my account. This was not holding up any other customers. When she found my account, she thrust the book in front of me saying "SEE - you have NOTHING on the books - you haven't even been in since late September!" It is sad that the owner has given over her store to an out of control clerk - worse that I could find no way to let the owner know. I hope others who do shop there, let the owner know of their experience. It seems so odd that people waste a LOT of YELP space about the great service they had - when it should be expected. It is nice to comment on a specific, extra helpful employee. But it is imperative that customers let owners know when a situation has gone out of control. It can cost the owner their business. read more
