Yesterday I stopped at Textile Fabric Store during their ""going out of business"" sale. As I shopped I overheard customers being told by the owner and salespeople that they may stay in business if they can find another location. At first I thought, ""oh, good"" because as noted here, they have a large and lovely selection of fabrics, yarns, notions, trims, etc. What transpired later caused me to NEVER SHOP THERE AGAIN.\r
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During the majority of my past visits I would have to flag down a salesperson and then they would give me short curt answers, might whisper to another salesperson, or would make me feel I wasn't spending enough money, or would generally telegraph I was an inconvenience or interrupting their good time - and maybe all of that at once. One visit I was purchasing pajama fabric and the salesperson left me with, ""Please don't be one of those people that wears pajamas in Kroger's."" I would like to say that I have had 2 positive experiences with one helpful knowledgeable salesperson. \r
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Yesterday I observed that previously helpful salesperson waiting on the customer in front of me. She told him, ""You're going to make me ring up this one item?"" When she saw the look on his face, (and he wasn't smiling) she tried to back-peddle and make a joke of it. My salesperson rang me up and when I expressed surprise at the total, did offer to go over the sale with me. I declined because I didn't want to hold up the line. I went to my car and looked over the receipt and found 5 items that weren't reduced at all. I immediately went back in the store to my salesperson and asked if we could go over my receipt. She told me that notions were not on sale, and thus those items were full price on my receipt. Wouldn't you think that a ""going out of business"" sale would put everything on sale? Signage was quite lacking in the store - you had to hunt for the few sales signs. My salesperson had to ask me the price of a few items. In addition, there was no signage posted at the checkout counter listing what items were on sale and what were full price.\r
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I asked to return 4 notions items (in their original unopened packages, not cut yardage of any kind) that were full price. My salesperson, (who gave me the impression I was interrupting her rock-n-roll flashback) said, ""The owner doesn't like to do that. There he is - you can ask him."" The owner told me I could have store credit. I said, ""But you're gong out of business."" My salesperson said, ""Yeah, you better hurry back in."" (So they have time to resell these items before they ""go out of business"" but they don't have 2 minutes to accept them back from an unsatisfied customer) I said, ""I have just purchased these, walked out to my car and walked back in and you won't take these notions back?"" He repeated, not looking at me, that he would give me store credit. I decided to accept my losses and told him, ""I won't be doing business with you again. Your salespeople are brusque and rude."" He gave me a wave and a sarcastic ""Bye-bye"".\r
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I have been in customer service well over 20 years, including having been a salesperson at Calico Corners Fabrics, and know what is good service and what is not. From now on I will shop at other fabric stores where I am treated kindly. I will no longer recommend this store (yeah, I sent them a customer a few weeks ago) and instead will broadcast my negative experiences with this store to everyone. So ""Bye-bye"" to you, too, Textile Fabric Store.
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