I enjoy stopping by Utrecht near ASU everytime I pass through Phoenix to pick up more supplies that I can't get where I live. Usually the staff is very knowledgeable and I can find what I'm looking for. The last time I was in (less than two weeks ago), the woman tried to help me find the paint I was looking for but they had moved it so she wasn't sure where it was, but we eventually found it, and then I was looking for some more linocut blocks and the male employee who was hovering over my shoulder as I browsed had no idea about lino products - he even said he didn't know anything about them. I think he should have found me an employee who could answer my questions. Instead, he hovered by my shoulder watching what I was doing as I continued to browse. At some point he got distracted and I ended up at the front counter after browsing some tape, and suddenly he reappeared at my side and watched what I was putting on the counter. Only after the clerk had rung my purchase and I was paying did the male employee finally walk away. I asked the cashier if the store was having a serious loss problem, otherwise why was the guy totally hovering over my shoulder. She said they do have a serious loss problem. I think it's totally unfortunate that some cheap shoplifting people have ruined the experience for decent, paying customers like me who no longer want to go to Utrecht in Phoenix because I seriously don't like being hovered over while I'm browsing, especially by someone who doesn't even have product knowledge. It's not a big enough store that the person should not have product knowledge on nearly everything in there, or direct me to an employee who does have that specific knowledge - it's only like 600 square feet, I would imagine, nothing like the quantity of products that a store like Michaels carries. No, I am not comparing Utrecht with Michaels. I'm simply saying this store is small enough that the diligent employee, especially an artist employee, should take the time to get to know the product, even if that means experimenting with a medium he/she is not familiar with.
Pros: Good selection of supplies
Cons: Loss prevention creates issues
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