Don't make your best customer mad at you!

And right now I am mad!

I've shopped at Hancock Fabrics 1 mile from my house for a verrrryyy long time. They've had a succession of managers, most who recognized a customer who shops very regularly and spends lots of money, so they treat me well. Today that changed.

I found a partial jelly roll of that Secret Garden fabric, and asked what the price would be of Madam Manager ( wanting to throw in more descriptive words here but I'll keep them to myself). It usually has 10 strips in it, but this one was unrolled and one strip was missing. Now, I've seen this piece of damaged merchandise in the store for months. When I asked the price, she said she would give me a 10% discount off the full price. Yes, big deal! It isn't a discount when you don't get all the fabric you're supposed to get. I paid full price for 9 pieces of fabric, and that's no discount. When I asked her if she could discount the roll further because it was damaged, she insisted that she had already given me a discount of 10%. The idiot couldn't get it through her thick skull that she wasn't giving me any sort of discount. I was ready to throw the fabric at her! She turned on her heel and went back to the sactuuary of her back office, where she usually lives, only to help her very overworked staff on very rare occasions!

The good news is that it was on sale ( if course, no signs anywhere that these items were on sale--there never are). Still totally red in the face mad over her stupidity and rotten customer relations with customers. But the nearest store other than this is many many miles away. So I'll probably be back to shop there again, still a disgruntled customer.

Oh, for a MSQC closer thn 5 hours away!

I am assuming that this was a new manager? It's hard work breaking in new staff. The women at Joann's by me mostly know me by name. When the new manager came he had no clue and wondered why they all knew me. He asked if I used to work there.

Frustrating, but there may be guidelines they must follow when they discount something damaged.

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Originally Posted by K. McEuen

I am assuming that this was a new manager? It's hard work breaking in new staff. The women at Joann's by me mostly know me by name. When the new manager came he had no clue and wondered why they all knew me. He asked if I used to work there.

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No she's been there for a year! We didn't think she would be around this long. She's chased off some good employees ( and some not so good). When she chases off folks who have worked there for years and who give good customer service, I'm ought of there, no matter how convnient it is.

Oh Jean. I'm so sorry she treated you like that.

I'm convinced that a huge number of folks totally do not get mathematics. I once had a credit card guy on the phone try to convince me that a 2% up front charge on a convenience check for $1000 was less than the 4% annual interest if I carried the balance for 2 months. This guy worked for the credit card company, for goodness sake, and he didn't know that 4% annual interest is less than 2% up front. It was only after I got off the phone that I realized he couldn't divide by 12!

So next time you see Madame Manager, remember to pity her sadly deficient mathematical skills. :icon_rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by bakermom

Frustrating, but there may be guidelines they must follow when they discount something damaged.

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She didn't give me a discount! She charged me full price for 9 strips of fabric and called it a discount because she didn't make me pay for the full 10 strip roll when it was missing a piece.

Those Big Lots $7.50 jelly rolls are looking might good right now!

She really has to be a math dunce. I've dealt with them before and nothing you say can get through to them. And I'm no math wizard myself but I have the basic skills. As a manager she should know better. Don't punish yourself by not shopping there anymore just because she can't do elementary mathematics. I don't blame you for being furious, though! I would be, too.

How does someone this inept get to a managerial position anyway? I feel your frustration.

What a shame Jean they don't realize in this economy, people who are good customers ARE their best assets!!!!

I know this year during our travels, the campgrounds, fabric stores, and other shops we've had the worse experience with!! I don't get it. What is a Jelly Roll when perhaps a critical colorway piece is missing? It's worth almost nothing and you saw it sitting there for months! How long does it cost them to not move out fabric? The Big lot ones just need a bit of starch and may only come with 6 colors repeated, but at such a good price.

I understand exactly what you are saying. No you didn't get a discount on a damaged item...you paid full price for what you received.We have a shop here that the owner (who I've known all my life) has to go with you to pick out fabric and then gives her "expert" advice on what you should buy. I want to, and can, pick out the fabric I want. Sorry, won't go back there. I almost felt like she thought I was going to shop lift a bolt of fabric!!

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Originally Posted by Jean Sewing Machine

She didn't give me a discount! She charged me full price for 9 strips of fabric and called it a discount because she didn't make me pay for the full 10 strip roll when it was missing a piece.

Those Big Lots $7.50 jelly rolls are looking might good right now!

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Be careful with them. I looked at them, they are not really quality fabric. I didn't buy any.

The sad thing is all customers should be treated nice, not just those who spend lots of money there, I have similar problems with one of the Hancocks near me. Never looked at there jelly rolls, you mean they only have 10 strips in them?

The stupidity, rudeness and plain lack of common (not to mention good business) sense of PEOPLE never cease to amaze me. I would be mad as all that too!

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Originally Posted by kensington

Be careful with them. I looked at them, they are not really quality fabric. I didn't buy any.

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I've used them more than once. They wash up fine and soften when the sizing is out of them. They're not Moda quality, but work for me when I'm practicing with a quilt design that I want to rehearse before committing expensive fabric to the project.

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Originally Posted by kensington

Be careful with them. I looked at them, they are not really quality fabric. I didn't buy any.

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I have a bunch of them that my DD got for me...don't know what I'm going to do with them because they are cut all wonky. I might just put them in with my scraps and use them up.

That is a long time for something damaged to sit on the shelf. At our store damaged goods that are still sellable go to *sold as is* status at 75% off and put in a bin for 30 days if after 30 days they have not moved they go in the garbage.sometimes sad also but at least you get 3 days to get a real good deal...The big down fall ... employees are not allowed to purchase *sold as is* items :icon_sniff:

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Originally Posted by Iris Girl

That is a long time for something damaged to sit on the shelf. At our store damaged goods that are still sellable go to *sold as is* status at 75% off and put in a bin for 30 days if after 30 days they have not moved they go in the garbage.sometimes sad also but at least you get 3 days to get a real good deal...The big down fall ... employees are not allowed to purchase *sold as is* items :icon_sniff:

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now, wouldn't that make sense? Too bad Hancock is being managed so poorly that they don't get it.

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Originally Posted by buckeyequilter

I have a bunch of them that my DD got for me...don't know what I'm going to do with them because they are cut all wonky. I might just put them in with my scraps and use them up.

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I guess I've been lucky, because mine have been fine.

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Originally Posted by Iris Girl

That is a long time for something damaged to sit on the shelf. At our store damaged goods that are still sellable go to *sold as is* status at 75% off and put in a bin for 30 days if after 30 days they have not moved they go in the garbage.sometimes sad also but at least you get 3 days to get a real good deal...The big down fall ... employees are not allowed to purchase *sold as is* items :icon_sniff:

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OH, at Joann's we get first pick of the "as-is" items. I stalk them like a vulture just waiting lol. And we still get our employee discount on top of the %off.

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Originally Posted by K. McEuen

I am assuming that this was a new manager? It's hard work breaking in new staff. The women at Joann's by me mostly know me by name. When the new manager came he had no clue and wondered why they all knew me. He asked if I used to work there.

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Karen, did you tell him you work hard at spending your hard earned $$s there? LOL

I work for Hancock fabrics and I got to tell you that store IS NOT THE NORM! Our store is the top store in the company. Our manager has been with the company for 30 years and has high expectations of her staff and we willingly give to her because we appreciate her very much! She is out on the floor, busting her behind just like the rest of us. We just moved to a new store and it is a New Concept store. Our store was picked to be the first store in the company using the new concept because of our manager and staff.

Jean, I would let Hancck corporate know about your experience today. It definately won't make them happy knowing a customer wasn't pleased with their shopping experience!

Oh that's to bad...I love the staff at my Joanns always helpful and ready to offer suggestions

I don't shop at Hancock's really at all. I think their help in some of the stores that I have been to are lazy and don't care about the customers. Some have been quite junky inside. In one Hancock's in the Twin Cities area, I asked about sewing machine bobbins and the employee had NO idea what a bobbin was. I described it and she sent me to the scissor area-DUH...

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Originally Posted by Auntpiggylpn

I work for Hancock fabrics and I got to tell you that store IS NOT THE NORM! Our store is the top store in the company. Our manager has been with the company for 30 years and has high expectations of her staff and we willingly give to her because we appreciate her very much! She is out on the floor, busting her behind just like the rest of us. We just moved to a new store and it is a New Concept store. Our store was picked to be the first store in the company using the new concept because of our manager and staff.

Jean, I would let Hancck corporate know about your experience today. It definately won't make them happy knowing a customer wasn't pleased with their shopping experience!

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That last line - I totally agree!
Jean, you are the most gracious person I've never met and I am sorry to here that you have been treated so poorly so many times!

How about writing a letter to Hancock?

I agree with the others contact the company. They cannot fix the issues if they don't know whats happening. I am not overly thrilled with our local Joann's. They usually only have 2 people working and sometimes they both are cutting fabric and you have an influx of people waiting to go to the register.

I was at a quilt shop that had a full size Moda jelly roll that someone rudely pulled one of the inner strips part way out of and the shop owner discounted it right away just because it didn't look as nice anymore -- and it wasn't missing any strips of fabric! I would write a letter to Hancock. They should be able to tell by the location of the store and the date and time that you were there which manager was on duty that day. I realize the customer can't always be right but these days stores act like the customer is never right. I would think in this day and age of people not spending money like they used to be able to do, and with a lot more competition, that stores would be bending over a little backwards to attract customers to their store. Sorry you had such a bad experience.

They threaten to close this store because of the shrinkage. I guess I could complain to corporate but that would be one more nail in their coffin. And then instead of driving one mile, I would be driving 20 miles one way to get my zippers. Can't handle that.

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Originally Posted by Jean Sewing Machine

They threaten to close this store because of the shrinkage. I guess I could complain to corporate but that would be one more nail in their coffin. And then instead of driving one mile, I would be driving 20 miles one way to get my zippers. Can't handle that.

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But, Jean, you were trying to cure their shrinkage by buying damaged goods that they otherwise couldn't sell.

I completely understand your frustration and hesitation to write to corporate. However, this woman sounds like she deserves to be out of a job and that the good workers deserve a better manager. Adults in a position of power, even if it is a retail manager think they are above all good behavior. It is up to those who have been wronged to try and make them accountable. She is a putz!

Maybe if corporate knew about the manager's poor customer service they would realize that the shrinkage problem is being caused by an inept manager. If you are hesitant to notify corporate I'm sure this store has a district manager that could be notified.

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Originally Posted by Jean Sewing Machine

They threaten to close this store because of the shrinkage. I guess I could complain to corporate but that would be one more nail in their coffin. And then instead of driving one mile, I would be driving 20 miles one way to get my zippers. Can't handle that.

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Jean, who told you that the store has been threatened with closing because of shrink? Was it a manager or a sales associate?