Pottery Barn

Bottom Line: Great for inspiration and purchasing pieces that are in stock.
I’ve probably been in this Pottery Barn store about 30 times over the last ten months and I’ve rarely walked out empty handed. I love Pottery Barn’s style so it only seems natural to me that its the first place I look for «stuff.» Despite being in this store a lot, I have put off reviewing it because my feelings are mixed. Here is what I love about this Pottery Barn and what I could do without:
What I Love:
— Its a decent size store with inspiring displays
— Overall, I like the style of the store. Of course some collection and pieces speak to me better than others.
— Its a convenient location and I love that I can enter PB without stepping a foot in the mall.
— Most of the employees are super helpful and nice.
— Overall, their stock room is well stocked, and they have what I am looking for on hand.
— Speaking of stock room, the stock room employees have been awesome about hauling bulky items to my car. I feel their personal service deserves a gratuity but they’ve informed me they can’t accept tips.
— Most of the employees here are awesome. I’ve had wonderful experiences with Carmen, Terri, Lauren and Matt.
— There are some awesome sales. My favorite was the 25% of $ 2,000 or more sale. I can only hope they run that one again!
— Most of my custom orders have either taken way longer than quoted or arrived with some damage. The store employees have really stepped it up to address these issues which aren’t even their fault.
— Better pricing on special orders through the store than the catalog. (I’m not sure how this works out but it always seems to be a bit cheaper in the store.)
What I Could Do Without:
— One or two cranky, condescending employees that quickly turn my enthusiasm for this store into dread. Based on the Unilocal reviews, it sounds like others have encountered this too.
— Long lines and wait times on the weekend. I usually get here at 10am when they open to avoid that, but that isn’t always possible. If you need something from the back or want to place a customer order, it can take an hour from arrival to departure.
I’m not dinging this particular store for this, but based on the house of furnishings I’ve ordered and the degree to which orders have been messed up, I’m hesitant to keep ordering custom stuff through Pottery Barn. PB subs out delivery to a third party logistics company and that company is awesome about screwing up stuff. For example, they assembled my Printer’s Long Low Media Suite incorrectly such that I had to redo it and it has extra holes in it now. They also dinged up my custom ordered PB Roll Arm dining chairs. Also, they slapped together my custom ordered Raleigh bed and screwed screws into the fabric. Even if the furniture is quality before it gets delviered, it turns to crap as soon as the delivery company touches it.

I shop at Pottery Barn Often. I love the items & spend a lot of $$$$ there! Over the YEARS every time I have visited the store, The employees by far are the most rudest ill mannered people that I have ever encountered working retail. Their poor attitudes really need to be addressed!

I agree. Customer service stinks! For the prices they charge they couldn’t be more arrogant. They acted like they were doing me a favor by allowing me to buy a $ 1300 piece of furniture. They wanted me to sign a waiver for the delivery crew in case of damage. What idiot would would sign something taking responsibility for movers? I will never purchase from them again.

I wish my whole house looked like this store. I also wish I was a millionaire. So there’s that…

It’s pricy, but I love their stuff. The staff is not always the friendliest but the products are pretty good.

Normally the sales people here are friendly. Today a woman sales clerk waited on me and was put out by doing so. I found a pretty candle lantern and wanted to buy more and give as gifts. I asked her if she had more than the two I found and she said no. I purchased them and asked her for boxes for them. She was put out by this. When she came back with boxes, I asked her for tissue paper. She handed me heavy newsprint, not the pretty tissue paper. I asked her for the PB tissue paper and she didn’t like that. When I left after paying she immediately whispered to the younger woman salesclerk and started snickering. She quickly stopped when I turned back to look at her. As I was leaving I found MORE of the candle lanterns I asked for. I went back to the same cashier and purchased it, AGAIN having to ask for another gift box as well as tissue paper. She was not happy with my requests. I don’t think she is in the right placement, she obviously doesn’t care about customers or their simple requests. I would think she’d be happy I found something I like well enough to buy several of and provide the needed accompaniments for gift boxing.

Did you know that Pottery Barn has free design service? I was skeptical, figuring it would just be some salesman trying to get you to outfit your entire home in PB stuff. How wrong I was! The designer we worked with, Brandon, was legit — he had a degree in interior design, and was *not* pushing us to purchase the most expensive items available. We provided the dimensions for our living room, and he came up with a unique layout — computer-​generated sketch included — to make the most of our space. He also guided us through choosing stuffing and fabrics for our sofas (so many choices!), and we could not be happier with the results!
As far as this store in particular goes, it’s a good one. It’s not super huge, but they do have a good array of furniture on the floor so that you can get a sense of things. The sales associates have all been very helpful during our visits.
PB contracts with a third party service for delivery, which may vary given where you live. Purnell Furniture Services have done the deliveries for our stuff, and they have been great! Crews are nice, take their shoes off, and work quickly. Most importantly, they are ON TIME.

If I had a million dollars I would decorate my mom’s house with all this furniture! And accessories. It’s homey and comfy and you feel good. Their stuff is on the pricier side but good quality. Even if I don’t plan on buying anything, I park outside Pottery Barn and walk through the store to get to the mall. Gives me some good decorating ideas for friends’ houses.