Jo-Ann Fabric & Crafts Stores

The store is usually neat and organized, but the customer service is appalling. I work in a customer service field and would be horrified if I witnessed any of these staff members behaviors in my store. I am consistently a pleasant and low maintenance customer and am consistently baffled with how I’m treated. On more than one occasion I have been skipped in the fabric cutting station after pulling a number, and the women at the station know I’m waiting. On another occasion, my phone died as they were scanning my 30% off coupon and they could not honor it.
Their coupon system is flawed, which is a whole different rant that I know applies more to corporate than the store in general. But I do know at other Jo Anne’s locations they have been able to honor coupons that I did not have on me. I spend a lot of money on their over priced product because the location is convenient, but I am looking for alternatives so I no longer feel as if I’m not a valued customer.

I Usually shop at Micheal’s or Ac Moore for Yarn. My Grandmother was looking for a certain type that the two stores were out of. We ended up in Hanover were there was a very nice front desk clerk named Christine, she was very helpful and unlike the other two stores let us order as much of that specific yarn as possible to pick up at a later date at their store. We were told we would get a phone call to pick up our order at the front desk, show the receipt and someone would help us. First we never received any phone calls. We ended up having to call twice as the first day the person on the phone could not find the order. The second day we called the person said to come on down and pick it up at the front desk. I was driving my girlfriend to the train station so she could head into Boston. We had 1 hour before dropping her off so we decided to pick up the yarn. I went to the front checkout desk and spoke with a woman (no idea her name no name tag) I said to her «im picking up an order i placed here about a week ago, was told to come to the front desk to pick it up», She look at me for a strange second pushes the receipt towards me and says «you’ll have to go pick that up at the fabric cutting tables «, I said why im just here for a pickup. she told me thats how they do it. So i went over to the fabric tables took a number 36 and waited in line, the Screen said 25 on it, there were tons of people waiting for their fabric to be cut, carriages full. The women cutting were very slow, 15 minutes later and still on the same person and number 25 still showing on the board. I went back to the front checkouts and the woman i spoke with was gone. The other woman still at the registers taking forever with a customer after she already made her purchase just chatting away with me standing waiting for another 5 minutes. Eventually calls me over. The woman’s name Theresa (as it said on the receipt she also had no name tag), I explain to her the same thing i told the other woman, «Im here to pickup an order I placed a week ago, Im on my way to drop someone off and was told by the other lady at checkout to wait in the fabric cutting line, the line is going to take over an hour at the rate its going and i dont have that long, could you please get it for me? » She told me that i needed to go to fabrics, just then we were interrupted by a young man saying he spilled his soda somewhere in the store. She then proceeds to start to take off and say i have to deal with this if you would just like to stand in the fabric, i cut her off and said, «so your telling me i have to stand in a long line for over an hour when im just here to pick something up i pre-​ordered and was told specifically by your store to pick up at the front end, when i keep telling you i dont have time for it» The woman stops and says «oh! you are here for a pickup order i must not have heard you?» acting all sarcastic. The man next to me waiting in line then says, «the guy told you that twice already». She then a few minutes later brings me my big box of many yarns i bought, walks by me and i said just to be nice, «sorry if its a bother im just trying to get what i paid for » She then says «Yeah well I now have a huge line because of you «(When i was at checkout it was only me, it wasn’t until she took her time arguing with me that more people eventually showed up, when she could have just easily got my items instead), I finally got my items and receipt said «have a nice day «and proceeded out after around 45 minutes later, my girlfriend just barely made the train.
Just wanted to say there is not many retail stores going strong anymore, its much easier to buy online and having to deal with a crew of people that run a store like this is helping you decide to buy elsewhere. I dont have hours to spend waiting in line at the fabric cutting counter, seriously if your reading this go to Ac Moore or Micheal’s to buy your yarn. Its not worth the frustration, especially at this Jo-​anne location. Many customers where frustrated by the staff, what can i say im not going back.
For something that sounded so convenient when i was sold something, it was beyond ridiculous to receive it after paying for it.