Can I just snark on Kohls, for a moment?

theartistformerlyknownas · June 2014

So I need to add a snark to this against Bed Bath and Beyond. It is The Worst. It is the knuckle paper cut of retail. The devil's playground. Nothing ever goes right there, it's way too overstocked and makes me claustrophobic, everything is overpriced, nobody knows anything, just anxiety city.

I went to buy a gift off a registry for a shower tomorrow (stalled too long waiting for a coupon to buy online/have it shipped, and the shower is in CO so I couldn't buy any of the cool camping stuff at Target since I need to fit it into my suitcase, and couldn't send it to the bride's house cuz nobody is there to bring in the packages). Waiting and waiting and waiting at the service desk for them to print the registry for me, as the guy in front of me keeps waving people over from the checkout lines to go ahead of both of us. Super. Lady comes and asks which line I'm in, I say "the service desk; I just need a registry printed." She says "Oh well you have to go in the back for that." WTF? "Since when?!" "IDK, but you have to go in the back." Fine.

Tromp to the back... nobody there. Surprise surprise. Go all the way back up to the front before I find someone working. "Can I get someone to print a registry for me?" "There should be someone back there." "Well... there isn't..." (Thinking - if there was, I wouldn't be here, genius.) "OK she'll be right there." Go back, still nobody, waited a while more, finally got the damn thing printed.

Grab what I want, go back in line. Am swooped in front of by the fastest old lady I've ever seen, who then takes forever to check out because she has to dig through all her expired coupons. Finally get to the register, and as she's ringing up my stuff, I say "Might as well get a gift card too." Grab one off the rack, grab a little envelope, set it down. She swipes it, looks confused, swipes it, looks confused. Goes to get help. That lady swipes it, looks confused, says she needs to call the number for help. Awesome. Walks away.

My cashier tells the people in my line that she can't ring them up and they ought to try another line. The girl behind me disappointedly steps behind 8 other people at the next line that just opened. I say "he should really take her first, she was next." My cashier says "oh, I know," taps girl on the shoulder, and starts ringing her up on yet another register! "I haven't forgotten about you; we're still waiting on your gift card." She rings up like 3 more people.

I say "if it's going to take this long, I'd rather just get out of here without the gift card. I don't have all night." "Do you have another form of payment?" "What?! I was BUYING the gift card, not paying with it!" "OH! Well you have to say that!" "I DID!" Other lady who was helping her says "well that makes much more sense, they kept saying there was no balance." No fucking shit. Giant, giant idiots.

themuffinman16 · June 2014

Lmao. I hate when stores hire really dumb people. i figured that was where you were going when you started the story. What a passel of idiots!. And yes, their shit is wayyy overpriced. And you only get 20% off of one item, in the store. This discourages guests who would like to get you a bunch of smaller gifts, but don't really feel comfortable getting you one really big gift. If Macy's carried the same product, I would keep it on my Macy's registry and delete it from my Bed Bath and Beyond Registry. Macy's is so much nicer to their customers, and I don't know any store (besides Nordstroms) with a better return policy.

theartistformerlyknownas · June 2014

Exactly!!! And as it turned out, all their shit was mislabeled so I got the wrong size towels. Rage. I can't even.

ElcaB · June 2014

Unpopular opinion: I like Kohl's and have never had any issues returning or exchanging items there. *Runs away and hides.*

emmaaa · June 2014

@ElcaB I wish I like Kohl's. I'd save so much more money that way. But the one in my hometown is a disorganized mess and I get anxietyy just going in.

banana468 · June 2014

I think some of these issues may be related to the specific store. I've been in awful BB&Bs but I've also been in terrible Macy's and I've witnessed fast more issues with Macy's customer service.

Alyssa18o6 · June 2014

I went into Kohl's a few weeks ago cause I had some bday money burning in my wallet haha. Mind you I can't tell you the last time I stepped foot into Kohl's. Maybe way back in the day when I worked there when I started college? Now they did had some cut stuff in the Lauren Conrad line, and a few other things caught my eye. The issue was everything was completely torn apart! Tables has stacks and stacks of shirts that we're literally just all thrown everywhere. Couldn't even pull a shirt of a rack if you wanted too cause the hangers and random stuff thrown on top. I was shocked, and it wasn't like it was 7pm, it was literally 10:15am!! Back when I worked there (in another city, like 20mins away) we could easily be there till 1am cleaning the store if we had too. Seems like this store could careless about their appearance! Who wants to dig through stuff like that, not me. I know people we're saying that Tj Maxx was similar but I NEVER have that experience at the TJ Maxx around here.

ladybird29 · June 2014

I hate stores like Kohl's because I don't like pricing games. The last time I was in there I picked up a hand towel and saw that the "original price" was $22. According to the "sale" sign, it's now only $9. That's not a sale because it was never $22 and it certainly isn't worth $9, let alone $22 EVER. They do that with most of their stuff. So do a lot of stores. I can get fancy-pants Hotel brand hand towels for $10, so why not just go that route?

Regarding returns - time to get with 2014 merchandisers! Do what Nordstrom and a lot of other stores do and just slap one of those stickers on the tag. That way, it's super easy to see how much the person bought it for and when. Not that hard. FWIW, I am pretty picky having worked in a number of stores in high school and during summers/holidays in college. Nordstrom being one of them. They are the best!

huskypuppy14 · June 2014

I'm not a fan of BB&B either. They never have anything on the registry that I'm looking for. I've shopped there many times for bridal showers, and I have to go down the list, "well do you have this item" sorry that's out of stock. "How about this one?" I can't find that either.

I did not register at BB&B because of this. However, the one where I live the people are pretty nice and knowledgeable.

I've only shopped at KOHLs a few times. There isn't one near me. I rarely ever return things, so I can't really speak on that.

huskypuppy14 · June 2014

Also, the one time I shopped at Nordstrom for shoes, there were 2 or 3 employees in the shoe department just chatting away. I was kind of standing around staring at them, holding the shoe that I wanted. I finally had to go over and ask if someone could help me. I was not impressed.

I realize this could happen in any store, but for how much more expensive Nordstrom is, I was expecting better service.

mysticl · June 2014

themuffinman16 said:

I hate Kohls. I seriously want them to jump up my ass. I hate whenever people get me stuff from there... AND don't get me a gift receipt. I was given two towels and a washcloth from there (I am not registered at Kohls). I returned them for $5.86, their original price for all three was about $18.00 (at their current discounted price). You have to find the EXACT price of your item, and they fluctuate their prices so often, that it is impossible to find something that was sold at the same original price. They do this on purpose. So in essence, you have to pay much more for anything you would like. I had to pay $9.00 extra for a CANDLE that I don't even need, just to buy something from there. I HATE stores with crappy return policies. For that reason, I registered at Target and Macy's and Bed Bath and Beyond. Target does not have the best return policy, but you can get ANYTHING from there, and it is still better than Kohls.

Stuck in box:

I'm very confused by the bolded. We did not register at Kohl's but MIL looked at our registry and then went to Kohl's to buy one of the items because she only shops at Kohl's. So, of course we got duplicates of that item, one from Kohl's, one from where we were registered, and one from god knows where. We returned the two that we knew where they came from. We took the item into Kohl's and they gave us a gift card with the amount on it. We used it like six months later.

flyingfoxes · June 2014

OMG I HATE Bed Bath and Beyond. I can't ever find anything off of a registry there, and they are slow as molasses in the wrapping dept. Usually I will just give a gift card or something if I HAVE to go there. I never go willingly.

Simply Fated · June 2014

themuffinman16 said:

Lmao. I hate when stores hire really dumb people. i figured that was where you were going when you started the story. What a passel of idiots!. And yes, their shit is wayyy overpriced. And you only get 20% off of one item, in the store. This discourages guests who would like to get you a bunch of smaller gifts, but don't really feel comfortable getting you one really big gift. If Macy's carried the same product, I would keep it on my Macy's registry and delete it from my Bed Bath and Beyond Registry. Macy's is so much nicer to their customers, and I don't know any store (besides Nordstroms) with a better return policy.

The BBB by me allows unlimited coupons, as long as they are the 20% off ones. One coupon for every item. So I can buy ten things and get 20% off all them as long as I have ten coupons. They send me about 4 coupons a month.

I do not get the love for Nordstrom. The one closest to me is... empty. It's organized, but seeing as how there isn't much to keep organized, I'm not very impressed. And out of my usual price range. The last time I was there the only thing I saw that I really loved was a pair of jeans that cost over a hundred dollars. Oh and a pretty patterned dress for several hundred dollars. Maybe my budget is just different lol?

flyingfoxes · June 2014

We bought my wedding jewelry from Nordstrom's a couple weeks ago. Holy hell for costume jewelry I thought it was a bit pricey. It's my "something new" from FI and he didn't flinch at the cost, so that's what we got.

PrincessOfHavoc · June 2014

I'm one of those bitch managers who won't take used, usable items back. We're a hardware store, not a rental store.

Also - no receipt, no record of purchase, no return.

Because people suck, that's why. And because that's a very used Lowe's product, not mine.

I get retail. I won't go in Kohl's. A pack of rabid raccoons on bath salts and meth must be the employees for how filthy it is, never mind the absolute lack of any organization. I run a hardware store. I know dirt. I know misplaced freight. I get that. I think a pack of toddlers on energy drinks with pudding cups could have stock put away more logically and cleaner.

I get a gift card, I sell the sucker on Craig's List.

ohannabelle · June 2014

@Simply Fated:

The love of Nordstrom is deep and many reasoned to me. I've never seen an empty one. There are several near here, all beautifully full.

Some reasons:

Best return policies, ever. I can wear a pair of shoes, take them back a month later, and say, hey, a pair of 90 dollar shoes shouldn't break a strap this quickly. No problem. Or a sweater shouldn't pill or lose it's shape after one cleaning. No problem.

The only store in Seattle that carries my perfume. (Jo Malone Orange Blossom.) Also, loads of fun free samples in cosmetics.

The only store that has ever said to me, hey, you've been shopping for so many hours that you need a break. Why don't you go have a coffee and take a breather, and we'll put together some things for you to look at when you come back? Is there anything else you needed, aside from a new dress? A shirt for your son? Sure, we'll bring a few up.

The only store that would give me a call to let me know something I was looking for was in. (Ann in children's dept., to say "if you're still looking for an Easter dress for Katie, we just got some in, and they look exactly like your style. I've put a few aside in her size."

The only store where, the one time I was treated rudely, my phone call was transferred to an owner. And when someone picks up that phone and says, "This is John Nordstrom, and I really need to hear more about this, and apologize personally...." Wow. Yes. I know I'm dealing with a company that stands behind their service.

They pay their employees a living wage.

They refuse to decorate for Christmas till after Thanksgiving.

Free Alterations, almost always.

Assorted shoes in the dressing rooms so I can see what a dress should look like.

Someone will run to another floor to get you the right accessory, or perfect camisole.

I love them. Ever since I was little and got my Nordy Nordstron balloon when I got my school shoes, or saltwater sandals. Hell yes, Nordstrom. What customer service used to be.

tammym1001 · June 2014

ohannabelle said:

@Simply Fated:
The love of Nordstrom is deep and many reasoned to me. I've never seen an empty one. There are several near here, all beautifully full.

Some reasons:
Best return policies, ever. I can wear a pair of shoes, take them back a month later, and say, hey, a pair of 90 dollar shoes shouldn't break a strap this quickly. No problem. Or a sweater shouldn't pill or lose it's shape after one cleaning. No problem.

The only store in Seattle that carries my perfume. (Jo Malone Orange Blossom.) Also, loads of fun free samples in cosmetics.

The only store that has ever said to me, hey, you've been shopping for so many hours that you need a break. Why don't you go have a coffee and take a breather, and we'll put together some things for you to look at when you come back? Is there anything else you needed, aside from a new dress? A shirt for your son? Sure, we'll bring a few up.

The only store that would give me a call to let me know something I was looking for was in. (Ann in children's dept., to say "if you're still looking for an Easter dress for Katie, we just got some in, and they look exactly like your style. I've put a few aside in her size."

The only store where, the one time I was treated rudely, my phone call was transferred to an owner. And when someone picks up that phone and says, "This is John Nordstrom, and I really need to hear more about this, and apologize personally...." Wow. Yes. I know I'm dealing with a company that stands behind their service.

They pay their employees a living wage.

They refuse to decorate for Christmas till after Thanksgiving.

Free Alterations, almost always.

Assorted shoes in the dressing rooms so I can see what a dress should look like.

Someone will run to another floor to get you the right accessory, or perfect camisole.

I love them. Ever since I was little and got my Nordy Nordstron balloon when I got my school shoes, or saltwater sandals. Hell yes, Nordstrom. What customer service used to be.

All of this makes me wish there was a Nordstrom's near me so I could start shopping there.

Simply Fated · June 2014

ohannabelle said:
@Simply Fated:
The love of Nordstrom is deep and many reasoned to me. I've never seen an empty one. There are several near here, all beautifully full.

Some reasons:
Best return policies, ever. I can wear a pair of shoes, take them back a month later, and say, hey, a pair of 90 dollar shoes shouldn't break a strap this quickly. No problem. Or a sweater shouldn't pill or lose it's shape after one cleaning. No problem.

The only store in Seattle that carries my perfume. (Jo Malone Orange Blossom.) Also, loads of fun free samples in cosmetics.

The only store that has ever said to me, hey, you've been shopping for so many hours that you need a break. Why don't you go have a coffee and take a breather, and we'll put together some things for you to look at when you come back? Is there anything else you needed, aside from a new dress? A shirt for your son? Sure, we'll bring a few up.

The only store that would give me a call to let me know something I was looking for was in. (Ann in children's dept., to say "if you're still looking for an Easter dress for Katie, we just got some in, and they look exactly like your style. I've put a few aside in her size."

The only store where, the one time I was treated rudely, my phone call was transferred to an owner. And when someone picks up that phone and says, "This is John Nordstrom, and I really need to hear more about this, and apologize personally...." Wow. Yes. I know I'm dealing with a company that stands behind their service.

They pay their employees a living wage.

They refuse to decorate for Christmas till after Thanksgiving.

Free Alterations, almost always.

Assorted shoes in the dressing rooms so I can see what a dress should look like.

Someone will run to another floor to get you the right accessory, or perfect camisole.

I love them. Ever since I was little and got my Nordy Nordstron balloon when I got my school shoes, or saltwater sandals. Hell yes, Nordstrom. What customer service used to be.

The Nordstrom near me is definitely the opposite of the Nordstrom near you.
I've never had an employee ask me if I needed help, let alone actually help me.

Maybe it's the area? The clientele? The managers running the individual stores?

Sorry, can't jump on the Nordstrom bandwagon lol.

walshalvarado · June 2014

Strange about them giving a return price that is lower than the item has ever been priced! I worked at Macy's and we were totally that store that returns ANYTHING. We really couldn't argue with the customer unless the item was obviously gross or not our product. But the no receipt policy was "the lowest price in the last 180 days". Actually, that was no receipt or return label, which was an extra little sticker we had to stick on all purchases.

buttercup1958 · June 2014

Does anyone else miss the piano players Nordstrom? That was one of my favorite things growing up was going there with my mom and hearing beautiful songs all the time.

ohannabelle · June 2014

Yes, I miss them. I get that the recession forced some serious budget trimming, but I hope they bring them back. Send a letter! As in any business, customer feedback matters.

Can I just snark on Kohls, for a moment?

Re: Can I just snark on Kohls, for a moment?

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