I just wanted to vent a little bit here about an experience my husband had at one of our LYS. I was going to use some Malabrigo yarn for little miss' hoodie and had gone to their website to see if any of our LYS carried it. There was one store listed on the website that is nearby so when the hubby said he was going to run an errand for work in the general area of the LYS I sent him a little list and asked him to pick some up for me so I could get started on the hoodie. He calls me up after his little encounter and told me that the women working there had given him and a friend of his (who happened to be with him at the time) dirty looks and had acted like he was insane for even going to the store because they had never even heard of that yarn. He then told me that they were both given the distinct impression that they did not belong at the store and were not welcome. That pisses me off! Here he was, doing me a favor and this is the type of experience he has. So I wrote them a little note and evidently their system shoots out a generic e-mail whenever they receive one and so here is a little snippet:
Thank your for your inquiry! We will process your email and reply as soon as possible. Your thoughts and questions are very important to us. Here at __________, we want to do our best to make you feel welcome. Come as you are.Knit as you like. Enter our embracing environment to experience a new level of knitting.Explore. Rejuvenate. Create.
Yeah right. I haven't received an e-mail back yet so either they haven't actually read the note I wrote or I am not going to receive another one from them.
I must admit that I have had similar experiences with a few other stores in the area and have made a conscious effort to not use them whenever possible. I would like to support local business and had wanted to check out this new store so I thought that this would be a perfect opportunity. It just irks me to no end. Maybe it is just me, but the knitters and fiber enthusiasts that I have met both in person and online have been wonderful. What is it about the LYS and their superiority complex? It would make sense to me that with all of the new interest in knitting people would be more helpful. In my head I think it would be fun to open a store of my own but I am a realist and know that that isn't really an option. But it's a great place in my head! A cozy friendly atmosphere where everyone would be welcome even if they have never touched a needle -- if you want to learn we'll show you. Lots of fiber, needles, spinning equipment... places to sit and socialize, and knit of course! I don't know. Ooh, I am just so angry! I'll quit venting though, although I'll let you know if I get a response!
2 comments:
Some of the male knit bloggers have mentioned bad treatment in the odd store .If your D.H made it clear he was buying for you that can't be the reason .We have an L.Y.S that has a really "Posh" customer base and at times I have been being served when a favourite comes in and suddenly you must pong or something.I have never heard so much grovelling after one customer ,spending far less than me this Friday.I don't look like a bag lady you understand but I don't sound posh .I don't think I have developed a really important demeanour either .I honestly think there is a pretty fair amount of snobbery in the knit World as there is in any other field.It is their loss but it is really infuriating too. We have a particulary vile Rowan rep who I would climb onto shelves not to have to talk to .I have had the snorting "Only one skein" on the phone from one particular shop that I avoid now.This skein cost £24.00s.
There's a LYS here that I refuse to go into any longer. The one employee actually followed me around the store, practically on my heels, barely letting me touch the yarn that they had. Made me feel like a teenage hoodlum. Okay, so I was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Big deal. I didn't have to get dressed up to go to work, so I didn't. What's it to them? I made a lot of money back then, and could afford anything I wanted from their store. I left a nasty note on their comments section on their web page, and weeks later got an apology from the store owner for her employee's behavior, but I still never went back. Not worth it.
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