Party for Less in Kirkland
when dumb policies kill business
http://www.partynw.com/
It was my daughter's birthday, so some party supplies were in order. We went to Party for Less, aka The Party Store, to buy some stuff and since there were 2 parties - I bought 2 table cloths. The cash register lady pointed out that anything unopened can be returned for a full refund. I didn't ask, but nice to know.
I get home and see that my wife already set the table with a different table cloth, so the next day I go back to get some more stuff for the kids party and brought the extra table cloth we wouldn't need, and it was in pristine, unopened state, so I figured they'd honor their prior sentiment.
No such luck. When I showed it to the cashier (a different one), she said that she's new and might need to get someone else to do the return. Then she rings up new stuff, which was a bunch of stuff on the same theme and gives me the total. I ask her to get whomever she needs to get to process the return of that single item. She checks with the other cashier and says that it needs to be processed separately. I figured... ok, seems like a single transaction with a credit would be faster/better/easier than 2 transactions, but if that's how they do it... So she rings me up for the new stuff and then asks for receipt for the return.
I told her that I didn't have it, but the item was, as she can clearly see in perfect condition, all she has to do is hang it with the rest of the same items. But no, she says we can't accept the return without the receipt. She says they can't verify that it was purchased at their store.
For a second there, I thought the brain on the other side of the register was missing or at least lacked any kind of logic. The implication is that I went to another store, bought the exact same item they're selling and now came back to their store, buying 8 other items, of the same theme mind you, and decided to return the table cloth in this store? Seriously? That's suppose to make sense somehow. So, after trying to bring up the fact that I was told nothing about receipts, but was told that I could return items if unopened - they said it's their policy and they can't help me.
Businesses like this one will be going out of business, I have no doubt. They refused to return a $3.29 item, in perfect unopened condition... all due to their inept policy. Well, kudos on following the policy which cost them a customer, permanently. Customer experience is everything and they decided to kill it for a lousy $3.29!
http://www.partynw.com/
