HomeGoods — Local services in Alameda

I went in the afternoon a few weeks before Christmas and the store was in disarray. The entrance had several large display items blocking entry so getting in and out of the store was a trial. Once inside, items on their shelves were more precariously balanced than mountain climbers on a one-inch ledge. More than once, I picked something up to look at it and inadvertently caused a small avalanche. The aisles were not wide enough for wheelchairs or carts and I saw people struggling to get around each other. There were pillars in the middle of walkways and aisles making it hard, if not impossible, to get from one end to another. If there wasn’t a pillar there was a poorly thought out and precariously stacked display putting the leaning tower of Pisa to shame. After braving the shelves and finding presents for my dogs, I had to contend with a long, winding line that ran into the aisles. At that point, tired after fighting my way through the tangled mess of dog jackets, I gave up and left.

Recently, I found out that Home Goods allegedly complained about the food trucks that were in front of Petco, claiming that the trucks took away parking from the store and was bad for business. If true, their thought process re: the food trucks is just as confused as their aisle placement and I can’t see myself returning because of these reasons.

Edit: I walked by on my way to Yifang and saw the carts blocking the side walk. I don’t know if they don’t have a return location or if they don’t have staff to retrieve these, but this sucks because it limits access to other...

I purchased a large yarn-knotted blanket from this HomeGoods that I was really excited about to add to my home. When I got home and took it out of the bag, I noticed a hole in the blanket.

I never removed it from the hanger or tampered with it in any way. Hoping to either return or exchange the damaged item, I went back to the store within the return window for a regular priced item. Unfortunately, what followed was incredibly frustrating. It took four employees—including a manager—to determine whether the item could even be considered for a return. They did make it clear that I could not exchange the item without any explanation. The manager examined the blanket, poked at the hole, picked it up and simply told me I should have noticed the damage before buying it. Mind you, I explained multiple times that hole in the yarn became bigger due to the nature of the loose chunky threads coming a part.

Still, they refused to process a return or offer a solution. I left feeling dismissed and unfairly blamed, as if they assumed I had damaged the product myself.

I’m extremely disappointed, not just with the quality of the product, but with the poor customer service and lack of accountability. This experience has made me rethink shopping at HomeGoods...

Update 9/24: grab a cart on the way in! Likely there aren't any at the door.. even at opening. I was there when they opened. None. Asked someone and she said "oh there's probably some by the parking lot" no one rounds them up before closing? Classic HomeGoods. Tons of random stuff. Could be in there for hours.. I usually am. Can't say I ever go for something specific but always buy stuff. Recently I bought a dog food container, it had the lid inside the bin. When I got home, the lid didn't fit. It was meant for a different style bin. When I went back I found the same bins on the floor, no lids in or around them. At check out a manager said she would look... no lids (I know that) "Stuff comes in different boxes from overseas and we never know what we're going to get" um. She brought me the bin that goes with the lid I had and had me pay the difference 😑 I did it because I wanted out of there, the whole situation was ridiculous. As a customer service manager myself, I would have given it to the customer for the inconvenience. Customer satisfaction over making a couple of dollars is generally the move. You have products still on the floor with no lids. I'm sure they...