Bricks and Minifigs — Local services in Beaverton

My fiancée and I are huge fans of Lego. We've collected a large amount just over the past 2 years. We made it our thing once a month to visit all the Bricks and Minifigs locations in the area: Portland, Gresham, Vancouver, and this location in Beaverton.

We moved to eastern Washington 3.5 hours away, but still made it our mission to take our Lego day over at all the Bricks and Minifigs. But when it came down to visiting the Beaverton location, we made the decision to take it of of our list. Every time we visited, the employees would be blunt, rude, and completely apathetic. It's easy to tell that they do not enjoy their jobs, or that they despise their customers. I have worked in retail and as a barista for years, and treating customers poorly is a terrible reflection on you and the business.

What is difficult is we LOVE the products that are sold here. But the rude service and overly inflated prices makes us leave regretting giving them our money. The final nail in the coffin was our experience yesterday. Customers being ignored by staff, blunt/rude responses to us and all other customers in store, and one particular case with an excited child.

The man behind the counter was stressed about having to quote some parts for a really excited boy building a plane with his own money. He had a few containers and a big gray wing piece. The employee was blunt and said that the one wing part would be $15 at the very least. What broke my heart is I saw that EXACT piece at the Portland BAM location for less than $5, The average bricklink price. It was disgusting to hear the man tell this child so bluntly he had to pay well over the MAX price that part would ever go for. On top of the inflated parts pricing.

Also to note: The employee rushed to get our transaction over with so quickly that he failed to ask for our points account info, and we forgot to mention since we felt our presence was an annoyance to him.

I think something that needs adjusting is the methods the employees are forced to do for part inquiry. The employees must text the manager for every single quote on a part's price if not in the bin. It clearly stresses the employees (who do not withhold their distain) and customers who are inquiring. It clearly shows that whoever owns this place doesn't trust their employees to use their best judgement or bricklink for pricing. But I wouldn't blame them for lacking trust in these employees.

I really hope they someday make changes to create a welcoming environment in their store for fans of Lego. I strongly encourage others to take the short additional 15 to 20 minute drive to the Portland BAM location. They have not only a wider selection, but they have a greater focus and appreciation for their customers.

EDIT: The response was referencing a separate event that I excluded because I understood the employee couldn't give me a quote. I was just shooting my shot asking in that moment. In my review, I am referencing other visits of employees unsure of quotes and expressing their frustration towards me. I am extremely polite and consider myself to be a rational person. It takes a lot for me to be unhappy...

Edit after response, in parentheses: I don't hate this location, but it's definitely not for me. Be weary when buying individual elements (these are examples, not all specific experiences) barrels, animals, bushes, ect.. There isn't a consistent price scale,(my experience was mostly with different colored crates/buckets being different prices) and I have been overcharged, two out of the three times I been in. Post response: That was an insulting, and unnecessarily passive-aggressive response. To reaffirm, this B&M is not for me, but I'm sure it's great for some. Being told prices for items, and then not having the total reflect those prices is not a matter of "feeling". There should be a tally of items/prices after everything has been added and/or removed. Am I as the customer expected to keep track of your prices (like the different colors costing more)? Should I bring pen and paper to inventory and cross-reference what I'm paying vs. what I'm getting? What I do "feel", is that the attitude of the only employee I have interacted with every time, has an affect that matches the simple mistakes. Not "bad", but not very...

My 9 year old son had just one item on his Christmas list this year, a vintage 80's minifig that was listed for over $100 on eBay. In a panic, I emailed Bricks and Minifigs after 10pm and received a prompt response and was told that they might not have exactly what I was looking for but that they would try their best. They also mentioned that they have lots of unique gift ideas and that they could help me find something even if they might not have what I was looking for.

The very next day when I came in, I was greeted by Lynnette and she presented me with the EXACT minifig that was on my son's Christmas list and she only charged me $5!!!! I was so happy that I asked her to help me pick out a dozen more unique minifigs from her huge selection of bins and she even threw in fun accessories.

I urge everyone to support this small business and to say hi to Lynnette and her friendly staff. Legos are a great way to keep kids (and adults!) off screens and encourage creativity! Thank you Beaverton Bricks and Minifigs for making my son's Christmas a truly memorable one! We will...