Michaels — Local services in Bee Cave

I've never got any framing done, but I am not at all surprised that the other reviews said not to get it done here. Regarding the framing side of things though I've walked by there a half dozen times and no one is ever there, and if you manage to wave someone down they say one minute then take ten minutes to come over only to tell you they don't know where something is.

The biggest problem here is the products, prices, and employees... and the bathrooms/store is pretty gross/dated too. So basically the whole store lol. The employees are all really nice at least from what I've seen and experienced, but no one really knows anything about art or crafts or paints, or where anything really is. Like nothing at all.

They take a really long time to find out and it does seem like they really want to help but if I were someone who didn't know anything at all about how to paint or create a project I wouldn't come here looking for help. You may get lucky though... Back ten or fifteen years ago I came to Michaels all the time for school projects, and the employees were these like grandma types that just knew everything about anything you were trying to do. You didn't know the exact name of something but could describe it and they could find it in an instant. That's really not the case anymore though.

Prices: Mother of God these prices are out of control! I typically like to buy paper, or canvas materials in stores because shipping accidents and poor handling are so common these days but man there's like a 50% mark up for the lowest quality canvas here vs. Amazon. At least Target and Best Buy Price match this place... nope!

Products: There are a few items in here specifically their standardized frames and larger bulkier wood items that I likely would buy here just because shipping would be a nightmare, but as far as the art supplies go especially when it comes to paint, markers, brushes, canvas's, and on the left side of the store as well as the middle it's all pretty junky. Like lowest of the low in terms of quality and brands. With prices that if looked up on Amazon you would literally see the same product for 30% cheaper. Everything to be completely honest though is pretty bad in terms of overall quality though. Just lots of cheaply made items being sold for ludicrous prices.

I'm really not sure how much longer stores like this are going to be around, it seems like they should have already gone bust a while ago. The stores themselves and even this location which is in a nice area is really really dated. Like Walgreens and CVS levels of dated to where they haven't changed anything including those white vinyl tiles. Restrooms are disgusting as you'd come to expect. There are also large ladders/stairs leading to high up areas that are in the corners of the stores making it basically impossible to get to items, but also kind of seems like a safety issue too. That being said I think the store might be able to repurpose itself as a more crafty dollar store type of place, but it's not going to survive at the pace it's currently going at. I've seen maybe three other customers in this place every time I've come in. There are more staff than customers so you know they are just losing money left and right. That's it for this...

Do NOT go here for their framing. Incompetence at its finest. I spent over $400 to have a print for my office framed and this is the kind of experience I had: I called the day it was supposed to be ready - they weren't sure if they had the right materials for the size of my frame so it was going to be delayed. I called 2 weeks after it was supposed to be ready - they confirmed they didn't have the right materials for the size of my frame & they were waiting for them to be delivered. I called 4 weeks after it was supposed to be ready - there was a smudge on the mat so they needed to put a new mat in. I asked if that could happen that day and the girl literally told me "the table is just really messy right now so I'm not sure we can do it today." Ummm... okay. I go into the store 5 weeks after it was supposed to be ready. It takes them 15 minutes to locate my frame in the back and when they find it, it's still not ready! They tell me they need to add the hanging equipment and ask if I want string or hooks, something I told them when I originally ordered. Finally, the frame is ready but it's big and the framing department is at the back of the store. I pull a cart up and the girl manning the framing department just stands behind the counter and watches me as I struggle to put the large frame on top of the cart so I can wheel it out of the gd store. No offer to help, no apologies for the frame being 5 weeks delayed, nothing.

The frame itself is also quite flimsy, not impressed. If you need puff paints or sparkles, Michaels may be great but custom framing? Definitely...

Pressed the call button for assistance in the custom framing department. I only needed to pick up my order and wasn't the only customer waiting. No one came. After waiting 15 minutes, I called the store to let them know that we needed assistance. The person who answered the phone said that the associate who works in framing is on a break. I asked if anyone else could help us since we only needed to pick up our order. She responded that it would be 10-15 more minutes and I asked if there was a manager or someone else trained to get the orders. She said she would see if anyone could. She then came to the framing department and explained again that the associate was on break. We told her we were only picking up orders if someone else could help us. She finally decided to help us. I completely understand that employees need and are required to have breaks. The problem is that if an essential employee of a certain department needs a break, then you designate another employee to cover that area in the meantime. And if there's absolutely no other person able to do it, then at the very least, put a sign on the desk that says when the person is expected to return. My 1 star review is a culmination of this and previous customer service encounters, cleanliness, the high prices, and product...