Michaels — Local services in Brentwood

Note: the following review was written about both JoAnn and Michael’s bcuz I went to both for the same reasons on the same day.

Try a New Hobby (but not at JoAnn)

At JoAnns, my hubs asked the clerk for help finding “beginner crochet yarn with cotton.” The clerk eventually wandered over (store nearly empty due to bad weather.) She led with, "First of all, there's no such thing as 'beginner yarn.' The yarn starts here. These little ones have some cotton in them." She had no interest in matching a customer to their needs. She didn’t care what features my “beginner yarn” might have, offer any suggestions, or offer to ask a more yarn-savvy associate.

SPENT AT JoAnn's: $0.

Same search at Michael's yielded some small skeins of cotton blend "project tube." It's a single-strand that can't fray or unravel. It's easy to see and manipulate each Vee, stitch or whatever. Nomenclature aside, it's beginner yarn with cotton. I was irresistibly drawn to some synthetic but single-stranded practice yarn. They had ONE perfectly pointy hook in the right size for that yarn, and with an ergo handle for arthritic hands. Overpriced? Sure. But exactly what I needed to get started on my beginner project.

Michael's usually has what's needed to get your project started. They charge u extra for getting it NOW. That's their niche. Immediate gratification for beginners and pros. Go to Michael’s. See pretty stuff, buy it NOW, make pretty things NOW.

SPENT AT MICHAEL’s: Crochet yarn & tools: $47 Impulse buy: $14 Michael’s website: Ongoing purchases of “blanket” yarn, initially found in store, that is easy for crochet beginners to see and manipulate.

I asked Amazon for "crochet yarn beginner cotton." I got to choose from hundreds of beautiful options for home delivery, at great prices.

SPENT ON AMAZON: Beginner Yarn: $39 & ongoing Other yarns: $19 & ongoing Impulse buys: ongoing

We had gone to our neighborhood JoAnn first. I wanted it to be the place where I could shop locally, hands-on, and get everything for my new hobby. JoAnn didn’t want that role. Michael’s does. Amazon does.

My friends say yarncomstl at 12772 Olive Blvd, Creve Coeur, MO, 63141 is a good community partner who also wants to be a LOCAL place for crochet, knitting, and all things yarn. I will try it and...

This store was absolutely incredibly organized! I really could not believe how detail-oriented all the products were. Also, it was nice to see the cleanliness of the store and the position of everything! The staff members were all very friendly and helpful. In particular, I even solicited the help of a Woman by the name of Theresa (whom I believe was a manager). I can't confirm that either way, though, because she wasn't wearing a name tag. Thus, I can't tell you if she was a manager or not. I learned her name simply by asking her what it was, and I think she was a little taken aback that I requested her name.

Either way, she was very helpful! I needed a rod cut to use as a crutch for my plant. She got some pliers, took me to a room with cutting tools, and cut a third of the rod off for me. She gave me great help and assistance, and I was most appreciative!

My only gripe, though, was that there was a very invading odor that permeated my nostrils throughout the store. When I asked one of the associates if she could smell the odor, she, too, said that it was definitely there. However, she explained that someone (District manager or store manager) told her that all was copacetic in the store, and that there was nothing wrong. She and I both agreed, though, that this was clearly not the case!

Also, the down escalator was not working. And I think that was because it was broken, or it was because they didn't see a reason to have it on since people don't generally need help going down, but only help going up. Fortunately, the up escalator was intact and it was working just fine.

So, all in all, I gave them five stars because the overall presentation and customer service that I received from the front end cashiers, from Theresa (the manager?), and some other floor Associates was...

I walked in at around 8:30 and I knew they were getting ready to close and acknowledged this, so I knew exactly what I needed: burlap. I even made sure they had it at this specific location and the website said 3 in stock. As I approached the entrance a worker, older lady with short brown hair and glasses, was standing there. I assumed she would tell me they were about to close and thats exactly what she told me, so to make the process go faster, I asked "do you guys have any burlap?" In which she sharply and immediately answers: "no. We don't have fabric". I was in the entry way so I was taken aback by the tone and walked out. But I didn't believe her. I know they sell folded little fabrics, nothing like Joann fabrics but they have a small selection, so I walked back in when I saw she wasn't in the entryway. I walked upstairs, and immediately found a section conveniently labeled "fabrics"! And right there was the burlap i so desperately needed. I then checked out at the self checkout and left. I was in and out in a 5 minutes, simply assuming the fabrics would be upstairs. And trust me, I totally get it. I work retail also and hate the last minute shoppers but I knew exactly what I needed and the worker guarding the door was very quick to shoo me away without even looking or asking anyone for a second opinion. I know it's exhausting at the end of the night and you want people to leave, but the approach was rude to me and made me not want to...