HomeGoods — Local services in Chicago

Extremely disappointing experience at this store that left me feeling like I got scammed.

A couple weeks back, I bought a comforter and a sheet set to match the comforter, and after unpacking everything I realized the comforter came with a stain on it, so the whole thing was obviously of no use to me.

I was going to return those items today and called ahead of time to confirm their policy since I didn't have a receipt anymore. They said it wasn't a problem, just to bring a government ID.

So I walk in to the store and explain that I called earlier, and that I'm returning the sets because of the stain. Long story short, the manager was categorically unwilling to issue a refund. She could never give me a clear reason, and kept lying, making excuses and changing her mind on the reason why.

Either she couldn't issue a refund because the receipt was missing (which had been established way beforehand), or because I didn't disclose the stain on the phone (never crossed my mind to mention it on the phone since it wasn't my fault, and they also did not ask me for any reason).

She was also repeatedly saying that without the receipt she couldn't verify that I made the purchase, which is obviously a lie and is the reason why they ask for your ID in those cases. She was also saying that she couldn't make sure that I didn't stain it myself without the receipt, which makes no sense at all - as if the stain was tracked on the receipt?

Another excuse was the set "looked used", which the only reason it looked that way is because I obviously had to unpack everything to notice the stain, and I made the cardinal sin of not folding everything back the way it was packaged.

All in all, it seems like that store's return policy is just for show and that they plan on people to not rely on it. Hugely deceptive and bad...

I like Home Goods. Not always easy to find a clerk, they usually ask when you come in (a bit too fast, but i realize it cuts down on shoplifters to do it right off), and then vanish, like at all stores. They're there, but you have to go find one.

Parking in Lincoln Park is not fun. But you can find street parking or go early in the day.

They have fair prices on most things.

Downside: shelves are just CRAMMED with junk. Never anywhere to set anything down. LOTS of fragile stuff where you could accidentally knock it over. Or your kids. Every time I'm there, I hear something get broken for that reason. Seems senseless and dangerous. Also makes for an annoying shopping experience.

Last time i was there, i got 2 squirrels in a tree dog toy for 10.00 each-HUGE hit at my house (object: pull squirrels out again)! And a yellow fan that's cute but doesn't tilt back far enough if you bought it for playing drums. The other thing I'd suggest, make sure all fan switches and such are/stay flush so they don't get broken in car trunks, seeing as there's no box when you buy them. 30 dollars was a bit high for these, but they're cute. They never went on sale that i saw.

If they got rid of 25% of the junk, i think it would be easier to see what's there and buy more. The less I have to balance or hold, the more I'm likely to buy.

Also, their website is just useless. You'll find zero of use online. A GOOD site would be: yes, we have 5 of that at that particular store. Yes, it's a pain, but their way they wasted the money even HAVING a website at all. Aldi's is another example of a time-wasting website, same deal.

If you like crystal chunks, they have these on occasion. You might find 3 or 4 in the store....

The only reason this place gets a star is the free parking, which staff points at a bowl for you to grab your validation sticker from. Today was the worse service I’ve ever received at any store! The girl who rang me up scanned 1 item 6 extra times & another item 2x. I heard the scanner beep but she claimed she voided the transaction. When I got my receipt , I noticed the high total & that the quantity was much higher than my purchase (42 instead of 35 items), I let the manager & cashier know that I believe there was an error. This happened at 10:50pm. I asked if they could just process a return & anything left over can be refunded back to my card. Then do a new purchase transaction. She said it would be easier to go line item on the receipt & take each item out of my bag. So I ended sticking around for 20-30 min while they located each item on the receipt. I feel like the manager just cared about what was easier for her, not what was better for the customer. She didn’t even stick around to assist, instead insisted that she needed to grab water due to her cough & was seen walking around the store as the girl & another colleague fumbled through the receipt making more errors. I had to point out items she tried to count twice again & do the math to make sure I received the correct amt back on my card. The cashier wasn’t apologetic & kept saying she “maybe made a mistake” although it was clear to me, her manager & colleague that it was an overring. Customer service is about taking ownership over your own mistake, being respectful of the customer and their time…not making a customer wait around until almost 11:30pm. I will not return to this location if I...