Red Orchard — Local services in North Bethesda

Don’t shop here. I had a very scary and upsetting experience. I was a loyal customer - not anymore! The owner is horribly rude. I have been a regular customer for a while, to the point that the sales lady recognizes me. I purchased a $40 stuffed animal less than a week ago, for example. Anyway, I went to the store with my baby and let him hold a stuffed animal while we were looking around. We have so many (most purchased from this store), that I didn’t want to buy it. I hid it from my baby behind the books because for anyone who has kids, sometimes that’s what you have to do to avoid a tantrum. The store sent a male to come follow me to my car and ask me where it was. They obviously thought I stole it. At a minimum they should have sent a woman to come follow me and knock on my car window. Their excuse was that sometimes kids take things without their parents knowing. As if I wouldn’t notice my BABY taking something - especially when buckling into a car seat. And if I did notice I would have obviously brought it back. We’ve spent hundreds of dollars in this store on jellycats. Never again! Please...

Red Orchard is one of my neighborhood treasures. I love browsing, especially since the cards and much of the merchandise comes with a reasonable amount of snark and sarcasm. Today, I purchased two cards. One is a birthday card that has some interesting commentary on everyone's favorite blue social network. Another is a catch all holiday and occasion card (seriously), and it's organized by the calendar year. It goes from Happy New Year to Happy MLK Jr. Day. We've got cinco de mayo and Mother's Day representing for May, and we end up with Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, Merry Christmas and Cheer Up. Besides lovely cards and mugs, there's also clothing, jewelry...

Do NOT ever shop here. I bought an item yesterday and tried to return it WITH a sales receipt and in perfect condition with all tags attached. They REFUSED to take it back OR give me a store credit even though the sales person never stated it couldn't be returned. It is absurd that you cant return an item within 24 hours of purchase.

I have NEVER written a negative review but feel compelled to shZare my experience. This is a ridiculous policy and I will never step foot in Red...