Welcome to the letter N in the A to Z Challenge for 2018. This year I am working my way through the alphabet at Michaels Arts and Crafts store. We are at the letter N and I’ve found a few things that will qualify here.
First is necklace displays. When I talked about the Jewelry earlier I purposely didn’t mention all the display forms there are for displaying necklaces and bracelets, rings and earrings because I knew I was going to use them for this letter.
Up until now I’ve said very little about my experiences with customers during my time working at Michaels but I have to share something about these necklace displays. There were a couple of instances where a customer came in and purchased a lot of the displays in different styles, like 15 to 20 of them. I figured they needed them for their shop or something. The following week they came and returned all of them! I wouldn’t have given it a second thought except for the fact that when they purchased them each one was closely inspected for damages or wear and tear and they wanted a discount because they were a little dusty. Of course, upon returning them, they said nothing about the wear and tear or the dust and wanted to make sure they got a full refund. When it happened a second time I finally figured out that people were buying the displays for trade shows and then returning them after the show was over. I wanted to say something about how this wasn’t a rental warehouse but of course you can’t be disrespectful to the customer so…How would you feel about that? Would it irritate you if you knew someone was buying something only to use it and return it?
N is also for needlework. You can find all the pins and needles you want for the fine art of embroidery and needlepoint.
Regular spools of thread for mending and other sewing needs.
All sizes of embroidery hoops.
The canvas for needlepoint.
And all the floss in a rainbow of colors, sizes and packages.
I’ve done some needlework in my time. I made this about 40 years ago and my sister still has it hanging on her wall.
Lastly, on my way into the store recently I saw this sign. Guess I left a void they need to fill 🙂
Ever thought about working at Michaels? Do my posts make you want to? I’m happy I did but not sorry I left. Make sure to stop by some of the other A to Z participants and come back tomorrow for the big O.
(Note: I decided I should add a disclaimer to these posts because I certainly don’t want to give the idea that I am being paid by Michaels to do this or that they are furnishing me with material. All pictures used in this blog series were taken by me at local Michaels stores, or are my personal pictures and every Michaels store may not have everything shown.)
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About scr4pl80
I'm a 60-ish, married, mom to 3, creative soul looking to make the world a better place one smile at a time.
Janet's Smiles 
Shame on the trade show cheapskates. They shouldn’t be able to return. Seeing the embroidery took me back. I tried a few times but was not patient enough. That’s some mad skills needed to do needlepoint.
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I agree! But I couldn’t say anything of course. I did tell the manager once though.
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How tacky! When working retail you learn more than you want to about people sometimes.
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Yes, WAY more. That’s the part I do not miss. There were some regulars though who were very nice.
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So wrong to buy something, use it and return it. Your needlepoint work is beautiful. I’ve done a few small pieces, but nothing big. Weekends In Maine
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Thanks! It was a fun thing to do.
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Oh, I love the needlework piece you did! It’s so pretty! I can believe people would try to cheat the system by returning used things, unfortunately. There are fewer and fewer people driven by honesty and character, that’s for sure. Another great post in this series.
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Thanks, Dawn. This person felt there was nothing wrong with it I’m sure. In fact he said he “shops there all the time!”
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I’ve had few jobs that were gratifying. Most I got through. Well, motherhood would be an exception.
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I’ve been really lucky and I know it!
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I think it’s wrong to “buy” something knowing full well you’re going to return it. I knew a girl in college who did that with dresses. It’s not right!
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I agree, Jill. This particular customer was SO pushy about it too, asking us to call around to other stores to see if they had more of the displays and then returning THOSE to our store as well!
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Hmmm I’ve never heard of that, what your customer did about buying, using, and then returning the items. Seems wrong for them to do this. … I used to do a lot of sewing, and embroidery. I like doing it, but haven’t in a long while. I think it would be fun to work there, but I wouldn’t have any paycheck left, after buying all the things I wanted! 😉
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I made a deal with myself that I would not buy anything until I had gotten two paychecks from them. After that all bets were off! I think it is wrong to “rent” the stuff too!
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I love when I see really beautiful needlework!
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If you are talking about my Tiffany lamp and table, thanks!
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😀😀
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i’m not a craft person, but cool topic!
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I believe there is room in the world for all kinds of people and it makes me happy when someone says they are not a craft person because then I know I have something to offer. I’m a concert goer for sure so I am looking forward to reading more of your interesting posts!
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yeah that’s cool! and i agree. thanks. yes this a to z i’m just doing elvis, but on my blog in the music section there are all the all the concerts i’ve been to. then i have another blog just for my u2 shows.
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