Trip to Colorado - lots of quilts and fabric, and one poor experience
 

I've just got back from a 2 week visit to a friend in Boulder, Colorado. She and the friend I travelled with aren't quilters, but they were very patient and I enjoyed visits to the Rocky Mountain quilt museum in Golden, which had a fascinating exhibition of quilts from Pennsylvania, and several quilt shops. Thankyou to the people on this board who recommended shops when the question was asked a couple of months back. I was VERY GOOD, and haven't bought a lot of fabric, but it was fun to look at the wonderful stocks that shops there had.

I had one slightly "off" experience though. One of the (many) things I love about the States is the emphasis on service, and the friendliness and helpfulness of the people in shops and restaurants. However, one of the quilt shops I visited was the exception. There were 3 or 4 ladies working there, all enjoying talking among themselves. When I'd chosen some fabric and went to pay, the lady at the desk was busy paying for some things she'd just bought for herself, and completely ignored me while she did that. None of the others interrupted their conversation to come and serve me. Then the phone rang, and the lady I was waiting for picked it up and went off to find the colleague who the call was for, even though I'd been standing in fromt of her for about 5 minutes by then. THEN she finally spoke to me, to tell me that that she couldn't serve me until the call was finished! I think she was assuming I'd be using a credit card, though in fact I wanted to pay cash. I nearly walked out at that point, but my friends were looking at books and I couldn't catch their attention. When she finally served me, she didn't know what she was doing and one of her colleagues had to drag herself away from the chat to come and help. Service in the UK is often poor, but this was appalling. Sad, because someone had enthusiastically recommended the shop, and I would never set foot in it again, having been treated with such rudeness. It felt like a club run for the benefit of the employees rather than a business. I must say, though, that it was the only bad experience in the whole 2 weeks - and we visited a lot of shops! Such a shame that it had to be a quilt shop.

I'm so sorry you had a bad experience there. Hopefully the items you purchased were worth the wait. It is so sad the way some folks are just not polite anymore.

I'm glad MOST of your trip was good! I think you Brits are just too nice! I would have said, loudly, "I'm ready to pay now - does someone want to take my money?"

I would have handed her my fabrics and told her due to her non-attention , I'd changed my mind about shopping there. then I would have gone to my friends. when people know they lost money, they start paying attention.

So glad that 90% of your trip was wonderful. Even the tastiest apple might have a worm. Unfortunately, you found a worm.

As a business owner I would not, could not abide employee's ignoring a customer. As a business owner, if I had walked in when that was happening ... I would have happily made the announcement to all that the ladies that ignored you, that they would be donating a 25% discount to you from their pay checks.

Oh dear! We were treated very well on our trip to the UK last year. I apologize for the rudeness you received here. Quilt shops are usually such friendly places, but what you experienced was inexcusable. I would have probably walked out.

I agree. You were too nice to them (OP)...but thanks for the overall good report about American quilt shops...

Love your solution to the problem!

PS: If the employees had something about the shop's business to discuss they should have done it in the workroom or office, not in front of customers.

I do like the way you run your business. We have a large quilt shop in my area that I only go to when I can't find what I want anywhere else. The owner doesn't allow her employes to "visit" with the customers. Consequently, you go in there and see all these sober faced ladies and know you can't carry on any kind of conversation with them. I find this very depressing. I could never work in a place like this, definitely not customer friendly! (Oh, they never stand around visiting with each other either).

One of my dearest, lifelong friends is a Brit. He's been in this country since 1975. I've met many of his visitors from the UK over the past 37 years and those experiences have enlightened me to the joy of having friends around the globe. I want to personally apologize for the rude behaviour of that person in Boulder. I am appalled by the treatment you received and if I were you, I'd write to that store and explain why you will never set foot in there again. Come to New York! We're much more friendly!!