I had a job interview in NYC today and after my interview went to Purl Patchwork in soho. It was a very tiny store with few fabrics, most of them not my style and prices out of my reach, but I guess that't what you get when you go to store like that in NYC. Anyways, this is what I saw that made me never to want to go back. This lady come in, obviously has ne ver quilted in her life, and she wants them to show her how to get set up to start. Within 15 minutes they had sold her a few fat quarters bundles (at $30.00 each), the largest cutting mat in the market for $56.00!!! and then they proceeded to pack it up for her to take home and they rolled it into a very tiny roll. I could just imagine that mat never again laying flat. Then they took her to the gadgets wall and she asks for a rotary cutter. They showed her an Olfa and told her how unstable it was. They convinced her that a Ginger was they way to go. My daughter's eyes opened wide when she looked at me. We have had an Olfa for years! The lady was happy with her Ginger cutter to go home and learn to quilt. Several hundred dollars later she doesn't have a single ruler or any thread at all.

These people would do anything for a sale.

Wow, that just makes me cringe. How terrible. You are right. The bottom line is the only thing important there. Poor lady.

By the way, how did your interview go?

The interview was fantastic. I felt very comfortable and I know they were too. I interviewed with two people and they were both great. The position was for a lab manager taking care of two small clinics in NYC. The only issue that could make me not accept the job if they offer it is the pay. I know it was listed for a lot less than I will accept for it, but you can always bargain for that. The Deapartment is Infectious Diseases and all the patients are in clinical trials. I don't have a problem with that as long as the compensation is adequate.

Sorry to hear about your experience in SoHo, some people only think about MONEY!!!

Nice to hear that your interview went well.
Boo on the people working in the shop, but this should be a lesson to us all. Do your research.

This kind of crap happened to me yesterday at the car dealer. They said I need 500 dollars work of general maint. done on my car (without ever driving it or even looking at it just going by the milage). I checked the maint manual. WRONG! I don't need any of the work for another 30,000 miles! lol guess what they won't be doing the work when it is time to get it done!

There is a wonderful quilt shop in the Chelsea area - City Quilter on West 25th Street,between 6th and 7th Avenues. They have a great selection of fabrics and the staff are as helpful as you want them to be - help if you want it but they leave you alone if you want to browse and take your time. I used to be able to walk there during lunch, but my company moved last year. I still manage to hop a subway once or twice a month for a quick shopping trip.
Good luck with your job search.

That is horrible. Stores like that could be why some people steer clear of quilting. That poor woman will most likely never want to quilt again... sad, so sad.

wow thats really bad, scares me a little. when Im able to buy is someone goning to do that to me?

ditto

I was at The City Quilter before going to Purl. I was interviewing on W 24th st. They were not opened yet but I saw a great hand died fabric on the window. By the time I came out my daughter was waiting for me downtown and I didn't want to make her wait any longer. She wanted to go to Purl because they also have a yarn shop and she knits. She "discovered" the store and wanted to take me there for my birthday a two weeks ago. We didn't get anything, but I now know where not to shop when I go back to NYC.

penny- you will not be taken advantage of because you will go through this site and become thoroughly educated before you shop. hint, hint.

That's right. Don't ever let someone talk you into something more expensive. Paying more does not always mean better quality especially when it comes to the tools that we need. I was in a Joanns before Christmas. A woman came in that wanted to quilt. She had never sewed a stitch in her life and didn't have a clue as to what she needed. The clerk that was waiting on her sold her every thing under the sun, including a very expensive and complicated machine. The woman literally spent thousands of dollars. It made me just sick to watch. She asked me first what she would need to get started and I told her the basics. I also recomended a machine that was really easy to use and cost a lot less than the one that she ended up with. I think the clerk sold her every ruller, cutter, blades, matts, books, at least 30 spools of thread, a couple of lamps, and a stack of fabric that make any of us green. She also sold her several different feet for her new machine.She had 2 heaping carts full when she checked out. And this poor woman didn't even know how to measure a yard of fabric or thread a needle (oh, yes, she sold her a needle threader, too). I was behind her at the checkout and she spent well over $5000!!! When I walked out to my car she was loading hers. She turned and asked me what to do with all her stuff and did I live close enough to teach her how to sew. I told her that I didn't, but that the first thing she needed to do was to sign up for a beginner quilting class and look for a quilting group that might be willing to help her. The whole thing left a decidedly nasty taste in my mouth. I haven't been back since.