Scaring away valuable customers and why I love online yarn stores for certain stash enhancements

So I'm on the slow road to recovery from this cold. It's hit me hard, but at least I don't have to feel guilty of not getting anything done around my house because I'm knitting like a coder on a major deadline. I am orking on my modification on the mini clapotis pattern that can be found a kpixie. I have made it a bit wider and will be making it much longer, so it will be the perfect small wrap/scarf for windy San Fransisco. Due to my other projects involving either small needles/hooks or complicated patterns I have put them on hold till I have fully recovered from this cold of dOOm.

I didn't make it to the spring cleaning de-stash swap yesterday, so I'll have to find another way to destash the yarn that I can't use or wait till the next yarn swap. *sigh*

I ended up checking out a yarn store last weekend with a friend. It has been under new ownership since she had been there and due to the location of it I hadn't been there myself. I will NEVER shop there again and I had such a bad experience there that I'll blog about it, but I will leave the name of the shop out. Most locals here will probably know it by my description; however I don't want to discourage people from at least giving it a chance because everyone is looking for something different.

It's a small shop in a very trendy area of Vancouver and it has a nice display in the window, I'll give them that. We walked in and immediately we both felt like we were intruding on the shop lady's time and that we were unwanted in the store.

Almost all the yarn is behind glass and on shelves that you can't touch, if you want to see/touch something you must ask the shop lady. So we looked in the glass to see what they have and I was happy to see that they had SWTC Bamboo and SWTC Oasis. I asked the shop lady if they had any SWTC Phoenix because I like the worsted weight soy silk and wanted to buy more now that I am able to see the colourways in person.

She gave me a look of disgust or was she giving my poor white cane the look I'm not quite sure, but she looked like she had a mouthful of lemon drops that were very sour when I asked her this.

She curtly replied "NO" and I asked if they wil be getting any in anytime soon, again the look of disgust washes over her face "definitely not" and that was that. After her replies I wasn't going to bother her asking if they would order some for me.

Good thing it didn't get to that because I found out the price of the SWTC Bamboo $22.50 CDN before tax!!! I purchase it online from an American shop even with taxes and duty it's cheaper. I pay $13.00 US (approx. $15.00 CDN) per ball, so I expected a brick and mortar shop to charge a bit more I was thinking $17/18 CDN before tax and that's a $4/5 CDN difference from my guessitmate and a over $7 CDN between them before taxes and duty and even with the taxes and duty it's still much cheaper online. Then add the friendly customer service I get online to the horrible in-person experience I'm going to continue to get my SWTC stash online till one of my favourite stores here finally get some in.

I think I might go to Three Bags Full and see if they would be will to order some for me directly.

Anyway, enough complaining about the lack of customer service and the lack on not being able to fondle the yarn I'm not going back there ever again. I did purchase one ball of SWTC Bamboo in the parrot colourway and hank of baby alpaca that I know I could have supported someone I liked for a much lower price, but I hate leaving a yarn store with empty hands and we didn't have time to visit anymore that day. I sucked it up and paid for them knowing that that store won't get another penny out of me even if they had Rowan Calmer in Slosh and Garnet that I said I'll pay an arm and a leg for it I got enough to make knee highs with.