Marcus and I have a three strike rule for businesses. We believe that everyone has off days and one bad experience at an establishment may not be a reflection of their typical service. By the third time, however, if service always sucks, then your business sucks and you no longer get the priviledge of us spending money with you.
Today was the last straw at a LYS (local yarn store). I was really excited when this place opened almost a year ago. I’m not going to name it, but it is located in the Lowry Town Center. If you know the Denver area, you may know of which I speak. It is the closest yarn store to my home (the one at Holly and Leetsdale failed my three strike test long ago) and I was really hoping that this place could be my new hangout.
The first time I went in, she had not been open long. There was very little yarn, but I chalked that up to being new. I tried really hard to find something I might like to buy, but as I had put myself on a yarn diet until I had completed a couple of projects, I couldn’t justify anything. The owner also has an annoying little dog that wanted constant attention. OK, I like dogs. I can overlook that. I didn’t issue any mental strikes yet because the shop was so new.
It was a while before I ventured back over. I was looking for yarn to make a felted bag. Every yarn store has at least one brand of felting wool in various colors, don’t they? Not this one. Strike one.
The second time I went there, I was looking for a particular color of a yarn I knew she had. Of course, she didn’t have this one particular color. I was going to ask if she could order it, but was too preoccupied with something else. I left. Strike two.
The third time I stopped in, I was looking for something tweedy to make a small sweater for a bunny that I’m knitting. I found something I liked, and albeit a tad expensive, I liked it and bought it.
Today was the final strike. Not only does she have one annoying dog, now she has two. The second one barked at me the minute I walked in the door and then continuously for the entire 10 minutes or so that I was browsing. She half-heartedly told the dumb dog to stop. Um, how about you stop surfing on your laptop and get off your butt and come get it away from me? “He just doesn’t like new people,” she says. Um, I could have been a paying customer. Even if I had found a chunky wool like I wanted (but big surprise – she didnt’ have), I wouldn’t have purchased it.
That’s one yarn store that I will not be sad to hear of its closing.
