| rev:text
| - Iron Law of Michaels (other than "omit the apostrophe"): Always Use a Coupon.
Since I don't take the newspaper, don't have a convenient printer, and my husband recycles all circulars before they can enter the house and become part of the slush pile of mail that already teeters dangerously on its designated stool, I used to avoid Michaels unless something I specifically wanted was on sale that week. Otherwise it would be too depressing to buy anything, knowing that almost every week there's a 40%-off (almost everything) coupon, if only you have the patience to get it.
Now Michaels has a smartphone app for paper-haters like myself, and the employees at this store have no problem scanning it. (Take that, hordes of restaurant servers who have yet to master Groupon's app.) Furthermore, the app sometimes offers daily coupons that you won't get in the mail.
You probably already know that Michaels is a big-box national chain craft store. I've been shopping at Michaels since 1980s in Texas and at this location since they opened. So, knowing what Michaels is and should be, how does this particular store measure up?
Well, if you measure the length of the check-out lines, you can see one reason that I can't give this store more than two stars. I'd give the typical Michaels store 3.5 stars, with 4 stars for ones with great staff and organization. I don't like the coupon-driven business model or the sometimes limited range of options in the stock (tending toward the cheap), and the employees rarely seem to have any actual craft knowledge, but Michaels in general will get the job done if you know what you want.
The people working the checkout have always been friendly, but I can't count the number of times I've simply put down my shopping basket and walked out because, even if I'm "only" a half-dozen people away from the (usually lone) checker, the wait has already gone too far into double-digit minutes. (Note: I usually shop in the evening, but I don't think I've ever had a good queue experience.)
My husband would tell you that he doesn't like the weird smell in any Michaels, but this one's floral/plastic/whatever-it-is scent does seem more heady, perhaps because the store is smaller than some. I don't know the actual square footage, but everything feels very crowded and seems to always be in a state of stocking/unboxing, like if you wander down certain aisles of a grocery store at 3 a.m. It doesn't make for pleasant browsing, just getting inspired like I can at other craft stores.
My final criticism is that the ongoing classes could be better advertised. The one-off make-and-takes and so forth get good coverage at the front of the store (kudos there), but every time I think I'm tempted to finally do a Wilton course, I can't seem to find a calendar or fee list. (The one time I asked an employee, she and the cashier on duty couldn't either, but that was over a year ago and hopefully is no longer the case.) Maybe if the store were less cluttered/messy I wouldn't miss it.
I hear that Michaels charges much more for Wilton classes, but that they often have sales or a coupon to make the fees comparable to Jo-Ann's prices. Again, this constant shuffle of "sale" prices that match regular prices elsewhere bugs me, but that's a Michaels-thing and not particular to this store.
Overall, this is not a bad place to shop. I give it two stars ("Meh. I've experienced better.") because I feel it does have some compelling store-specific issues: the wait times, the nice-but-always-so-harried staff, and the messy look of the store with a few organization issues. (Products that are in the same category - like stamps or stickers - are sometimes aisles apart.)
But, if you know you just want some champagne microbeads, AND you have your coupon (always bring a coupon!), this location will be perfectly serviceable. (And don't forget to check your receipt for another coupon.)
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)