Ugh, what is it about Arlington that makes the bakeries so shitty??? This is the third bakery I've visited in Arlington since moving here, and it's the third bakery in Arlington that I hate.
I walked in, saw how gross the shop looked and almost turned right back around and left. The fake cakes were grimy, everything in the display cases looked disheveled, the cookies all looked crumbly and misshapen and boring, the clearance items were roughly tossed or shoved into plastic bags and super smooshed, and they had mini pies out on display that looked like they'd been dropped a few times! But ugh, the lady's kids were there with her and I didn't want to be rude, so I stayed.
I was greeted literally one second after walking in with an annoyed "do you know what you want???" I told her no, this is my first time and I'll need a minute. She then disappeared without a word. I actually didn't realize she had left to go into the back until I asked a question about something in the display case and realized I was talking to myself. Uh... OK then. She eventually came back out, and I asked her what the specialities were, you know, the things they're proud of and that people come back repeatedly for. She kinda stuttered and fumbled and just said that they've been open for 23 years and everything is good. Uh oh, another terrible sign. -_-
I saw that they had prepackaged trays of 8+ brownies, danishes, some chocolate cookies with chocolate icing on them, and a few other intriguing items that actually looked tasty, so I asked if they have any for individual sale cuz I don't need 8 damn brownies. Plus all the individual items looked really boring. She acted annoyed again and just said no. I wasn't even surprised at this point. So I finally picked out what I thought would be a good assortment of the individual cookies to make a fair judgement of the business so I could just get the hell out of there.
Then, to the register. She gives me the total and I try to hand her my card, but she says in the most annoyed voice possible that they only take cash or check. Keep in mind that she never mentioned this to me when I said I was a new customer. At this point, I just laughed internally at the epic failure that this shop is, but politely said "ah, never mind, have a good day" and walked out. So glad that the ONLY thing I wasted here was my time.
Usually I like to offer suggestions on how to improve, but wow, this place is just a train wreck. I'm actually OK with brusque service and sloppy aesthetics as long as the product is delicious, that's why I not only tolerate Stein's bakery with their lukewarm service, I return embarrassingly often. But y'all? Nooooot worth it - I'll just drive a tortuous hour to Stein's. I'm so happy for you that you've made it 23 years...... Good luck with the next 23 years seeing as how you're stuck pretty much exactly 23 years in the past. If every single ubiquitous donut shop and all other types of low-dollar-amount-transaction places can take card... you're just plain lazy for not upgrading. You certainly lost my business not only today, but all the future times I would have returned what with being a stressed out UTA student with a sweet tooth. Good job!!! read more