I'm disappointed to be leaving this review because I have both been a customer of this shop and a…read morevendor for the past few years. I've supplied my handmade sage bundles to the store for years and have always had a positive relationship with the person I typically work with.
Unfortunately, my most recent experience was very different.
A different manager placed a special order for 16 sage bundles. Because I don't keep that quantity on hand and she wanted to hand-select the bundles, I went out of my way to order additional product, assemble 25 bundles so she would have plenty to choose from, and drive to the store for the scheduled delivery.
When I arrived, the person who placed the order was not there, so another employee met me. She selected the 16 bundles and repeatedly commented on how beautiful they were and how nice they smelled. We actually had quite a conversation about the scent.
I was therefore surprised when, a week later, I was informed that the bundles supposedly had a "strong, unpleasant odor," that the shop was uncomfortable selling or keeping them, and that I needed to come pick them up. I was also never paid for the order.
When I returned to retrieve the product, the interaction was rude and dismissive. Another employee even unnecessarily commented that the bundles smelled like "weed." Having worked with sage for years, I found this particularly surprising because the bundles smelled exactly as they normally do - like dried sage. I had not changed my suppliers or the way the product was made.
To make matters worse, the bundles had been placed in plastic zip-top bags stacked on top of one another, which crushed and damaged some of them.
I understand that a retailer may occasionally decide a product isn't right for them. What I found unacceptable was the way this situation was handled: a special order was requested, I spent money and time preparing it, drove a considerable distance to deliver it, the product was accepted and complimented at delivery, and then the shop refused to pay for it, mishandled the product, and required me to make another trip to retrieve it.
As a small business owner, my time, materials, and inventory matter. I would have appreciated basic professionalism, communication, and respect for the fact that I was fulfilling a specific order for a business that had successfully carried my products for years.
This experience was especially disappointing because of the long-standing relationship I had with the shop. I hope the management will take this as an opportunity to consider how vendors and customers are treated, particularly when someone is placing orders for products they may not be familiar with.
Unfortunately, based on this experience, I would be hesitant to recommend this shop to other small business owners as a place to wholesale their products.
