On 12/6/16, I visited the Hallmark Creations store in the Long Gate Shopping Center in Ellicott City, MD and had one of the WORST experiences at a Hallmark store EVER. I have never received such bad service at any other Hallmark stores I've been to - and I've frequented a lot of them within the area every Thanksgiving/Christmas season for the past 12 years! First it seemed as this woman (a plus-sized African American woman in her 40's, maybe early 50's) was annoyed that she was called to the check out desk from the "Personalization" counter to help out with the ever increasing line. Well lucky me, I was the first one she got to help. I was picking up 2 ornaments that I had ordered online and had shipped to this store. After she was finished with the transaction, I asked if she could help me locate an ornament within the store that I couldn't find. She told me that the ornaments were located along the wall. I told her that I knew that ornaments were along that wall but I was looking for a specific ornament. Again she proceeded to tell me they were on the wall. I told her I couldn't find the ornament I was looking for on the wall. She said, "Did you check? Because whatever we have in stock is on that wall." I told her I did check and didn't see it and that at another store I purchased this ornament from had this specific ornament in a different location than where the Hallmark Keepsake ornaments were kept. She tersely told me that she couldn't leave the check out line to help me find it and that whatever they had was along that wall. Again after asking her assistance for the 3rd time I reiterated to her that it wasn't along that wall and that maybe because I was told at the Olney store that it wasn't a "Keepsake" ornament that it was kept in a different location. At this point this woman was clearly annoyed with me by her tone and posture and said to me, "Is it a Hallmark ornament or not?" I told her that it was a Hallmark ornament but it is not a "Keepsake" ornament. Then she said well it would be in the front of the store and that she could not help me find it because she wasn't allowed to leave the cash registers. I asked her where in the front and with an exasperated tone she said "there's a kiosk up front, you'll find it there." I thanked her and went on my own to find this ornament. I did end up finding it, but due to this very rude and un-Hallmark like service, I did not purchase it and ended up buying it from another franchise. Never had I ever been into a Hallmark store where I was told by an associate that they couldn't help me find an ornament. All the stores that I have ever been into, the associates were happy and willing to locate an ornament for me and if they couldn't find it, many were willing to even track the ornament down for me at another store, EVEN when they had gobs of people waiting to check out. In the past, I've been asked if I could wait until the other customers were first attended to for the Hallmark store associate to call around to other stores. NEVER have I been told someone couldn't help me and to go find something myself. And in fact, I came into this exact store a week before and an associate DID leave the cash register to help me locate an ornament. What horrible service! Due to this, I will NEVER come back to this store again. I will give my business to Pat's, Matthew's, or Banner's from now on! read more
