Very strange, confusing and disappointing experience here the other day. I bought something online and because the company allows these to be returned in stores, I looked up their shop policies, which on their site in a big banner-like sign, they proclaim "Our Stores are open ... Welcome!" So okaaay, I make the trek down to Stanford mall, and get there, try to open the door, which is locked. I pull harder on the handle, thinking maybe it's stuck. But nope, it's locked. A shopkeeper from inside opens the door with a mask on (which is a good thing :-), and says to me, "Do you have an appointment?" I'm thinking, "A what?" I'm clearly confused about this, and say, "No." I tell her that their website simply says their stores are now open, which is misleading the customer to think that it's the usual 'walk-in' protocol. And if this is incorrect, they should advertise this as such. She says nothing to this. We have a bit of a back and forth, where she says everyone needs an appointment. I look into the store, which because the front is all glass, I can see nobody is in there. I say, "I need to make a return, which should only take a minute cuz I have the packing slip and ID." She says that I need an appointment, and I plead my case, which prompts her to tell me that she'll ask her manager. Off she goes only to return a minute later to tell me "No," I must make an appointment. The way they're operating makes me think it would be easier and faster to get a minor surgery done. I ask her when is the next available appointment, which turns out to be 35 minutes later. I cool my heels for half an hour, after which she comes back to escort me inside. Again, I'm the only person in this place, which they're guarding like a fortress. I hand over my return and slip. The entire process takes almost 15 minutes. Seriously. No joke. I'm not sure exactly what she and her manager were doing, working at a glacial pace, very odd experience. My husband joked that while were waiting for those 35 minutes, we went next door into Banana Republic, and in 10 minutes, he chose a shirt, tried it on, modeled it for me, and bought it in less time than the time it took Johnny Was to do a simple return, which warranted only for them to scan the barcode and automatically send me a receipt. This, btw., they apparently couldn't generate either. In addition to the email they sent me, I wanted a paper receipt, again this was a no go, proved to be beyond their capacity. Though the woman who initially greeted me was friendly enough, the manager was about as cold as they come. Not sure if she was having a bad day, but no matter: she ought not be in customer service. She cannot make eye contact, couldn't acknowledge me at all, not once, despite that I was the only one there. As for their store and merchandise, very limited meager inventory. I was shocked because their online stuff is so varied, though the fact they get sold out of a simple tee means they need to ramp up their supply. But back to the shop: tiny little place, artfully draped with gorgeous things, but very tiny sampling. Before entering the store, I was eager to hit their sale rack. But the whole experience as so bitter, I wasn't at all motivated to shop there and spend money over there, not to mention that their stuff is expensive. Still, I would've splurged had the atmosphere been good. The strange thing is they acted as if they do NOT want customers there. What with those locked doors and cold, off-putting service. This was in stark contrast to the rest of the Stanford Mall, where all shop doors were open, where they were simply requiring people to wear masks and maybe limiting how many people could be in the store at any given time. All this is totally understandable and justified, given the pandemic times. A gorgeous sunny day, people walking around with melting ice-cream cones ... and there's Johnny Was--sterile, uninviting, austere, cold, uppity 'appointments,' I will not be going back. JW--you want to thrive in a capitalist economy? Get your act together people. read more