This is specifically for the alameda store! Horrible customer service, when you have more employees than customers in the store you'd think you would get some sort of assistance. Not in alameda Michael's. FYI this is after 3 trips to Michael's within a month! read more

Apparently, Michaels like to request feedback on their services only if it is good feedback. If it talks about how poorly their online ordering service is or a product that they sell, they will stop your feedback on their site and ask you to rewrite it more acceptable review. So you can't express your negative feedback on their website. Apparently, writing to their CEO does nothing to either because he or his staff doesn't reply back to emails. It is a shame however; it has been a theme in the way big companies operate. In my opinion, you should stay away from ordering online with Michaels for anything. read more

Great customer service! Thank you KAYLA!! You helped me out with me with what I needed tonight! Thank you so much for you positive and bubbly personality, you are very appreciated! read more

For your framing, arts and crafts needs, Michaels is now in Alameda. This Michaels is located at the new Alameda Landing shopping center. So it is a new store and since the shopping center is relatively under the radar, the store has not been crowded the three times that I've shopped there. Service has been helpful and friendly and store well stocked. For extra savings, remember to bring your Michaels coupons from their weekly circular or get it online. read more

For the past decade, I have relied on Michaels as the go-to place for buying Testors enamel paint and Testors fluorescent enamel paint. At Michaels, these paints are available as individual bottles, and also as boxed kits that contain either six bottles or nine bottles. These boxed kits include a brush, but the brushes are suitable only for spreading the paint over large surfaces, and cannot be used for painting detailed images. And so, for painting images, I use this brush: "Spotter PRINCETON velvetouch 3950MSP," and I modify this brush by using an XACTO knife to cut off all of the brush hairs, except for three or four of the brush hairs. Although the Testors kit also comes with thinner, I prefer to use "WEBER artists pure gum turpentine" with these enamels. In the past few years, I have bought enamel paints from Michaels at all of these locations in California, but most often at the Alameda location: (1) Alameda; (2) Santa Ana (Bristol Street); (3) Mission Viejo; and (4) Poway. On a rare occasion, I use this enamel paint for painting my name on my computer and on my camera equipment (tripods, telephoto lens, camera). But usually and frequently, I use the enamels for painting compact discs, after burning a compilation of music on a blank disc. Photographs of some of these discs are attached. SHOPPING ENVIRONMENT. Michaels in Alameda occurs in a humongous shopping center, and so there is always parking within 50 feet of the front door. Often, there is a short line at the checkout counter, and the line moves quickly and there is often two checkers. Usually, I bring a loupe (magnifying glass) so that I can read the very tiny print on the labels of the enamel paint, but once I forgot, and so I asked one of the employees to tell me if the paint was glossy, or matte, or fluorescent (I could not tell on my own). The employee, a tall man, glanced at the label and read it easily. I thanked the man, and exclaimed, "You must have magic eyes, to be able to read print that is so small." SMALL CANVASES. From Michaels, I have also bought small canvases (5 inches by 6 inches) mounted on wooden frames, for use with acrylic paints. To date, I've painted six of these miniatures, where I copied my photos from my trips to Oregon and to Glacierless National Park. These include paintings of Silver Falls and Mt. Hood in Oregon, and of Hidden Lake in Logan Pass at Glacierless National Park. PICTURE FRAMES. From Michaels, I have also purchased ready-made wooden frames (19 inches x 25 inches) and custom-made aluminum frames (3 feet x 4 feet), for my landscape photographs. Fortunately, Michaels carries non-reflective glass called, "museum glass," which I use with the small frames. Also, Michaels carries non-reflective clear plastic, which I use for my large frames. I bought twentyfive of the smaller ready-made frames and five of the large frames. The technical staff at Michaels has always done a perfect job at mounting my photos inside of the frames, and assembling the frames. read more

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This 5 Star review is for the manager, Jeffrey. I came into this location to return some online purchases and the first manager Valerie was happy enough to turn me away because the online SKU was not in their system. But Jeffrey understood that this would have resulted in a terrible customer experience once I pointed out the message on my receipt saying I could return this at a store location. He found a solution and accepted the return graciously. Attitude is everything. Thank you Jeffrey. read more

This is my go-to Michaels store. It's big, clean, and there's always an employee you can ask for help. I didn't realize that Michaels and Aaron Brothers were sister (brother?) stores until my dad asked me to get him an ink pad and the Aaron Brothers in Emeryville didn't have it. The employee there recommended I go to their sister store, Michaels. I lucked out and found a 50% off coupon online and got it for pretty cheap. Always use a coupon; many Michaels items do seem a bit more expensive than if you got them elsewhere. If you are planning to buy a frame, definitely check elsewhere as well if you don't have a coupon to use. Tons of free parking right outside and a clean bathroom. read more

Total purchase including tax is $26.74. But $31.98 was charged to my credit card. I pointed out at the checkout, cashier didn't credit me. Gave me the name and phone of store manager and told to call back. Called customer service and store manager a few times before giving up as I was kicked around different department entities. Very bad purchase experience and poor handling of their own error. read more

Michaels - Receipt - Arts & Crafts Near Me - Alameda, California

Customer service here sucks. I DO NOT recommend doing in store pick up unless you're willing to wait a couple of days. Even though the website says order would be done on the same day. I put my order in at 10AM and went to run my errands. Arrived to the store at 12PM, 3 employees were at the front door talking. No greeting. Online pickup cart was empty. I browsed around the store for 30 minutes, meanwhile, all the items I purchased online were displayed and I could've just purchased there but already placed my order online. When I went up to the woman who was doing the online orders to ask for an update on my order, she sounded annoyed that I came too early and asked her. She told me i was supposed to wait for the email and it would take at least 7 hours. Mind you, she wasn't even browsing around for any items and it was 3 hours into the store opening. 7 hours passed and no email for pick up. So I called corporate the next day to have them cancel my order. Lo and behold when I finished with corporate 30 mins later my pick up email was sent to me... what an INCONVENIENCE their in store pick up is. I could've just picked up the items myself in 10 mins flat, and I don't know my way around the store well. Learn from my mistake. read more

I had a picture framed at Michael's in Alameda. A young man named Kai did the frame work. I was so impressed with his attitude, knowledge, skills and his kindness. Kai did a perfect job. He kept his word and I am a happy customer. He directed me throughout the store to find other items I needed to shop for as well. I highly recommend Kai to do your framing. You won't be disappointed. Thank you Kai. Paula White read more

This our new go-to Michaels store since it is a lot closer than the Emeryville one. I almost always take advantage of their coupons. Coupons that we find in the paper, the mail, or online include "Buy One Get One 1/2 price." I had a very good experience with the employee at the cash register when I had to return an item and exchange it for a larger size. She simply said that it was no problem and was pretty quick about it, too! read more

Michaels - Arts & Crafts Near Me - Alameda, California

Looking for plain, white poster board. Was referred to wrong aisle by unpleasant associate. Found white sheets of paper on my own but not plain poster board and most pieces were ripped and damaged. Went to cash register to get help. Pointed out damaged merchandise. Sales associate very unpleasant, pointed to some shiny paper and told me to use the back, which had price stickers on it. She walked away. I left. The store was a complete mess with cranky associates, damaged products and I will never shop there again. Went to art supply store in Oakland and got what I needed. Helped by pleasant, helpful people. There's a difference between being short staffed and out and out rude. read more

Great selection of arts and crafts supplies but almost no customer service. I was looking for stuff to make a flower crown and could not find anyone in the store to help me for 10 minutes. I finally followed a lady all the way to the back of the store while shouting excuse me. She was very irritated about helping me. She said she doesn't know anything about the floor just her department. I ended up browsing and hesitatingly bought some stuff. read more

I just picked up another art piece expertly done by Aaron Brothers framing inside the Michaels Alameda store. To date this is the 11th art work framed at this location. I want to give a shout out to Dion and Devontre (hope that is spelled right!) who are both so sweet and talented, they always spend plenty of time assisting with just the right frame and mat arrangements, so far always perfect for the piece! I have used several frame shops in the area and so far they do the best job, they even re-did a piece that was a disaster by another shop, I will continue to use them and highly recommend read more

Michaels - framing by Dion and Devontre - Arts & Crafts Near Me - Alameda, California

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To make an extremely long story short: this review is for Criselda, the worst "manager" I have ever encountered in any industry. -- I ordered and paid for my items (needed for a funeral I was headed to which is why I absolutely had to have these ready by the time I got there). -- I placed the order 2 hours ahead but FINALLY got to leave 1 hour after entering the store . -- Criselda did not know how to find the items I ordered so my husband and I gathered them for her. -- Criselda did not know how to work the tablet that's supposed to check-out/retrieve my items for me to sign for. -- Criselda dictated every employee she was near to do her job because her words, "I don't know how to do this so just do it!" -- Criselda answered the store phone and put the customer on hold for five minutes which resulted in the customer calling right back. When the phone rang, Criselda knew it was the same customer she put on hold and ordered a nearby employee to answer the call. The customer on the line demanded to speak to a manager, the employee who was belittled to answer told Criselda this, and she told the employee to tell the customer, "the manager is busy" so she needed to handle it. -- A large ticket item that we needed was damaged and there were no others to choose from so Criselda told us she'd give us 15% off but would need to go to the front of the store to get the discount. As we all walked to the front together, she literally forgot mid-walk why she was walking with us and assumed she was walking us out of the store. (insert palm to face slap here). -- After reminding her that we walked the short distance from the back of the store to the front of the store because she told us we needed to for the 15% discount on our damaged item, she again yelled at another employee to handle it. Her name was Elisa. -- Elisa was such a sweetheart and kept mouthing, "I'm so sorry" on behalf of this so called manager of hers (she even gave us a 40% off coupon to use for a later time just to try to salvage the situation). -- As Elisa was so desperately trying to help my husband and I, Criselda kept criticizing her throughout the entire process but wouldn't (more so couldn't) fix the problem. -- Elisa needed several over rides because Criselda returned, purchased, returned, purchased, returned, purchased my items over and over and over again trying to figure out how to give us the 15% off. -- Criselda finally came to the conclusion that she didn't know how to work the register so she returned two unrelated $9.00 items of mine and re bought them at $4.50 each. The item that was supposed to receive a 15% discount was $85.00. (again, please insert palm to face + an eye-roll here). -- Criselda kept getting frustrated with us because she didn't know how to work the register, the tablet to retrieve the online orders, and that her employees kept apologizing for her. All in all, I ordered my items online hoping they'd be ready by the time I got there (again, I needed it for a funeral I was heading to) but instead, spent an hour in the store locating them myself and watching every employee try to teach Criselda how to do her job. read more

this is a big thank you for the manager of the Emeryville store. after shopping,I was stranded without a phone and my car stuck in park. AND AAA road service was being unhelpful. the manager knew which button to push to get me out of park and on my way. Thank You!!! read more

This location tops the Emeryville store on all levels. 5 stars for customer service, cleanliness, and readily available stock. The manager, Elizabeth, was understanding and assisted me with resolving my online order issue. read more

I normally don't call out employees by name in my reviews, but CRISELDA deserves to be called out for her lack of customer service as well as how she treats her employees. My wife ordered and prepaid via online over an hour prior to coming into the store. Once we got there, CRISELDA was putting together our order, and she only had one item so far. She let us know she didn't know we would be in that soon. She then ordered another employee to help her because she didn't know how to mark the item in their system as retrieved. After the employee finished explaining how to do it, CRISELDA said, "Sorry, I wasn't listening. I had to do this." When she said "do this", she was referring to scanning a barcode. Umm, CRISELDA, can you not scan and listen to your colleague answer a question you asked at the same time??? We let her know that we were in a rush (on the way to a funeral, which is what some of the items were to be used for). CRISELDA let us know it may take a while because she also wasn't sure how to complete online orders. In order to save time we offered to help get the items since we were in a rush. We found the rest of the items in less than five minutes, but for some reason, CRISELDA took longer to scan the items than it took for us to get them. During the scanning process, she picked up the phone and requested the customer hold. Over five minutes later the phone rang again. CRISELDA probably knew it was the same customer, so she yelled rudely for another employee to pick it up. The employee said the caller was upset and wanted to speak with a manager. CRISELDA told the employee to tell the caller the manager is busy and just help him. You could tell the employee was getting yelled at by the customer even though it was CRISELDA who put him on hold and didn't want to answer the second time they called. Also while CRISELDA was scanning, I noticed that the one item she retrieved for us was badly damaged. Seeing as we deperately needed it, I told her we'll get it, but can we at least get a discount? She offered 15% off, which we were fine with. CRISELDA then said she'd need to give the discount at the front of the store. She walked us to the front, but instead of going to the cash registers, she walked towards the door. CRISELDA then said, "You guys are set. You can go now." I asked about the discount. She admit that she forgot and then proceeded to the register. After five minutes of fiddling with the register and not knowing how to do anything, she rudely ordered a cashier to "do this return" because she doesn't get how to do it. Elisa tried but was unable to. My wife and I weren't upset at Elisa though. She was extremely nice and apologetic. She could tell our patience was running thin with CRISELDA. Elisa suggested we just get two items for free (both retailed at $9.99) since the return option didn't seem to be working for that particular item. This amount would have been slightly more than the discount we were supposed to get. However, CRISELDA was adamant that we can only get the 15% off the one large ticket item. Elisa was able to figure out how to give us the discount. Elisa was such a sweet lady, she must have mouthed, "sorry" to us three or four times, but CRISELDA offered zero apologies and became more unpleasant throughout the transaction, as if this were all our fault and her patience was running thin. In all we were there for one whole hour, even though we ordered and paid ahead online. This experience was so horrible, I'm writing this review in hopes that the manager higher than CRISELDA understands how rude she was, not only with us customers, but with her fellow employees as well. I also will be escalating this complaint to corporate in hopes that CRISELDA gets off her high horse and learns to treat others with respect. read more

Love this michaels! They always seem pretty fully stocked! The staff is really friendly and helpful. Tania is the sweetest, hard working, and helpful! She had a smile on her the whole time. She was quick to assist us and get us signed up for their rewards program. Get this girl a raise!! read more

If I could give one individual a review here, I would give Carrie SIX stars. Unfortunately, the reason I was able to interact with Carrie was because of an issue I had with a different employee in the framing dept., whose particular brand of customer service left much to be desired, and whose lack of care allotted to a very important and sentimental piece of mine made me question the place's integrity overall. I spent quite a bit of time with James (I think), when I dropped the piece off, which had been damaged when the roof of my garage developed a leak, choosing the right mat, perfecting the measurements for the 'float' within the frame, etc. We were using the original frame for the piece, which had some water damage, and which he said he would attempt to repair. The print itself was wavy, and needed to be flattened, and had some moldy spots, which I was hopeful we could cover with the new mat. I left the piece there feeling confident, and having spent over $150, was hopeful that the value would be reflected in the work. He gave me a slip for pick-up, with a date two weeks out. Great. Two weeks passed, and I went in to pick up the piece around 2pm on a Saturday. The young blonde woman peered at me from inside the shop area behind the framing desk, and said,"Can I help you?" I told her I was here to pick up my piece. Without asking my name, she told me that it wasn't ready. "Uh, are you sure?" I said. "My slip says it would be ready today." Abruptly, she says,"Well, it's not ready. What's your name?" I tell her my name, at which point she doesn't even bother looking in the stack of neatly filed, completed work. "Yeah, I haven't had time to get to that one yet." "Um, will it be ready today?" "Maybe, or tomorrow." "Ok.. Thanks." So, the next day, I'm at work, so I have a friend go pick up the piece for me. He does not inspect the work. Once I get home, and look at the piece, I am extremely disappointed. The piece is off center, the mat is actually dirty beneath the glass, the glass exterior has not been cleaned, the print was not flattened, and the frame was not repaired. My cat could've done a better job framing than this girl had. It was just so clear that she had simply cut the mat, when she felt like getting around to it, and then slapped it into the frame, and closed it up with brown paper. Just terribly lazy work, and for $160, a total rip-off. So, the following Sunday, I went in, and walked the piece back to the framing dept. The same blonde was there, and I simply asked to speak to her manager. The manager was apparently out for the day, but Carrie, who I think was a department lead, came and inspected the piece with me. She was as disgusted with the quality of work as I was, and told me that she used to work in framing, and that she knew they could do better. She took diligent notes of all the issues we both noticed, and made sure that we were on the same page as far as the expectations went. She told me she'd complete the work herself, and that she'd speak with the store manager to see if we could get something comped, for my trouble. She was kind, understanding, friendly- all of the things you want in a customer service manager. I didn't need to take a defensive attitude, or anything, because she *got it*. I picked up the piece the next day, after Carrie called me to alert me of its completion, and it looks stellar. The print was flat, corners of the frame were re-joined and repaired, glass was clean and new, mat was perfectly cut- perfection. And they gave me 20% back. Michael's is one of my favorite places, and in fact, was my second job EVER, so my loyalty to the place is strong. I'm really glad they hire good people like Carrie and the store manager, and hope that the blonde was simply having a bad day. I hope her days are better, and that she takes the care required to do a job well! There's nothing quite like taking pride in one's work, after all. read more

I was hesitant to write this review, because in my hometown I used Michael's frequently and always enjoyed the experience. This store does not seem to have the same standards. 1. They are always out of stock on items I need. They were out of stock of 4mm EVA foam for 4 months (and still don't have it as I'm writing this), they don't have contact cement or small squeeze tubes. They are missing a lot of basic crafting supplies which makes my trips here pointless, because I end up driving 20 minutes to Joann's instead. 2. The staff do not know the store. They have no idea what products they have or where they are. I came in looking for Rit Dyemore (polyester fabric dye). I couldn't find it and was told by the man I asked (an older gentleman with glasses) that they didn't carry it. I spent extra money on other solutions since they "didn't carry it." On a later trip, I found it in the store. They had it the whole time, and I spent extra time and money on another solution for no reason. 3. The staff are rude. When asking for help, I always feel unwelcome and like I'm bothering people. I've been told stories by younger staff to the tune of "everyone called out today, we're always so understaffed." The management should ensure proper staffing so the employees are not so unhappy and rude. 4. Coupons and price matching. They are so inconsistent. One day, I was able to price match an online store and use all of my coupons. Today, I was told at the register that they only price match recognized competitors (Joann's) and they only take one coupon per purchase. I would rather go to Joanns, where I can use coupons from any craft store and use all of the coupons I have with no limitations. I don't understand how Michael's only allows one coupon per purchase when they release 3-4 different coupons each week. Tl;dr : Rude staff, items always out of stock, and can't use my coupons here. Save your time and money and go to Joanns. read more

Brand new Michael's that I didnt even know existed. The shopping center that it's apart of is so new that the parking lot doesnt even have lights. If it wasnt for the big red "Michaels" sign I would not have known that this existed and was there. Service was good, I went it asked for an item and the employee promptly helped me find exactly what I was looking for. Checking out went pretty quickly as well since I was in a rush. Glad to know there's now one in Alameda! read more

Wow. Had the best experience ever. Super helpful team of people! Extremely professional, kind and patient. The cashier that helped us was Latrice and another manager(I didn't catch her name). They went above and beyond to extend great customer service and I will definitely be coming back to this location! read more

Woman at front door, Elizabeth, who I guess "thinks" is a manager, was extremely rude and had a very defensive attitude. Me and my mother were waiting to go into the store due to being "at capacity", which mind you, had not been enforced the two previous days we came in. This is also a large store and there were literally 5 customers inside. As one person was walking out, she was only going to allow either myself or my mother to come into the store, even though we were together, and my mother is disabled and needs assistance walking. She sat there at a table the whole time screaming to us from inside, didn't bother cleaning the carts for customers coming in and just being very snarky and definitely high on a power trip. She's rude, unprofessional and very flighty. I think her position within this establishment needs to be reconsidered. read more

The thing about craft stores is, you have to staff with knowledgeable, helpful, friendly people. Train train train. The staff here will act like their whole life is over if you ask a simple question. (My question: does this glue work in fabric? Answer I got: *deep sigh* "I have NO idea. Can you read the back?" ... Answer I should have gotten: "Unfortunately, no. However, we have a whole aisle of fabric glue on 47. Let me help you find it.") I just don't get why people can't try to be decent at their job. Go to the Michael's in Pleasant Hill. read more

This Michael's is super friendly and helpful especially Daniela, she was so helpful and knowledgeable about crafts and where to find the items we needed. We will be back! read more

So far I've had the worst experience, the staff is rude and the managers are even worse. I ordered 1 box online for my bridesmaids since they did not have enough at the store and I had a deadline they said it would take the most eight days to be sent to the store, I waited longer than two weeks. FINALLY I got an email showing the package has been delivered and signed off from an employee. I showed up to the store ask for my package and what do you know they tell me to "come another day" that my package has not yet been delivered and to try again tomorrow so i can talk to the girl who signed the package. Uh this just sucks. I ended up just buying it again at the store. They should not have open up this store until they knew there employees were properly trained. read more

Michaels - Waited so long for 1 box to get delivered. All my other "will you be my bridesmaid" boxes are finished. - Arts & Crafts Near Me - Alameda, California

Hooray! So glad this opened up in the little shopping area in Alameda. + THE SELECTIONS While this is not the biggest Michael's I've been to, this store still had a lot more items than the one I usually go to (in San Leandro). Their items are organized very nicely and neatly as this is a brand new store still. I love how there were multiple rows of floral arrangements for me to choose from. + THE SALES The sales here are amazing! I was able to buy so many different artificial flowers here for just $0.75! The scrapbooking materials were also on sale (60% off!) so I did not hesitate to fill my cart with all these goodies. I think it's also really strategic that they give you another coupon after you pay so they tempt you to come back next week to buy stuff. +/- THE SERVICE The line was incredibly long when I went and even though there were already 4 cashiers there, the line moved so slowly. When I got to the cashier, she acted like she didn't want to be there and kept complaining how she needed to be on a break from working. I tried to keep a positive attitude so she wouldn't feel as miserable but I didn't think it was very professional of her to complain to a customer like that. Good thing I kept my spirits up because she saw how I struggled to find my coupon on my phone so she gave us an additional 25% off my entire bill! read more

Really big and nice new Michael's. This is probably one of the biggest ones I've been to. They were in the middle of their Christmas sales and setting up for Valentine's day. They're still new and had a lot of empty shelves, but I think this will be a really good location. read more

Awesome and clean. I love being greeted by the cheerful workers when obdurate walk in. I'm not a huge crafter but I do like trying to make my eccentric (and yummy) cupcakes look cooler. Michaels has some cool decorative stuff for baking cupcakes, cakes, cookies and more. I'm glad this one is here. I used to have to drive about 25 minutes to reach the nearest one. read more

They have everything I need and almost all of the staff have been really kind and helpful. Smiling faces, friendly service, clean store that is easy to navigate. I come here for most of my crafting/decor/project needs. They have a lot of supplies for my spa too. read more

Wonderful arts and crafts Mecca! This store is brand new and fairly undiscovered. Has all your crafting needs. Staff are friendly and helpful. Everything is neatly arranged. Parking is abundant. Don't forget to download your Michael's coupon on your phone to get extra savings! If you live in Oakland, no need to drive all the way to Emeryville anymore! Score! read more

Michaels - Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas decor are here! - Arts & Crafts Near Me - Alameda, California

1 for customer service. I come here for my craft ventures from time to time just out of convenience. Products are fine, coupons are available, HOWEVER, the customer service is unreliable. On one occasion, a worker asked if I needed help with anything, and in the middle of me speaking with her she started laughing about something with another worker from across the way. The other occasion, I was at the register and I have a few items. While paying I thought I had enough change but I didn't, and said "aw it's ok", and looked up to see the cashier blatantly staring and saying "well I don't have any here for you". In both the times I visited, it's rare to here the normal "Welcome to ____!", and I get that it's work and they must be tired, but this is a job and professionalism is required. Very displeased. I'd rather order on Amazon from now on. read more

Came here to get a frame for a large poster. I got help pretty quickly, and they helped me find the best frame for my budget. The staff was friendly enough to help me get the poster framed inside and they gave me a teacher discount (I'm a middle school teacher). I would definitely come back here again. read more

Very clean & organized. Like most craft stores should be! I was fortunate enough to catch the 50% off floral sale, but it seemed like they were having sales on most items. I prefer this location over Emeryville. They opened a few months ago so let's hope they keep up the good work! Cashier wasn't the friendliest that's why three stars were given. read more

Yep, I'm going to be a Yelp whiner! This is the worst Michael's ever! I went looking for seed beads. First off, the staff had no idea what I was talking about. She asked another associate who also had no idea and laughed. She then explains to me that the store is much smaller than the Emeryville store so they have much less stock. She then tells me that Emeryville probably has what I'm looking for, "but that store is crazy!" Beezy! No it's not! I go to a store that has what I want, and I walk out a happy customer. Why is that crazy? Oh, because it's not in saditty ass Alameda??? Please! She then shows me the beads they have and low and behold, they're freaking seed beads... just the cheap ass, generic ones. I tell her "oh, these are seed beads actually" and swear, I said it calmly and evenly. She replies with a "hmph" and just walks away. Well, hmph! I'm walking away too. Michael's in Alameda, I'm over you. Hmph on you! LMAO! Jokes aside, I decided to buy one item. It was nothing I needed, but I figured why waste a trip, right? So I wait in line. There's only one cashier but another lady is behind the counter doing something else. Happens all the time in retail, so no big deal. I'm next in line. Then two more customers line up behind me and Three cashier that is open is taking days for some reason. Three is a crowd right? I think the other lady is going to open up but instead, she looks at the line and keeps doing whatever she was doing. Two more minutes pass and at this point, I've written this store off and their whack ass customer service. I put my item down and I'm out. I'll go the couple miles to Emeryville. It's busier and bigger, but the staff has always been cool and helpful to me. read more

I can see many other comments below about this location's bad customer service and I totally get it. I've been many Michael's but this place has some of the worst staffs including the manager, Tracy. I went to return some items that I ordered from online. When I entered the store, one staff greeted me and asked me some help then I explained my situation and she told me it's totally possible to return with an original receipt and sent me to the cashier's line. But then my worst experience started there.. The cashier who had an 1yr associate badge on her didn't know how to process return online order. And she kept failing and complaining out loud (wt..) with an attitude like she was very annoying but I understood because I saw her badge. Then Tracy, the manager came and little pushed 1yr associate what was going on. And Tracy didn't seem to want to teach her associate nicely. They talked (little like argued) each other, not even with me. Anyway finally I inserted my card to get refund to the machine not being sure which card I used before. I wanted and even started to explain it but she just ignored easily. First card didn't work twice so I tried to use the other card. But Tracy NEVER ALLOWED ME TO TALK FOR A SECOND and she, passing the items back to me, just told me that they couldn't finish the refund process because the system was not allowed to! Ahhh..! So I had to make my voice little louder to explain my card situation. Then finally (after attempting to speak 3 times) she listened and let me try with another card. And what? Of course it worked so quickly. Ah it was my worst experience of customer service among any of companies, stores or brands. I think Michael's, they never check these reviews but still definitely needs to improve customer service training. read more

Stopped into Michael's to have a receipt adjusted to a better sale price. Sierra was so helpful, friendly and patient! I had called prior to coming in and was told to "just bring the receipt", well we should have had all the items too. Sierra had to type in every single item to refund the purchase,then type in every single item for the adjusted price...whew! That's a lot of work!!! But Sierra smiled and was kind during the entire process! Thank you! read more

Didn't catch the girl's name but she literally pulled the patches I had been calling all over town for while handling the floor by her self. They are doing all they they can and more during this hard time for us all! read more

I dropped my 91-year old grandmother to shop for 90 minutes while I was at work across the street. Normally, I would never leave her alone, but due to a doctor's appointment I really needed to this time. She loves the Michael's close to our home (25 miles away). Thanks to Cynthia, the young woman who assisted her, I think this has become BOTH our favorite location. Cynthia spoke with her at the checkout and learned she was waiting for me. My grandmother was offered a chair near the registers and she told me how safe and welcomed she felt not having to wait outside. She couldn't stop talking about Cynthia and how wonderful she was for the 45 minute ride to her doctor's appointment. And trust me, she is not easily impressed. This location was also clean, well stocked and my grandmother was able to shop without feeling either pressured or ignored. NICELY DONE MICHAELS!!!!!!!! read more