I work within walking distance of Spoon-n-Yogurt and was very excited to hear Wausau was getting a frozen yogurt shop! I went the second week they were open with a number of my coworkers, even after hearing that is was expensive. All the girls that had gone before told me that they were paying at least $5 and change every time they had gone, so I brought a $10 and joined the pack.
The atmosphere is very colorful, and the toppings are fresh. The yogurt tastes like your typical frozen yogurt, and I do like having control of how much and what I eat, but that's really where my likes stop and my dislikes start.
First of all, their prices have been inconsistent. I usually get the same size container every time I go and fill it to the same level every time. The first few times, I paid more than $5, then all of a sudden, it's $3 and change, then $4 and change. I don't know if it was the tare weight on their scale? Now, they've jacked the price up from $0.48 an ounce to $0.52 an ounce and they've barely been open two months.
Secondly, I only had a few dollars in cash with me one time when I went, so I told the kid behind the counter to apply my $4 in cash to the purchase, then put the balance on my card (this was before they instituted the $3.50 then later $10 minimum for credit card transactions) and he was totally dumbfounded as to how he was going to accomplish this task. I too am of the calculator generation, but I've operated a few cash registers and POS machines in my day and I probably could have figured this out without looking too hard. Once I decided that using my cash wasn't going to be an option, I just asked him to put the whole thing on my card instead...but someone was on the phone. After looking around nervously for a few minutes, another employee stepped up to the plate to tell me that they only have one phone line, so they can't run a credit card at the same time someone is making a call.
In this day and age, when so many credit cards offer cash back rewards, there are a lot of people like myself who rarely carry cash. I've used my credit card to purchase a pack of gum and didn't bat an eyelash. If they want to remain competitive, they need to be able to accept credit/debit cards for all amounts. I realize that they have to pay a percentage on all credit card transactions, but that should be figured into operating costs.
Bottom line, after the price increase, the inconsistency and the ban on small credit card transactions, I don't think I'll be going back. I hear Wausau is getting a new Frozen Yogurt joint where the Cold Stone Creamery used to be...I'll go there instead. read more