Michael's Arts and Crafts
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
10 reviews
San Carlos, CA
"Scrapbooking is still so fascinating to me in that the possibilities in creating a project are endless. There is no limit to the…" read more »
16 Reviews for Michael's Arts and Crafts
It was cool...I was kinda bored because I'm not really into planning weddings and that's why my fiance and I were there today. But i did find the model cars as a way to distract from the mind numbing boredness I was experiencing before.
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I love coming to craft and floral shoppes.
I was here today looking at the dired flowers for part of my centerpieces. (i'm trying to be inspired, only because I dont see any farmers markets in sunnyvale.)
Well anyways. Their wedding aisle isnt as huge as the one in SLandro.
I was ranged up by the trainee bitch who was confused about getting me change for a 100. COME ON!!!! Bitch you had other bills in the till
Looses 2 stars
-Cashier was hella nosey
-Cashier was on a lil trip to get me change for my 100
-I waited 10 minutes in line, when i seen people being swift with purchases.
-guy outside singing on a guitar
-Wedding Aisle was only limted to 2 half modules
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Because this particular Michael's isn't in the hottest location, the store pretty much has everything that you need right there on the spot, so you don't have to deal with rainchecks, empty shelves, lack of inventory, etc.
As freaky as this may sound, I've set foot into a Michael's probably once a week now for the past 2 months to look for wedding supplies. Michael's is a great place to find scrapbooking material and they even have a separate wedding section for you. If you're a do-it-yourself type of gal, then I'd highly recommend going to a craft store like Michael's to get all your needs. It's also worth it when you have their 40% off coupons to spend!
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I used to come here for all my art supply needs. They usually have what it is i'm looking for. From paint pens, watercolor paints, brushes of different sizes and shapes, watercolor pads, canvas, sketchbooks, etc. I'd choose this place over Aaron Brothers any day, and Tapioca Express and Fish And Chips is only walking distance from here.
I shop this store frequently because it's closest to where I live. But after today's incident I will never shop at this location again. I am a frequent Michael's shopper and I spent over $200 per month in average. When I finished a project, I usually would have items that haven't used and did not need. I have, of course, returned things at this store a few times, and one of the staffs recognized me. When I checkout today with a heatgun and some glitter to use for my new embossing project, I said to the cashier, "I finally found what I need!" (as I have asked her where the heatgun is located.) And then this staff who remembered my face gave my cashier a funny look (like rolled her eyes or something), and they both laughed. I didn't think of it much as I thought they're just joking about something else, and couldn't possibly insulting me. Then after a moment, she said to my cashier aloud, "She is going to come back and return them."
My cahsier was a bit startled and asked, "huh? what did you say?" She probably also thought that this remark was unappropriate to say in front of me.
Now I couldn't believe that staff, as if assuming I do not understand English, replied, "I said she is going to be back and return them."
My cashier did not answer, and pretended not understanding her.
I walked out of the door for a minute or so, poundering. Needless to say, I went back to the store right on the spot and determined to return all the things that I just bought.
The staff who gave the insulting comment was not in sight when I returned, and the cashier who helped me apologized for her behavior. She tried to soothe me and said, "Didn't you say you need these dear?" I simply replied, "I'm just doing what she told me to do, I am coming back and returning them." She offered to have me speak to the manager. But I did not want to aggrevate matter to the extend that I wanted to have her fired or have her record blemished, so I declined her offer and just returned the items. I was pissed. But not that the manager would care anyway.
In general, cashiers in this store are grumpy most of the time. I wouldn't mind if they make fun of their customers behind their backs, but insulting customers in their face is absolutely unacceptable. Such a shame for Michael's.
I like this location. They are never out of stock. Yah, the center it's in is slightly run down, and it is next to a Salvation Army...but, hey, it's in a good location (on El Camino), and they are well-stocked.
Avoid this place if you can. Go to the one in Cupertino on Homestead. The "stuff" in Michael's is fine, but the staff for the most part is horrible. There is an older lady that is negative The one with the accent is poor, but the other one turns away customers by letting everyone know how unhappy she is. She is often complaining about going on her break -- wonderful to hear when you get to her register after you've waited 15 minutes in line to pay -- or correcting other employees in public. People are not at all trained in customer service. They think it is about them, and customers are a 'nuissance.' It is not uncommon to have workers kidding or talking with each other in the aisles leaving only one person at the register with a line of 8 or 9 people waiting to be served. The newbies get stuck at the register (or the lady complaining about her break). The lady in the wool department seems helpful and the guys doing the stocking are okay. The new people are nice, but the regulars need some real help in being customer friendly. I only go there when I have to, and I actually drive out of my way to go to the Santa clara/Cupertino store on homestead. Avoid the sunnyvale store if you can.
It is an amazing store and their selection is slightly different from the Michael's on Coleman. I love scrapbooking, their selection of papers and stickers and stamps is just amazing! Nobody has a larger variety of silk flowers and most of them look so authentic! I think some home decor items such as glass bowls and vases and candles are more expensive than in some department stores. I also know Michaels merchandise is of good quality.
So you know something is sketch when every week, they put an ad in the paper for 40% off an item. You KNOW they aren't taking a loss on that item, so that means that just about everything is marked up like crazy. Knowing this, how can you really shop here?
Ok... with that being said... what is the deal with the framing? Is that the most obvious case of highway robbery or what? I went in there and asked for pricing on a piece of plexi for a movie-poster, and the price quoted was for more than $100!!!!! but you can get a frame WITH the plexi in it, for under $30!!! what gives!?!?!
For framing and stuff... I believe that Aaron Brother's is much better.
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This Michael's looks a bit more 'hood on the outside than the ones in Cupertino and West San Jose, but it still has all the same merchandise. Everytime they're out of stock at the other two Michael's, I go to the one in Sunnyvale and voila-- it's there.
i used to think the ONLY job function of a michael's employee was to restock things because of my previous encounters with other locations... even with that simple task, many would walk around with charts and inventory lists to help guide them through the mess... i figured since the store had so many tiny doo-dads, it would be a complicated task - and that was good enough reason for many store locations lacking sufficient customer service...
however, THIS LOCATION did not fall in that category. it was hard to find an employee close to closing, but that was a good enough reason to not be bothered by having to hunt down someone to ask about a particular item... the woman i talked to knew exactly what i was looking for, and even with my vague description, she pointed me in the right direction. i was in and out within seconds, with the straight pins i needed to support my model, and styrofoam balls of varying sizes.
on previous visits, i was looking for tools to start this model i was building, and all the employees on staff were SUPER helpful... i asked for a rabbit cutter, and even though they didn't have one in stock, they had at least 4 people on staff, banding together to suggest possible avenues in which i could persue to find the damned thing - they also apologized for not carrying something so simple in stock.
unlike the tully rd. location in san jose, and the milpitas one, people here knew what they were talking about, were much friendlier - and most importantly - they didn't hate their jobs so much to the point where they scorned every crafter with questions that came looking for answers...
thank you, michael's. [of el camino]... you've been most gracious. =)
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I'm all about being crafty and this location is most convenient for me to get supplies. But customer service here is horrible. The staff here seem to be oblivious as to what is where in their store. The numerous times I've been here the staff seem to be generally not happy people. Someone give these folks a raise or some alcohol!
I was having trouble locating a light-box and asked a staff member for assistance to which he replied, "If you can't find it, we ain't got it!" and he quickly walked away leaving me with a urge to stick my middle finger at him saying, "Thanks buddy!"
After combing all the rows where I thought it would be multiple times, I finally found one. Just for that it is deserving of my 1 star review.
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If you're crafty, like me, then here's your one-stop shop for your special projects. Prices are reasonable--some items are pricey. You may be better off finding it somewhere else for cheaper. Otherwise, you'll find some steals as well.
Be forewarned: Some of the employees will give you misguided directions if you're looking for an item. I was looking for drawing pencils, and an employee directed me to the wrong area of the store. Lesson learned. I've spent hours in that store since then, so I pretty much know where things are.
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Michaels is a great arts and crafts store. If you're looking for something obscure for a project (shrink wrap for gift baskets, a waterproof sealer for covering a surface in paper, over-sized sketchbooks, glass pebbles) you will be able to find it here. They also offer custom framing. The staff is hit or miss in their helpfulness and crankiness. Sometimes the prices are high and sometimes they are low. I was most recently surprised to find they offered wooden picture frames for $1. Decorating that is the perfect kid's project for a grandparent's birthday.
At my old apartment, we used to get a 50%-off-one-item coupon in the mail, so there must be a mailing list you can sign up for,
Usually simply being a crafty girl and waltzing into a Michaels is like fun. This Michaels location however feels like you walked into a wasteland. The staff are either invisible or look like they wish you were not there. It is difficult finding items and honestly, going to your local suburban garage sale might yield better results than this dump.
Very poor service makes me swear never to go back. Picked up some stuff and wanted to return it without a receipt, and between the 4 people on staff that afternoon, each had a different take on what should be done.
- you can get 40% of value back
- when we ran the product one fellow offered the full price back, but another clerk stepped in to disagree
- she goes: we need to ask the manager, not sure what to do
- manager: you can't return this at all.
We wasted a bunch of time with these bumbling clumsy fools, only to find out at the end that nothing can be done.
Nowhere on the receipt or on the return policies do they say you can't return, but they were adamant. Personally, never had such poor service and gotta say, they need to get their act together.
And I do agree with Angie, the place looks like a total warzone, no sense of organization and obviously the callous store clerks don't care.
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