Pottery Barn Is Anti-Box
Today I stopped by my local Pottery Barn to buy a bridal shower gift. It's a kitchen-themed shower, which limited my gift choices somewhat, but I found a little condiment tray that the couple had registered for, and I thought it was cute. It was a wrought-iron tray that held three glass bowls that you use to hold ketchup, mustard, Sriracha, Tabasco, or any sort of sauce or dressing. I figured I'd get the thing boxed up and maybe add some spice mixes and write a little note on the card about "spicing up marriage." (Hey, what are bridal showers if not cheesy?)
So I took the tray up to the register and I asked for a box. The cashier stared at me blankly. "A box." I repeated. "I'm taking this as a bridal shower gift, and I need a box for it."
There are two sizes of boxes behind the register: small and slightly larger. Neither was large enough to hold the tray, which was about 14 inches long and 5 inches high. "Maybe you could put it in a bag," the cashier suggested.
"But won't the glass bowls rattle around? I'm driving all the way to Northridge for this shower. I want a box," I said.
"I'll see if we have some in boxes in the back," the cashier said. She then explained to me that it is Pottery Barn's policy not to put items out in boxes, so whenever they get a shipment, the people in the warehouse take everything out of the boxes and throw the boxes away.
"Well, what happens when someone needs a box?" I asked.
"I don't know," she said. But she thought that maybe there were a couple of trays that hadn't been unboxed yet.
No luck. The warehouse guys didn't have any condiment trays in boxes. They also claimed to not have any boxes at all. Period. The cashier, to her credit, did try to help me out by going to another store in the mall to see if she could get a box from them. But alas, the box search was fruitless.
I didn't buy the condiment tray. Instead, I went upstairs to Crate & Barrel and bought something that came with a box. (I can't tell you what it is, because the bride-to-be may read this blog.)
Usually, I don't shop at Pottery Barn or Crate & Barrel. And now, I have one more reason to avoid Pottery Barn. No boxes. How ridiculous!
So I took the tray up to the register and I asked for a box. The cashier stared at me blankly. "A box." I repeated. "I'm taking this as a bridal shower gift, and I need a box for it."
There are two sizes of boxes behind the register: small and slightly larger. Neither was large enough to hold the tray, which was about 14 inches long and 5 inches high. "Maybe you could put it in a bag," the cashier suggested.
"But won't the glass bowls rattle around? I'm driving all the way to Northridge for this shower. I want a box," I said.
"I'll see if we have some in boxes in the back," the cashier said. She then explained to me that it is Pottery Barn's policy not to put items out in boxes, so whenever they get a shipment, the people in the warehouse take everything out of the boxes and throw the boxes away.
"Well, what happens when someone needs a box?" I asked.
"I don't know," she said. But she thought that maybe there were a couple of trays that hadn't been unboxed yet.
No luck. The warehouse guys didn't have any condiment trays in boxes. They also claimed to not have any boxes at all. Period. The cashier, to her credit, did try to help me out by going to another store in the mall to see if she could get a box from them. But alas, the box search was fruitless.
I didn't buy the condiment tray. Instead, I went upstairs to Crate & Barrel and bought something that came with a box. (I can't tell you what it is, because the bride-to-be may read this blog.)
Usually, I don't shop at Pottery Barn or Crate & Barrel. And now, I have one more reason to avoid Pottery Barn. No boxes. How ridiculous!
posted by Astera @ 4:24 PM
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