Crate & Barrel

I learned a valuable lesson today — Crate and Barrel does not sell mirrors or furniture through this store, it is «just a show room» — this is what I was told by sales people and managers.
I was looking for a mirror to stage my clients’ home, stopped by this store, saw nice Colby wall mirror on the wall, with $ 199 price tag, wanted to purchase it — I needed a mirror today — latest tomorrow. They refused to sell it!
Sales person and store manager said, that they do not have this mirror in back room, cannot sell the one that they have, and have to order one for me, that will be shipped in few days. When I asked why they don’t have it in stock, they tried to explain that the policy of a store is not to stock any large items at all. «We are just a show room»:). That’s ridiculous, as then we all are perfectly capable to do our own online shopping. And it’s not large — 23“x37″, small bathroom mirror.
Then I was told, that Crate and Barrel store on North avenue in Chicago has two mirrors, and the store in Schaumburg has a few, that I could drive there and buy it there. So, these stores have a different business model and are not just show rooms? This is really bad customer service, in my opinion, does not help to get more sales done. I got another mirror in 30 minutes from Pottery Barn, they keep their mirrors in stock. Crate and Barrel does not care to get sales done, and does not care to keep customers. it was a frustrating experience, and a waste of time.

I’m going with the «home office» area here instead of a specific store. Look, don’t they sell «upscale» stuff? I’m talking better thank Kirkland. So the thing is that they are really cocky and also create too much work to get stuff from them. I’m not a huge Costco fan but at least they feed you little bad tasting foods while you’re looking for that 1,000 rolls of toilet paper. Crate and Barrel? Try to get a swatch. Pleeeeze

One would think that when you are working with a customer service person at this store they would show you just that. Some customer service. I was in search of a specific item. I called the day before to find they had 11 of these items in the store. I came in the next day, and either someone couldn’t read, or 11 mini skillets got bought in a matter of 20 mins.
When the manager explained to me «the system says we have them, but we don’t», and I responded, «I called and you told me you had them, you said come on in». Then it turned into a he said she said, Well you didnt talk to me.
Bottomline I went into Sur La Table at NBC and they had the item I wanted, for a cheaper price, and did it all with a smile. Done with Crate.
Lost a customer.

Hectic. Overwhelming. Pandemonium.
But also… Fun. Festive. Everything you want your house to look like and have.
Of course, we went at Christmastime so that’s definitely one reason for the veritable stampeding of the clientele. Still… Maybe the store could be better organized so the risk of getting pushed into a display of colorful stemless wine glasses is lessened?

What’s not to love about Crate and Barrel. I have been both an employee (really fun atmosphere and they treat you like family! and you don’t have to fold clothes! People that I worked with from over 10 years ago still know who I am and always give me a warm greeting everything I see them) and a shopper. You can find anything there, from casual dining sets to more fancy. kitchen items (love their gadget wall) to furniture. Plus they have a new line called «Clean Slate» to help you organize anything! LOVE LOVE LOVE

Have the best products to stock up on summer necessities

I can’t find one of these urban stores in Florida because it’s hard to find a for real urban place in Florida. So I shop online. C&B offers a lot of wonderful bed & bath items. Luckily for their sales team, and of course for little olé’ me, they had a classy 6′ runner in stock.
When it came on the promised delivery date, I tore into the sealed package. That’s when I understood the Crate part of the store name. The natural fiber in the rug smelled like it was just off the boat. A few days airing in the Florida breezes brought it back to an acceptable aroma of civilized shore — and ok to throw down on the bathroom floor.

This Crate & Barrel is great! We went there for a special event they had to register and the the entire staff was super helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly. Sarah was helping us and she told us everything we needed to know, sent us off on our own, and checked in on us every so often to make sure we were doing okay.
Every time we looked at something new we had someone approach us and explain how to make a good selection, and what they personally would recommend. It was like they really wanted to make sure that you got something you would love and appreciate, but they were always really polite, not pushy at all.
This particular location is massive, so if you aren’t easily overwhelmed it’s a great place to register or just shop for home wares — including furniture on the second floor!

Since Crate & Barrel have refused to publish my review online, I feel I need to bring it to Unilocal because people NEED to be aware of this quality issue with the Harbor bedroom set we bought online.
We absolutely love the look of this set. It took us 3 years before commiting to investing in the entire set (queen bed, 2 nightstands and dresser). When we finally did we were over the moon and I was very strict about not using any kind of chemicals in the room (perfume, lotions, etc) because I didn’t want anything to get on them. 6 months after we got the set, I noticed the headboard paint was blistering. Little spots all over and nothing had been sprayed near it or even in the same room. We went to our local C&B after not hearing back from the customer service people for 3 weeks. They told us because we ordered it online in lieu of the store that there wasn’t anything they could do but as a courtesy they would contact them. Finally someone was sent out to look at it, determined it was a defect and they replaced the whole bed, which we were satisfied with.
Now, 9 months later we’re having issues with the nightstand. I sat down a chapstick on the nightstand (standing up) and it must’ve gotten knocked over and the next day the paint was completely softened and eaten through to the dark underlay. Are you SERIOUS!!! Keeping anything on top is rare but come on, this is like museum furniture… not for being lived in. My husband is furious because they don’t sell the Harbor paint for repairs and I refuse to pay for a less than 1 year old nightstand to be repaired so I will take care of the tops of both nightstands with a QUALITY paint and a coat of poly. We agree we will never again buy any big furniture pieces from C&B. We were duped into thinking we were paying for quality workmanship and instead this is the worst furniture we’ve owned and we’ve owned some pretty cheap stuff over the years. High prices do not equal quality.

This Crate & Barrel is well-​stocked, the staff is always helpful, and the parking situation is way, way better than at the North & Clybourn; unfortunately, however, this location does not have a Marimekko shop.

This location is GREAT! It’s a large, stand-​alone store in the parking lot of Northbrook Court. I really like coming to this store as it’s so large. They’ve got a nice selection of goodies to buy. Great houseware stuff. Prices, meh. Love their stuff, though. I’m itchin to buy new dinnerware from here.
Definitely recommend stopping by this location!

Crate and Barrel is one of those special shops that you go to to buy the beautiful things that you need. And the things that you want for the kitchen, but the special thing about this location is the furniture upstairs.
I went there the other week and ordered three beautiful, reasonably priced cabinets with glass doors, which were supposed to be delivered on tuesday. Diane, the woman who was helping us, told us that we would get a call on Saturday to schedule a delivery time for Tuesday.
They didn’t call on Saturday, but they did call on Sunday, and the cabinets were delivered ½ hour early on tuesday! Simply wonderful service and an incredible product — I’ll definitely be back!

There is always something to buy at CB. I have a house full of funiture and accessories. The quality and timeless style can’t be matched. They prices are on the high side. But if you factor in how long the piece is going to last. It is very resonable. This is a great place for gifts. They give you those heavy duty boxes which is a great marketing ploy. Everyone knows where you were and there is no need for wrapping paper. When you walk in with one of those, they know there’s something good inside. When I am in the area I come here because the mall has a lot of unique stores.