apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

it's a brilliant idea. his salespeople are useless snots, so why not eliminate them altogether?

oh, and he's no prize either. fat jerk has no respect for his customers.

YAY! A way to shop them without having to deal with their weird dour/dramatic vibe and seeming disregard for customer service!!! Hoo-rah!

(Assuming you want to reward a vendor like that with your hard-earned dollars, when so much of their stuff can be found elsewhere... um, it wasn't their WEBSITE that needed the biggest retooling...)

Hey, let's be SOMEWHAT civil... Leave anyone's weight out of it.

the website is annoying, endless messaging and loading adn everything is in flash. who the hell wants to see that intro for seconds rather than their actual products, and no skip button.

I can find these same products at other sites for much cheaper.

I didn't even look at the prices, because all I want to do right now is pay for what I've already got. But I think the site is pretty, and if anyone has been scratching their heads wondering what to get me for Christmas, that ceramic serving set with the pinched square in the middle with the pinched ovals surrounding it woud do me just fine; I like the colors, and everything.

After a really bad experience with this store last year, I would not shop with them again and would gladly spend my dollars elsewhere. I purchased something that cost about $150 and was told by the clerk that it was definitely returnable for a refund if it did not match. Surprise, surprise, poor customer service: when I went back to the store to return the item, I was told that I could return it, but only for a store credit! At the time this was posted nowhere by the register, although this may be different now. It really bothers me when I go out of my way to ask a question like that and have no recourse. Would not shop here again!

I don't shop at places with no vowels in their names unless i'm in eastern europe....and from everyone's postings, it seems this rule has served me well.

it's too bad that others have had negative experiences at this store, it's so important in this era of the big box retailer to support local shops and services. i don't boycott the big box guys but i try to shop at specialty stores for customer service and their merchandising point of view.

I'm all for supporting the local shops and businesses but will only do so if i feel appreciated and respected when i do so. I've also given this business about five shopping experiences and have left each time annoyed and wishing I had shopped elsewhere.

Nice website design but it is painfully slow loading!!!

Wow! I thought it was just me, but it seems that the staff at this store is rude to everyone. Last time I was there, the clerk glared at me because I dared to actually buy something, which distracted him from his Budweiser. Much as I prefer to support local businesses, I'll take the nice folks at Container Store over the jerks on Greenwich.

Mary -
So FUNNY you should mention Container Store! Every single person that ever helped me there was nice to me, they were articulate and knew their stock and knew how to help me figure out how to deal with their stock. It was almost disconcerting!

The Container Store is a frequent winner of the "Best Places to Work" award. So, employers take note: a happy workplace yileds happy employees. And that, shockingly enough, sometimes even leads to happy customers!

I have to cast my vote for the Container Store as well. The guy I spoke with really knew his stuff and although it was busy in the store, he never made me feel rushed. As for Mxyplyzyk, I've never shopped there because I had heard from others that it was an unpleasant experience. With all the competition out there, how do they stay in business?

I like the Container Store and agree with previous posters that the staff is knowledgable and helpful. But it really, really, irks me when they ask for (it feels more like demanding) my phone number.

I think the lack of a response here from the owner speaks in volume to the lack of respect, any sense of care, and poor customer service with this business. It's great for them that they have this fancy new website, maybe they can invest some of the funds in PR.

wow! joe-i think you need to find a hobby!! you've been complaining for a year now. get over it man.

I'm shocked at all the negative responses regarding this great, neighborhood store. I've been shopping here for years and find the staff super friendly and the selection of products is always inspiring —it's the perfect gift store!

Hey, if the subject comes up (which it did), joe's entitled to react.

I want to like them, I really do.

And, while I still visit this store whenever I am in that neighborhood, I agree about the staff. Have never seen a smile, never been greeted when I walk in... and they always make me feel, if I do more than one "lap" that I am being sized up as a shoplifter. Plus, I've had staff practically knock me down as they race off to some unseen task and never even acknowledge. I even had one employee literally vacuum/sweep around me as I looked at merchandise. Jeez, sorry to intrude. And don't GET me started about when employees bicker in front of customers.

So mystifying, as I said before, since their merch and presentation have such a happy spirit and sense of humor.

The web has made almost ALL of their merchandise available elsewhere, so I'd rather buy stuff from places like Design Public that understand customer rapport and service, even if it does mean shipping charges.

This all seems a bit heavy-handed. First, It is very difficult to have any sympathy for a disgruntled customer as vulgar and mean-spirited as 'Joe'. And the second entry strikes me as having been written by a bitter industry insider... perhaps someone whose products are not represented in the store? I mean, what consumer actually refers to a store as a 'vendor'? At least two minutes later that same 'Patrick' finds his civilty and takes offense at Joe's phobia. But to be fair, some of this does seem valid. I too have been in this store and sensed the lack of a plastic smile and a rehearsed 'welcome,' or, 'have a great day'. But this store is owned and operated by human beings -- not a corporation (i.e. The Container Store). And it has managed to stay fresh and exciting and indeed well-priced for more than a decade in the midst of a barrage of copy-cats, sky-rocketing real estate, and the onslaught of strictly on-line retailers who conveniently avoid the many financial strains and daily stresses that come along with an old-fashined bricks-and-mortar business (i.e. Design Public), including the often nerve-racking face-to-face contact with 'snotty' customers like our dear 'Joe'. Any of us who have ever worked in the service industry know that an average 'Joe' can ruin your whole day. But being a New Yorker, I can take it. I will choose to risk minor cuts and bruises to my hardened consumer soul at the hands of an independant maverick anyday, over the canned massiveness of the majors, or the virtual anonimity of the web.

MXYPLYZYK is my FAVORITE store in New York, possibly the WORLD. Vent, losers, vent! Don't shop there if you don't like it. That place is the BEST, and I don't want to meet crabby people like patrick and joe while I'm shopping there!

There is more to the story than some may know. There is more to tale hidden deep within the layers.
One cannot jugde what one does not understand.
They are humans not machines if you cut them they will bleed put yourself in their shoes imagine their lives.
Not everything is what is seems.
I love their honesty, i love their truth.
I would rather shop at a place that was real than at a place where they pretend to care.
Now look in the mirror what would other reactions be to you? ( be honest we are all bitches sometimes)

Looks like the staff or owner may have found this post, or someone with a really strong alliance to this store. If you can't handle being critiqued, then do not send notice of your new website out. "Vent, losers, vent!" Really, grow up.

Again, the problem with these comment boards is that any person may write anything they wish, real or imagined. Mxyplyzyk is my favorite store in NYC. The staff is top notch - I've always received great customer service from them. And you cannot beat the free gift wrapping. Sounds to me like this "joe" and this "patrick" have some sort of personal gripe against this great place.

This is a great store -- been shopping there since there was a ravioli shop next door. I'm so glad they're online now: ABOUT TIME! Sometimes the prices there are cheaper than other places like the Container Store. Never had any problem with the staff -- always seemed friendly. Good vibes -- fun place to shop...

yes, yes, remember the ravioli shop? and the cute boy that owned it? the only thing good about losing that pasta shop is that mxyplyzyk expanded. i think they have very reasonable prices, they have votivo candles for less than anywhere i've seen. and those huge bars of soap, cheap too. once in awhile somewhere like crate & barrel may have something they have, only a LITTLE cheaper, but they're a huge retailer. they do seem to be busy in the morning with boxes everywhere, the staff IS a little occuppied with doing that so i try to go later when i get better service. that may bother some but i'm not a morning person anyway. they have to get the merchandise out, no? i've lived in new york my whole life, a little attitude doesn't bother me none. besides places like the container store, home depot, the OUTBACK for crying out loud, DO NOT BELONG in New York City!!!! some places & people are better suited in the burbs.

Oh yes Janice that ravioli boy was very cute!!