Bed, Bath and Beyond (Seattle)

The staff (with an occasional exception) here works hard to provide top-notch (helpful, knowledgeable) service, which is a very pleasant surprise, as I wouldn't expect a store this size to be this way. (Compare a place like Target, Fred Meyer, etc., where the people are too busy and too few to really stop and answer anything but the most rudimentary questions). Very wide--actually TOO wide (what about taking a cue from Trader Joe's?)-- selection of household items on two floors. I have bought a few "turkeys," so it would be nice if they limited their enormous stock to the best of the bunch, so to speak, thus making selection easier. I have bought sets of Calphalon cookware, fleece blankets and a special "professional grooming" brush for my cat (it worked well the first time I used it to do a deep brushing), large Rubbermaid-type storage containers, massage machines, and so forth, here. You don't have to go out to Northgate, Fred Meyer, etc. It's all right here downtown, which is a boon to those of us who live and work close to downtown. Also, it seems a lot more "relaxed" than similar cavernous places which begin to resemble gargantuan beehives of human consumption activity. 20% off coupons land in your mailbox all the time and and are a good deal. No problems with returns or exchanges. Extra cashiers appear quickly when there are customers waiting in line. In case you think coupons are passe, read this: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/29/business/29coupons.html?_r=1&oref=slogin They also have a very liberal exchange/return policy, and at times, minus the receipt, I have returned items, usually for store exchange, quite a while after it was purchased. No arm-twisting, no questions... They do their best to provide pleasant service and keep your patronage. I appreciate this a lot. So, in other words, despite my basic anti-corporate bent, I'll have to admit, some of the bigger stores have some pretty good service (my Safeway on Queen Anne is another AMAZING example). Ditto Trader Joe's: those people work their tales off! And go out of their way to be helpful and agreeable, without "attitude." more

These totes are great for dorm rooms - load them up with your shampoo, conditioner, soap, washcloths, shaving cream, razor, and don't forget the flip flops! They don't take up much space either - just set it at the bottom of your closet or in a corner and on your way to the shower just grab your basket and your towel and you're set! No student should be without one of these! You can find these totes at Bed Bath & Beyond - they are exclusively theirs. They actually have an entire college section in their store so you can pretty much find anything you could possibly want and more for your college dorm room. Here is the link for the totes: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/Product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=108811 more

So Alex and I did the whole going to register at Macy's for our wedding deal. And yes it was fun to go around zapping random, and sometimes completely useless kitchen gadgets for people to buy. But there was something missing from the whole experience. I found it when we went to Bed, Bath and Beyond to register. You know, it's our fall back for our teacher friends, and newly out of college pals who we don't want to force to pay the big bucks. As soon as we sat down, they brought two baskets of treats for us to indulge in. Frappachinos, peanuts, granola, cheese and crackers... Yeah, pretty common snacks, but it was the thought that counts. I mean they made us feel like they value us as customers. On top of that, they offer free gift wrap with any purchase. You can't get that at Macy's anymore. more