Bed Bath & Beyond

I purchased a couple of items from this Bed, Bath, & Beyond store less than a week ago (in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington D.C.) that were of the Bodycology brand and one other item that I prefer to keep personal. Much to my pleasant surprise, both items were affordable and one of the employees who saw me approached me in a cheerful and dignified manner to make sure that I was finding what I was looking for easily (fortunately, I also was helped in a polite manner by one of the employees that I asked for help).

It’s been a real long while since I’ve been in a Bed Bath & Beyond store so when I got a coupon in the mail, I decided to check it – after all, it’s right across from Target. I was looking for a Veggetti (yay for Paleo cooking!) and a co-​worker told me you could get it from there. An employee greeted me as soon as I walk in the store. He asked it if I was looking for something specific and I told him that I was looking for a vegetable spiralizer. As luck would have it, there was a pillar filled with Veggettis – I just grab one and got on line. I gave my coupon to the cashier and I was out the door. The whole encounter from start to finish was probably five minutes – easy in, easy out. Good service! I just got another coupon; I guess that means more shopping!

Great experience yesterday and today. I bought a juicer from here yesterday. It wasn’t the brand that I was looking for, but it was recommended by one of the employees. It’s a Breville Juice Plus. Nick helped me at the counter and was extremely polite and helpful. I asked what the return policy because I was purchasing a juicer that I wasn’t quite sure about. He assured me that I could return it, just as long as I have my receipt. It was a great quality juicer, but I didn’t favor the clean up process and the force that it ejected the juice with on the exit side. I returned it today and the employees on the condition of the juicer. They asked me if I even took it out of the box. They were shocked to find out that I used it and boxed it back up so perfectly. I was informed that they were so used to the complete disarray of products when they are usually returned. It was a good laugh and definitely superb customer service!

Part Three of the Three-​Part Review ~ Did you Follow Along?
So after previous visits to Target and Modell’s I decide to come here because it’s Bed, Bath and Beyond and they have interesting stuff. if you’ve ever seen the movie «The Maze Runner», you’d know how I felt in the store. First there was the thumping sounds from above. Odd to hear and somewhat consistent. Something pounding the surface above. Turns out it’s Washington Fitness located upstairs. Then there’s the layout of the place. Like a maze. I was literally like: Do I turn here? Where does the next aisle lead? What’s around this corner? WTF?!” It was curious and kinda fun, esp. since this was more scouting trip than actually buying experience. At the end of the maze I found shelves of small travel-​type items in the CVS-​like section of the place. Some interesting stocking-​stuffer type stuff. I bought something for my teeth, worked my way around the poorly planned check-​out registers, noticed «Tabasco-​flavored Gum» at the check-​out (No Lie) and then left.
Mission Accomplished.
Maze Completed
No alarms went off on exit
Nice place with the requisite stuff. I’d come back
Four Stars for now…

My partner went to get a new humidifier when I was sick. They refused to let him use an expired coupon. We’ve used them at this location and all other bbb in the past. Not sure why this was any different!

I wanted to take a moment to thank Nina (manager) and LaTasha (might have been Tasha) (register) for their excellent customer service. I purchased the Curl Secret which has been fantastic, and they both were so helpful and provided such good service, I felt well taken care of and was smiling the rest of the day.

It has the stuff that its neighbor Target is supposed to have. The items are more condensed but at least the place is clean. Employees are not as active and helpful in the store as other BBB’s. It still has what you expect it to have and has some good deals near the registers.

Pro: Much bigger selection than the 7^th Street store and you don’t feel like you’re in a cave. Not as much as the suburban branches, however.
Con: Disinterested staff. Really disinterested. You’re interrupting their conversations with each other to pay for your merchandise. And you really have to speak up if you’ve got something bulky and need carrying handles, jumbo bag, etc.
I’ve been a loyal BBB customer since the chain opened its first stores on the West Coast, where I was living. Loved shopping the LA stores almost weekly and since moving east, enjoy the Philly stores near family — wonderful merchandise, well-​maintained, endlessly helpful staff. But there’s something really off with the metro DC branches: stores are messy (with ladders, boxes and other stuff all over the place, Rockville’s a lawsuit waiting to happen), service is awful, staff are awful. If there’s a regional manager, s/​he isn’t up to par with the rest of the chain. I’ve gone from very frequent customer to nearly never.

The store is clean. The staff are helpful. They are well stocked unlike other bb&bs in this area. There are lots of coupons and deals. The only bad part is there is no parking. Good luck finding a spot!!!

Well, with the amount of 20% off coupons and $ 5 off of $ 15 coupons, I really could do some serious damage here! (not to mention the fact that it is located directly across the hall from a Target = my wallet is in SERIOUS trouble!)
The store is pretty big, very clean, and very bright. While the staff are sometimes hard to find, I usually don’t need any help when I’m wandering around sorting through various matching bathroom accessories or the sale tables. It is a pretty high-​traffic area, so I can see there being a lot of opened returned items here. (guess they just make their way to the clearance rack).
It is particularly busy during the weekends (unfortunately, the only time I can get myself up there). So if you don’t mind fighting a bit of kids, baby strollers, and large oblivious groups of teenagers, it’s not a half-​bad trip. Also, the door alarm always seems to go off when I enter the store– annoying, but not enough to keep me from coming back!

Some of the best customer service I’ve ever received.
BBB isn’t typically the ideal customer experience, especially if you know exactly what you want before you go into the store. And yes, this particular location comes with the trappings of an urban big-​box store (busy, jostling, crying kids…) However, I recently received fantastic and attentive care from two employees here — one was the store manager and another was in Customer Service. This was also mid-​day on a Saturday, when the store is often busy with weekend shoppers like myself.
I came in with a list of items which I knew were not available in-​store and were in fact discontinued. These two helpful employees assisted me for nearly an hour, patiently searching inventories, contacting other stores (Memphis!?) that did have the items in stock, and set me up with discounts and shipping arrangements. All this, while I sat comfortably in a chair and watched. Thanks to them, I was able to spend my money and get exactly what I wanted, without aggravation. Very pleasant.
Great work. I will certainly be back.

More than half the stuff I picked up here was open and swapped out for something or broken. They have a SERIOUS theft /​pilferage problem. The auto soap dispenser I put in my cart was swapped out for a MANUAL soap dispenser and resealed (luckily I checked). The steam mop I bought had a broken cap on and on.
Helpful staff.

One of the sales associate was so sweet in helping me pick out a lamp. He explained what kind of lamps are good and asked about my needs.
Another sales associate asked how I was doing and whether I needed help.
A third, on my way out, saw me rounding the corner with all my stuff and peeked her head around to see if I was coming. I saw her too, and I peeked my head around the pole as well. We both laughed, and she said, «Come on. I see you.»
This BBB is stocked with toiletry items as well. I thought there was a fantastic selection, and it’s conveniently located near the Columbia Heights Metro.

Thank you Cameron M., for writing a review for a nearby CVS that perfectly captures how I feel about Bed Bath & Beyond:
«I live [nearby] and really want this [Bed Bath & Beyond] to work and shame myself by giving it chance after chance.
No matter how tempting, how close or how cheap. Don’t do it. Don’t ask, really, just don’t do it.»
Every product we’ve purchased here has broken, fallen apart, or failed to work properly within a week of bringing it home. Often the only brand available is an over-​priced made-​for-​TV version. Go to the True Value on 17^th or the Old School Hardware on Mt. Pleasant instead.

I just moved into a new place and basically bought everything I needed for my new apartment at BBB.
They have a really good selection of everything you need, plus a great selection of things you don’t need, but end up buying.
Ended up with twice as much stuff as I was planning, but I guess that’s better than having to go to like 5 stores to get what you need.
Hopefully I won’t be back soon, but if I need more household goods, I’ll be back.

No matter when I go, or what I need:
–I feel clausterphobic when wandering the aisles because they’re so crowded and messy.
–I can’t find EXACTLY what I want, and end up either frustrated with a product that’s less-​than-​perfect, or ordering online.
–When I fail to find exactly what I want, I attempt to find an Actual Store Employee (because that’s really the only reason to shop at brick and mortar stores), to no avail.
–When I mention my frustration at check out, the conversation goes like this:
Did you look over there? *vague pointing*
Yes.
Are you sure?
Of course I’m sure.
Oh. Um, your total is…
I actually prefer to go to the (pristine) BBB in Chinablock, which involves Metroing, stairs, shoving through all of humanity, and a giant hill when I’m walking with an awkward bag o’ housegoods rather than walk a few blocks to this store. Because THAT is less of a hassle.

I avoid this Bed Bath & Beyond primarily because the troll at the door is a rude guy that knows nothing about customer service, let alone an honest day’s work. If you’re in the store for help or have a question, most of the employees carry that oh-​so-​typical angry DC native attitude: Screw you, newcomer, you ain’t black. I recently learned of this after overhearing a yucky argument on the Metro between three Georgetown Law students and two fat local women.
The store is your typical BBB, but the employees are trash. One Unilocaler has said that employees make fun of the customers and laugh at them… yes it’s true. I’ve overheard the door troll and another employee with dreads laughing and talking down about a woman that asked where the dyson fans were (since they’re no longer on display.)
BBB: What kind of trash have you chosen to employ at this store?

This location is very small and carry a limited selection of merchandise. For example, they only have one type of plastic storage bins, they don’t offer too many options in bug sprays, they only sell bagless vacuums, and (thus) they don’t carry vacuum/​dust bags.
When it comes to customer service, I’ve gotten a mixed bag of very friendly and helpful sales people and managers as well as a few who had no idea what they were doing there. As for finding a salesperson to answer a question, I’ve always been able to get help very easily towards the front of the store. After you pass a certain point in the store, you’re on your own. There were times when I was in the back sections of the store and actually had to return to the front of the store just to grab a sales person to answer a question.

The bathroom products section and makeup section is much more well-​stocked, has a better selection, and has better prices than Target across the hallway!
Plus, if you use one of your coupons, you get an even better deal!

Ok — this is your standard BB&B store down to the characteristic square layout. I came here to kill some time and look for ugly Christmas crap to wear (hey, they even had leopard print Snuggies). Instead, I found plenty of interesting varieties of K-​Cups (for those with Keurig coffee makers) and proceeded to look like I was going gangbusters on the items.
The checkout was incredibly slow though — one register was open with about five people encumbered with shopping carts. Always seems to crack me up about how stores don’t honor their own register guarantees (if there are more than three in line, we’ll open another register!). Either way, I got out of there in «record» time — 45 minutes for my average 15 at the Tysons locale.
Meh.