Rant – Cherry Consignments

[JoB]

A couple of weeks before Cherry Consignments big grand re-opening i dropped by the store to find that they had new owners… and learned from one of the owners that they were interested in expanding their inventory of quality “tween” sizes.. not quite plus but not small either.

since i had moved and reduced my closet space by over 2/3, I pulled some of the clothing i had stored and took it in for consignment before their grand re-opening.

The young woman i talked to was thrilled and promptly took everything i had brought with me.. approximately 45 pieces of brand name clothing.. much of it never worn…cleaned, pressed and mostly hung on the type of plastic hangers used by the store.

that was approximately the last week in august… Their grand reopening was the following week.

Cherry Consignment: West Seattle store’s “grand opening” party

I checked back regularly, buying a piece or two from their limited stock in my size range … but the clothing I had consigned never made it out of the back room.

Every time i inquired, the person working would check the book and then physically check the inventory in the back and tell me that they had limited space and that all of my inventory would make it to the floor soon.

Somewhere around the last week of November (a full 90 days after i had consigned them), about half a dozen of the pieces i had brought in made it to the sales floor… among them an unused Nordstrom purse originally tagged just under $400 that my daughter bought for me on sale at Nordstrom Rack in June for $100+.

When i checked mid December (a couple of weeks later) and asked to pick up my items since they had been at the store over 90 days and were not being marketed, it was the only piece that had been sold. It was marked at $24… and discounted to $19.20.

In spite of a written email exchange agreeing to pull the few pieces of clothing that I had left from the sales floor in mid December, when I arrived today to pick them up, I found that another half dozen pieces had been pulled for display shortly after our correspondence.

They pulled those items from the floor as i waited and i picked up my check for a little under $8 for the purse they sold and the clerk who took my clothing on consignment apologized… my property was returned.

I am assuming all my items were returned. They didn’t “cheat” me, so you might wonder why i am bothering to write and why it is a rant.

I have two reasons… the first is economic. When you consign items to sell, you do so with the expectation that they will be offered for sale in a timely manner for a reasonable price. The most expensive items i consigned were seasonally appropriate during the heat wave at the time i consigned them… not around Thanksgiving when the first of my items reached their sales floor.

But i also consigned sweaters, jean skirts and jeans that never reached the sales floor.. items that did reach the floor weren’t available for sale longer than 2 weeks. I was denied the financial opportunity that was one reason for consignment.

But more than that, i am ranting because i was not dealt with fairly. I made an effort to bring consignment clothing into the store before their grand opening based on the conversation I had with one of the owners requesting inventory in that size range.

If the other owner who ultimately controlled the inventory decided to focus on smaller sizes, maternity and men’s clothing, they should have notified me of that decision and asked me to retrieve my items. I would have been more than glad to do so.

Today, when that same owner helped the clerk pull my items, she could have apologized to me for wasting my time, energy and sales opportunity. She didn’t. She made no attempt at all to retain my business either as a vendor or a customer. She didn’t even speak to me… She didn’t go through the items or check the inventory with me… she simply handed me my check.

In spite of the owner’s choice not to attempt to salvage the situation today, i still might not have posted a rant today had i not posted such a rave for them months ago.

Cherry consignment won’t be on my list of favorite places to shop… aside from the fact that they just don’t carry much in my size range… i am plainly not too impressed with the way they do business.

Share This

[Bonnie]

There is an awesome consignment store up on 15th in Capital Hill called Take 2. Anyway, check there. I’ve found lots of great stuff there. I think they might buy right out, but I’m not sure. In fact, I think I might take a drive up there.

Share This

[JoB]

Bonnie…

thanks.. i will try up there.

Jans and i visited 2 blondes last month and i loved the store.. but.. LOL… i am just a little too average size for them :(

You know it’s a great plus size store when you find yourself wishing you were just a little heavier:)

Share This

[JanS]

yes..2 Big Blondes @ 25th and Jackson…great for plus sizes…and it’s huge !

Share This

[Smitty]

I like this store.

Share This

[beachdrivegirl]

http://www.cherryconsign.com/howto2.htm- seems like they are pretty clear on their process here. Which is typically the standard for any consignment shop (at least from my experiences). I would count myself lucky that they still had your items considering it clearly states that after sixty days of them not selling and you not claiming them within ten days of that mark they have the right to donate them if they choose.

Share This

[JanS]

well, as the OP said, she checked back regularly, so they were aware that she wasn’t just abandoning her clothes.

Share This

[Liz]

I couldn’t agree with JoB more. I took a bunch of nice designer jeans into Cherry Consignment to be sold. They seemed very excited and said they needed pants in that size. When I called after 60 days to check on the status of my items, I was told nothing had sold. I thought this was odd, because at Funky Jane’s most of my items sell. I told them I wanted to pick my clothes up and when I got there, they couldn’t find any of my items. She looked in the back and under a bunch of piles near the register. We finally found a few things, but not all of it. That place is so incredibly unorganized and there seems to be no system in place. They also charge way too much-a pair of used Joe’s jeans for $65? I could get a new pair on Bluefly for not much more. I have had much better luck with Take 2 on Capitol Hill and Funky Janes and I will definitely not being going back to Cherry Consignment.

Share This

[bluebird]

It also states they MUST be current styles. Sounds more like after inspection, they weren’t items they were looking for. The owners are really cool and it doesn’t sound like them at all, to be intentionally rude.

Share This

[charlabob]

Perhaps they’re cool if you fit their desired demographic. :-) Wouldn’t be the first or the last time.

Share This

[bluebird]

What demographics might you be referring to? Female? Middle aged? Plus size? Check, check, check. Could not be treated better and I’ll continue to support and refer them to others.

Share This

[JoB]

Beachdrivegirl..

their 60 days doesn’t begin until they “book” your items.. that is until they put them on the sales floor…

Smitty…

i liked that store too… my daughter still does and will probably shop there when she visits. Of course… she is a size 4… great selection for small women.

bluebird..

the woman who did the intake at Cherrys inspected all of my items for current styles before taking them and was delighted to get them. They were all current brand name items.. brands like J Jill, Coldwater Creek, Flax..etc. They were exactly what the owner I originally spoke with had asked for… fashionable clothing for the somewhat larger woman.

I am sure the owners are nice people. But they apparently didn’t agree on the type of merchandise they wanted to stock. The owner i spoke with before bringing my items in was enthusiastic about serving a larger market.. no pun intended.

The owner who ended up doing inventory control apparently wasn’t. I am guessing you have never run into size discrimination before… but it certainly exists. When brand new straight leg levi jeans with the tags attached don’t make the sales floor in a consignment shop… someone isn’t much interested in serving that market.

I liked this store. I made an effort to bring clothing to them in response to a request from one of the owners.

I was excited about the idea of any women’s clothing store in West Seattle that would serve the in between sizes.. too large to look good in outfits designed for small bodies and too small to fit in those designed for her body type.. but manufactured for plus sizes. I am very sorry that didn’t work out because the average sized woman is clearly underserved.

However, that was their decision to make. Had they communicated with me by email or any other means… including simply telling me when i inquired… that they did not want to stock the items i brought in.. i would have picked them up and you wouldn’t have heard about it.

The thing about consignment is that it is a trust relationship between you and the store. After this experience, i simply don’t trust them to keep up their end of the bargain.

I am really sorry things turned out this way… but after talking them up so much in my earlier rave and sending women who admired my clothing to them.. i felt i had to set the record straight.

In my experience, both as a consignee and as a shopper, Cherry’s isn’t a good consignment shop for women of a certain age and size.

If you fit their demographic.. they carry great inventory and everyone i have encountered behind the desk has been friendly and helpful.

If not.. in West Seattle…Funky Jane’s will probably better fit your needs… and i can’t wait to check out Take2.

Share This

[CMP]

I’ve never sold anything consignment…I always donate my clothes to Goodwill or give to friends and this makes it sound like consignment is a huge hassle (if you go to the wrong place). Kudos for cleaning out the closet but I’d be pissed at my mom if I bought her a purse for $100+ and she turned around and sold it a few months later.

Share This

[JanS]

Team Tracy may be cool, but the business savvy may not be. It’s a consignment store, not a new clothes, today’s style clothes store. Things are bound to be a year old or more. Most consignment stores have an “in style” policy, but let’s be real here, they could be last years style (which does not portend well for the clothes in my closet, some of which are more than 5 years old – lol)

Does anyone know anything about Le Frock at 317 E. Pine St.? Another hidden gem consignment store, I’ve heard.

Share This

[JoB]

CMP..

i love consignment stores.. and generally it’s not a hassle.

I left my winter wardrobe in one in Stillwater Minnesota. They flooded and had to change locations and changed locations again when their temp location didn’t work out.

They still sent me a hefty check and a print out of the disposition of the items i left with them.

LOL… i was tempted to fill a box and mail it to them… perhaps i should have:)

As for the purse, when it was too heavy for me to carry, she told me to consign it. I don’t think i will tell her what i got for it though.. just that it sold:(

Share This

[beachdrivegirl]

I guess I just don’t get why you are so upset. You chose not to sell these items in a yard sale or ebay probably because it was easier for you. They clearly state that the sales associates get to determine the prices. It also clearly states that they have sixty days to sell your clothes. It goes on to say, if you have not picked up your clothes @ the end of the sixty day contract they become property of Cherry. If you are going to be that demanding about what you want for the items, how quickly they sell, and when they are sold (if they are seasonal) sell them yourself. Another great option is to donate the items (like CMP mentioned). Goodwill & Salvation Army will give you a receipt for your taxes if you would like.

In the meantime, I am going to continue to support LOCAL businesses to keep my money in the West Seattle community where I believe it should stay.

Share This

[jsluna]

I enjoyed my first visit to Cherry two weeks ago. Regardless of whether the people who work there are “cool” or not – the bottom line, is that it is a new business in West Seattle trying to get off the ground. Consignment is a tricky business, and I think we should all cut them a bit of slack as they get settled into a routine and learn what works and doesn’t work for their customers in this particular market. Everyone I know is just trying to do what makes sense economically these days, and maybe the folks at Cherry are finding that they are having to change some of their original plans to better match the wants and needs of their West Seattle clientele. They’ve only been open a few months – let’s give them a chance to get it right!

Share This

[bluebird]

Forgive my euphemism for respectable, honorable, decent. Was not referring to a hipness factor, although they certainly qualify for that as well.

Share This

[Jo]

Alexandria’s Boutique, 412 Olive Way, downtown Seattle is incredible.

Only designer clothes, marked waaay down.

It’s across the street from the north side of Macy’s in the funny triangle building.

Well worth the trip.

Share This

[mbsals]

I’ve been thrilled with Cherry. I’ve consigned several times and found them to be easy to work with and reasonable with what items they accept and their pricing.

JoB — If consigning is more trouble than it’s worth for you — don’t do it. I’m sure there are lots of charities that will pick up your items at your front door. :)

Share This

[JanS]

I always try to shop locally, but the clothing stores in this local area, including consignment, do not cater to plus sizes, over size 16. And that’s what I wear…so I go to where the clothes are. It’s as simple as that. That’s one of the reasons I like 2 Big Blondes. They do have regular sizes, but they cater to the plus size woman, it’s a huge store, and lots of things to offer. Most places on the Westside have one small rack stuck in the back of the store with not much on them.

I think that we all like to keep our money in the ‘hood. Sometimes it’s just not possible.

Share This

[las]

I’m a satisfied customer! I am happy to report that I had a great experience with Cherry Consign! They sold my clothes in the time they promised for fair prices. The store is clean, the staff is friendly, and I will continue to support them.

Share This

[JoB]

jsluna..

i think that was the point. i did give them a chance…

Share This

[Woo Woo]

This is so simple. JoB didn’t read/understand Cherry Consignment’s policy, which is clearly stated on their website, and is now acting like a child in need of a nap.

I visit the store regularly and have only had the very best experiences. They have made buying and selling very easy for me and some of my friends.

How about this JoB…… Take a leap, work hard, open up YOUR OWN consignment store, put yourself out there and then we’ll come in and critique you. We’ll come in and see how good you are.

With the economy in shambles and empty storefronts popping up all over West Seattle I applaud their efforts to help revitalize California Ave.

I’m sick of such negativity. If you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything.

Share This

[GenHillOne]

“I’m sick of such negativity. If you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything.”

–

haha, cuz yeah, that was such a positive post…sorry, strikes me as funny, thanks!

–

Bottom line, OP followed all the rant rules and attacking her (vs. just providing an alternate opinion – from, I’d hope, direct experience) doesn’t give you much creedance in my book.

Share This

[Author]

Posts