I've started a bit of a flame war. Interesting.
Latest comment:
"It is really too bad that the world has become such a negative place and that you would call to boycott a store with out contacting the owner first as to why they might have instituted a new policy. What’s even worse is that so many people would criticize such a policy instead of saying to them selves that makes sense; someone has to pay salaries…etc. I guess what is really unfortunate is that a store would have to come up with a policy for people to understand that there is an expense incurred when a store is kept open and staffed no matter what the time of day. Knitche has provided a comfortable and welcoming environment for people to come and knit and I would happily pay $5.00 to sit and knit. You have mentioned several times in your comments that you prefer Beer, maybe you would find your local tavern to be a more suitable outlet for your creativity…although remember when you spend that $5.00 on a Beer you could probably buy a 12 pack for the same amount of money though I doubt this would detour you."
Once again, I did not call to boycott the store, just this silly charge. Inviting people in to knit is effectively advertising, which companies spend a massive amount on. Of course you pay someone to be there. Chalk it up to advertising.
And I did email the owner right away. But I blog about my knitting life, and I blog about my opinions, so it made it in here too.
I did spend my money on beer - a large quality German beer at a locally owned tavern. I was quite pleased to knit there. I could buy a 12 pack of something crappy from Walmart...but that would be wrong for both my taste buds and the local economy. And that would put locally owned taverns out of business.
Wait, that argument sounds familiar.....
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6 comments:
My whole thing is, they have to provide a service someone wants in order to stay in business. We shouldn't keep them in business out of charity. The bar has something you want. Them - yeah, they carry some things I want, and I buy those things there - and I spent $1000 in that store last year - but they don't have everything I want. Yes, I'm sure they would love it if I gave them the entire $5000 I spent last year on yarn - if they had what I wanted in stock they could have had more of my knitting dollar (crazy to call it a "budget" given its insanity, but I digress.) And as it is, I buy all pattern books, notions, and needles there exclusively IF they have them in stock.
And I totally agree on the customer service issues at the yarn shops that closed!!!!!!!
Okay, wait...does this person know you, on frequent occasion, are the person paid to staff the sit and knit at another store?
Now, I may not have an MBA, but from what I've seen, these knit nights are innately profitable - getting people in is always a useful business proposition. Now, you can do two things with this: you can provide good customer service and make people feel welcome, and once in, they will spend, and the better they feel about being in your store, the more they spend. Or, you can take another route.
Regardless, you're totally entitled to your opinion. And you're absolutely entitled to take your evening knitting business elsewhere. And from what I've seen, Knitche isn't in any danger of going out of business if they lose your $5. Plus, good for you for taking a stand, even if it might be a somewhat unpopular one.
Although, I agree, who freakin' knew, dude?
My interesting observation, (in case you care), is that in the ORIGINAL post you mentioned the $5 was for future yarn purposes. Maybe I read and comprehend written words better than most.
I like a variety of knitting crap, like a variety of food, and rebel to feel pressured to buy ALL my knitting needs from the LYS, which is the way I was made to feel when I first experienced knit and sits. At both of my LYS, I was advised that I had to pay a fee and/or and could not bring materials not obtained from their stores.
How can one store carry everything my freaky lil' knitting geek would want? Why should I have to chose to leave a project at home due to LYS policy?
America is a capitalist society, so you and I are perfectly within our right to buy, buy and buy from wherever our debit cards are allowed.
So, this is why my fat arse sits at home and knit and uses the internet resources for educational purposes. Sure, I miss having local knitting friends, but at least I do not have guilt or cohesion to deal with.
As for your other point, what German beer do you drink when you knit? :)
Dear Everyone,
I'm so sorry that our policy has caused such an exchange of negativity. Perhaps all of this may have been avoided if we had made one point very clear, and that is that the KNITTING FEE IS COMPLETELY APPLICABLE TOWARD A PURCHASE EITHER THAT NIGHT OR AT A LATER DATE. I completely agree that "paying for nothing" is not appealing and that is not at all what we are implementing. In that regard, the only folks who might legitimately be offended by our policy change would be those that never intended to spend a dime at the shop ever. And I suppose those are the folks that might need the gentle reminder about supporting LYSs if they would like to see them prosper. Hopefully, we can all put this to rest and knit happily ever after.
Warmly,
Kathy / Knitche
p.s. Sorry we don't have a liquor license, but Thursday nighters frequently pick up a bottle of wine at The Cellar Door next door to us if you're interested. Happy Knitting!
Sarah - way to go for speaking your mind and sticking to your guns. You're making a good point with which, judging from the other comments, many people agree.
This is one lady's opinion. Just because she keeps saying it loudly doesn't make her right. It's your blog. It's your opinion. Other yarn shops obviously agree with you because, thankfully, few others charge money to go and hang out in their stores.
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