Hmm. I seem to have bad luck with Tandy. One store in CA, the single employee working the shift did not come out from the back room for 15 minutes while we waited. Then, she refused to give me any information at all.. I was very new then and needed information on what to buy for a book cover I planned to make. I finally had to leave without buying anything.
Fast forward to GA, the manager is so busy trying to sell, she tries to push the most expensive items even after I told her I was a noob and did not want to spend too much until I was sure it was what I wanted to do. . At a basic construction class, she provided a thin awl with thick needles, made us do a double knot on the thread which was thick, so it would just not go through the holes we made with the diamond chisels, even after re-punching with the awl. Even the men in the class had trouble pushing the thread through and mine actually tore twice due to the force needed. I finally took the project home, used thinner needles and a thicker awl and completed the project. Her information on antiquing was incomplete even though several of us asked her about it - we were putting an antique finish on the class project - so my first 2 items ended a dull brown because I followed her instruction on how to do it.
Another employee tried to make me take a used jar of leather conditioner - he kept pushing a specific jar at me as I tried to get another one. I got a little suspicious and opened it - it had fingerprints in it! I kept it away and got a new one - opened and checked. He did not even look embarrassed at being caught!
2 other employees there are fine. They do not try to push the most expensive items and are actually helpful. In fact, in another class, when I asked how to make lace, one of them taught me without trying to make me buy a lace maker.
The other good employee provided all the information needed to repair an old case and provided a small piece of leather to do it. He did not even charge me for the leather!
The 2 employees are the ones I look for, if I need to go back there.
Unfortunately, when the manager is around, she is the one who comes forward and runs around so enthusiastically that after a while, I wonder if she is on something. With her, I cannot ask anything and expect useful information because her answers are always angled at making a sale.
I know that their job is to sell, but if they took the customer's needs into consideration, they would have had long term customers. Now, I just came home, called Springfield leather and received all the information I needed and great leather as well, at great prices.
A long rant! For those who read it all, thank you for your patience!