Williams-Sonoma

Smack dab in the middle of the posh area, this is a great place to buy a wedding gift (brides — register here for decent quality items should you need cookware, etc) or a housewarming gift.
They have everything from spices to sauces to knives to all the little gadgets you never thought you needed until you see them here (copper nutcracker — check!). They sell Le Creuset which is my dream to be able to purchase something. But I don’t love to cook enough to spend the $$$ on them (plus I’ve seen them on occasion at Winner’s before if you are lucky).
There is often sales going on (I imagine with Christmas coming up… gasp did I just write Christmas???) so you could score a great deal if you don’t mind waiting a bit. It is a bit small on the main floor so I always feel like I’m going to be THAT customer that knocks down a display

4 stars for exceptional service each time I walk walk in! Such friendly staff makes it a joy to peruse. Notable exceptional GENUINE friendliness and concern is Tracey and Jennifer. Although I have never dealt with Tracey she introduces herself with a lovely smile and mentions her name… thus I remembered it here! Jennifer the cook lady is always smiling and upbeat… just pleasant. I sought her opinion of one of their olive oils and her advice was «spot-​on». I can tell that she puts a lot of effort into making anyone’s shopping experience a knowledgeable one especially if it involves food! The other ladies are nice too, I am sorry if I do not mention your names here as I have forgotten them. There is one slender lady of color that is always very professional looking and she shows it in her actions! Love you all! Keep up the good work!

Expensive specialty store! It’ll have exactly what you want with really great quality but also pretty highly priced. I’ve found similar items in other stores for less than half the prices they offer while they are on sale! But whenever you can’t find what you want anywhere else, then here’s your place.

Whats not to like, this is like a kitchen museum. They have things you never thought of and at prices you never dreamed, and I don’t mean reasonable. Kitchen stores always do well at any level, and this one is the highest level.

Always the most painful retail experience of the year. I go there every Christmas. Always mid-​afternoon midweek to avoid crowds. 5 salespeople ask to help me while I wait 50 minutes to have a frying pan sequestered from the stockroom. By this time I’m hot and cranky. Another 15 minutes to pay with reams of cash register ribbon for 1 item. WTF people! Ugh!

The Bloor street location is spacious, smells delicious and is languidly busy.
I walked in to buy a few wedding gifts and was going off registry, so I needed some ideas in addition to the ones I had. Boy, were the sales staff helpful!
Admittedly their china collection is a bit on the piddly side of things, but if you want the nuts and bolts of a kitchen, it’s the right place to come to.
We had a very friendly and knowledgeable sales lady brainstorm some ideas with us and helped us select some really useful pieces. We didn’t buy anything right away since we wanted to hunt a bit more. Later, when we returned, they remembered us right way and buzzed the folks upstairs to let them know we were coming. The things we had looked at earlier were laid out for us!
I ended up buying a few Le Creuset items from the Heritage Stoneware line. I also ended up buying Riedel wine glasses, which was largely because the folks at Williams-​Sonoma had been a pleasure to deal with.
Pottery Barn, you could learn a thing or two!

Ok, I’ll admit it. I have spent loads of money at Williams Sonoma. My mistake.
The other rainy day I stopped in to buy a couple of wedding gifts.
For 15 – 20 minutes I looked around the store trying to find gift ideas. Not once did any of the not very busy employees offer to help. Finally, I decided to approach one who began to act busy and move away. Then, another one, looked at me, quickly giving me the «up down».
I will admit to having had on jeans and to have been carrying a backpack for my potential purchases. As I grew frustrated I noticed a lady with a Burberry scarf having no trouble attracting employees. (I also observed that she bought nothing.) Quickly, I realized the error of my ways… I had left my @$&”)(;! Burberry trench and scarf at home!!!
It might be that all the employees of Williams Sonoma are just in Toronto living in one of their penthouse condos for the season and just needed a job to occupy their time, and are therefore natural experts in sizing up potential customers. It may also be that Williams Sonoma trains employees to discriminate, or simply be discriminating. Either way, you lost a good customer, but probably won’t notice.
For everyone else, I offer this advice…
1. If your race doesn’t match the «big spender» profile, make sure the Prada and Versace labels are visible to the employees when you walk in.
2. If you want high end and not so high end kitchen gadgets, most of what they sell at WS can be found on line or at Home Sense for much cheaper.

I have been looking around to upgrade my espresso machine so after visiting a dedicated place that only sells espresso machines I decided to check WS as they also sell the brands I I have narrowed my search down too.
I have had great service from them in the past and they didn’t disappoint. I was able to find a sales person as soon as I walked in the person was very patient and knowledgeable.
I was never rushed and all my questions were answered patiently. I was even told what the potential pros and cons of each espresso machine are (Fully Automatic Vs Semi Vs Manual)
They do cater to the upper strata of the income groups so one expects to pay higher prices here.
I will consider my next purchase from them for sure.

Rule #1 — Do not go into Williams Sonoma.
Rule #2 — If you ignore rule one, DO NOT purchase anything at Williams Sonoma.
Rule #3 — If you must purchase something, be sure it’s at least 40% off.
If you’ve ignored the first 3 rules, you, sir or madam, have been ripped off.
There’s a difference between expensive and overpriced.

Bloor Street location is definitely a fav. I love visiting Williams-​Sonoma especially during the holiday seasons. They often have cooking demos and sometimes free food samples of something tasty. Holiday music, festive decorations and friendly staff.
Inside, you’ll find all sorts of high end items that Martha Stewart would have her kitchen decked out with. Along with cooking and baking items and kitchen stuff, they also have some home décor items, place settings and cutlery and a whole lot of trendy stuff for entertaining guests at home.
I do wish it wasn’t exorbitantly overpriced. My boss gave me a $ 100 gift certificate here and I can’t even buy anything useful with it. I mean, really, $ 85 for a pepper mill?
Anyway, I’m saving the gift certificate for the boxing day sales, because there are a lot of bargains to be found then.

I always feel like a kid in a candy store, when I walk inside Williams-​Sonoma. I love to cook and bake, and I do that on a regular basis. So, I will invest in good quality baking and cooking products, especially on essential items, like knives. This is where I go when I’m looking for a new kitchen gadget.
Staffs are always helpful and knowledgable at the store. If he or she cannot provide information I asked, they usually will get someone who knows right away. I love that!

I love William Sonoma and this branch is no exception.
Spread across two floors, this shop is absolutely bursting with everything anyone might desire for their kitchen. Very Martha-​Stewart-​esque, the shop is crammed with copper moulds, drink mixes, more kinds of olive oil than I knew existed, towels, and everything you could ever think of, including some things you didn’t know you needed.
The staff here were very helpful in assisting me to find a particular kind of olive oil (Planetta olive oil) which regrettably they did not have. They are never overly pushy but always there with a smile.
I just love shopping here and wish I could more often!

The Bloor street location is my favourite Williams-​Sonoma store. The store is packed with more selection than the other W-​S stores. One of the managers there, Andrew is very helpful and nice. I’ve almost always have had great service from them.
Except once, which is why I’m giving my review 3 stars. I went to exchange a cookie sheet that had warped and one of the employees asked why I was using the baking sheets at such a «high temperature» (I had it at 375 °F, which is not high at all) for cookies in a criticizing tone. I told her that the sheets were made to withstand up to 550 °F. Then, in front of my face with her manager asked him to confirm this to make sure I wasn’t ripping them off.
For the curious, W-​S has an extremely generous return policy. You don’t need a receipt (you’ll get a credit instead of a refund) and they will take the item back at any time if you are not satisfied with the product.
This hasn’t happened to me again at the store, but if I’m paying $$$ for their products, the customer service better be top notch all the time.

Yeah, yeah, everyone knows Williams-​Sonoma (well, if you don’t, you should get on that), but even those who despise it should see this location at least once. It’s basically mecca for anyone who has ever dreamed of a perfect kitchen or dining room, or anyone who has ever thought of maybe cooking or baking.
It’s a HUUUGE location, with two (maybe even three?) floors of heaven — baking pans, cookie mixes, cooking knives, cookbooks, wine glasses, fancy oils, awesome appliances, dining room décor, etc etc etc. Everything is beautiful and everything is expensive and I love it.
Key point about this location — they have a big stove top area and will usually be doing demonstrations on how to cook certain items or making food for you to sample on weekends! And in the winter they have a dispenser with hot chocolate or apple cider in it so you can warm up while you’re looking around. Mmmmm.