Canal Plastics Center

DON’T GO THERE!!! I have been treated really poorly,
whats wrong with this guys… im not going to spend over 500 dollars in plastic sheets wheyre they cant explain or be nice.
i came back to find a diferent plastic store and found one very close. really nice guy attended the phone. T&T plastic., had bigger sheets. 6×8 and 5×8 in ¹⁄₈ clear plexi. and he was very nice. i would never ever go back to canal plastics.
Go to T&T Plastic!

I’ve come here often for countless projects that span just about every design field. They are more than sufficient for small quantities.
Service isn’t bad. Yes the staff aren’t the most inviting (may just be a cultural thing), but all of my custom orders have been fulfilled and with a great turnaround time.
The store can be quite chaotic. That can be either good or bad. Makes finding a specific stock item you need an elongated search, but you also tend to stumble upon something else that piques your interest.
Biggest issue is the markup in prices. Most acrylic companies I have dealt with require a membership or agreement that requires a $ 200 purchase. That may work better for some individuals or firms that use a lot of acrylic. Canal Street is otherwise best for singular purchases or small scale work.

3.5 stars…
The service may be non existent, the prices may be a tad high, and their website is certainly lacking but if you’re looking for plastic materials for any sort of project, Canal Plastics is the place to go. I haven’t found a place that can beat their selection. My suggestion would be to start at T&T plastic a block away because of their prices and slightly better service but if T&T doesn’t have what you need, you’ll be right back at Canal for the selection on hand. They do custom fabrication work as well but I have no experience with that side of their business. They do take cards (it would be weird if a plastic store didn’t take plastic don’t you think?) and do have a 10% off for students. If they were better at communicating and giving better customer service and their prices were 20% lower I would definitely have given them 5 stars.

This place is great. I needed a custom piece made for my audio receiver. I gave them dimensions, they gave me a Quote my piece was made the following day. Quick and painless. Very professional. Thanks Tony

Been going here for years; great selection. helpful, friendly staff.
Please R E M E M B E R
— that competing businesses often post bad reviews about their competition !

I’m surprised at all of the negative reviews — I’ve been buying plastic here for the last few months, and the employees have always been polite and helpful. I can’t comment on the competitiveness of their prices, since this is the only plastic store I frequent, but they do have a 10% student discount if you show them an ID.

Just DON’T GO THERE!!! Go to T&T Plastic!
I wish I could give no star to them! Though the one star might be fair because they have good collections.
Anyway, I read the reviews here and I thought «well, sometime Unilocalers are just too harsh on some places!» So, I went there, and ended up leaving the store upset without buying anything.
The ladies over there are just bunch of rude people who seems that are being paid to ignore customers! They are just unwilling to help you! It’s unbelievable. I left the store and no one cared a bit!
I ended up going to T&T Plastic Land which is 100 feet away in Church street.
They were super friendly and the prices were better too. What it was $ 59 at Canal Plastic I got $ 46 at T&T.

I read all the bad reviews before I went here, and I decided to make the trip regardless. Please keep in mind that this place doesn’t give quotes over the phone. They will only quote in email and in person. In order to get a quote, you need to know exactly what you want. If you are unsure or wishy washy, they can’t help you. They have a huge selection and everything is a different price. It’s not their job to help you pick things out. This isn’t the type of place that is going to kiss your butt or try to get you to buy something.
I needed 10 different sized pieces of plexiglass. I knew what I wanted for the most part. I had the woman at the counter run quotes for a few different types of plastic. I picked the one that worked best, paid and was told to come back in 30 minutes. That’s it. To my surprise, my order was ready in 15 minutes. I love this place. It’s awesome.

I have been buying acrylic plexiglass sheets and also had small electronic stands fabricated by plexiglass from this place for many years… I must say that I have never had an issue with them. From observing the way they treat other customers, I can see where all the other complaints are from… Like a lot of the vendors in Chinatown, the concept of «customer service» is not quite the same as one might have envisioned… They can be abrasive and Daivd O. is definitely on the money by pointing out that they hate wishy washiness… I go in there with the exact specifications, and they always get the job done and I get exactly what I need in a few hours. Quick, bang, and thank you mam and do not waste my time is their theme… If you are not sure what you want or want advice, or too verbose., you are then going to be severely disappointed… I observed other customers who know what they want get the same speedy and efficient service that I got… I also see many artist students who are unsure EXACTLY, and I mean EXACTLY, what they want, and their need for an informal consultation sort of enrages the counter lady… So if you have all the specifications before you get in to the store, you will be pleased by the very efficient and speedy service…

Very lousy service. The lady on the phone was rude, and I was put on hold while describing the simplest of jobs… You are much better off looking around or online for other suppliers.

I echo everything I read here, and I wish I had looked for a review ahead of time! Alas, too late. I went in ahead of time and asked about prices, came back with exact measurements and a template. When I came back to put in the order, the woman behind the counter was exceedingly rude. I ended up having to close the order with her boss because she wouldn’t answer my questions when the price doubled from the original estimate that I was given. When I came to pick up the finished pieces the boss man had me check out the measurements. They were off. He blamed me, said the template was wrong, and that I should have given them the measurements alone without a template. He said he could refund me if I wanted but that he wouldn’t accept the job from me again. If I took it though, sale was final. I decided it was close enough and took them home. Well, big mistake, once I got home I saw there were scratches all over them, deep ones. I couldn’t see them until I peeled off the protective paper. $ 424 dollars on clear tabletop protections wasted.
Do not go to this place. They are mean and unprofessional. Never again.

OK — an update and a downgrade — — —
From repeated dealings with this place — yes, they are a pain. I make a big groaning noise now whenever I have to call them.
They have fast turnaround, they get the job done, but ugh, dealing with them is a headache.
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I don’t get it — such scary reviews. They made me reluctant to even call this place. But when I did, sure enough, they were professional, and fedEx’ed me a sample that matched exactly what I needed. We are preparing what is probably a medium sized order and they sent me a detailed PDF quote for a fair price. Much quicker then anyone else too. I felt this place needed an ally in Unilocal land.
Let me impart some wisdom and perhaps the strangest stereotype known to man: plastic people hate wishy-​washiness. I have learned this in several years in dealing with multiple plastic vendors. Perhaps it is the fumes but they can’t stand indecision! Tell them exactly what you need and, if they can, they will work with you and make it happen. Never walk up and say you’re not sure what you’re looking for. Instead say «I need to see a sample box of all your colored acrylic», or something like that. There, you have been decisive. You’ve communicated exactly what you need. Also, never say you want a piece «about yay big», this will enrage your average plastic salesperson. Give them a number. Be decisive. This may seem like strange advice but it will help you!
I’ll update this review if anything changes, but with Canal Plastic Center, so far so good.

I had a corporate account with Canal Plastics for a few years. The company I worked for spent upwards of $ 100K during that time. Not their biggest customer, but substantial. I’ll just say that they treat ALL their customers like crap no matter how much business you give them. Having a plastic related question answered is beyond the capabilities of these morons. They will see you as the obstacle standing between them and their profits. Their «website» is hilarious, and reflects their overall shortcomings:
Anyway, go to Plastic Land 2 blocks down on Church Street if you want to deal with humans.

Never going back! Go to TNT Plastic Land nearby (close to NYU). Canal Plastics is rude, they don’t take returns, and they are completely oblivious to any and all basic human-​to-​human communication skills. Been there a half dozen times before I discovered TNT. Never going back!

Okay, so .29 at Plastic Land is .99 here, why? The two guys working here were absolutely terrified to answer my questions. The evil mama-​san running the place was sneering at me from behind the counter and believe me, you would not want to piss her off. She would mess you up big time! Not only would they not sell in bulk, the «everything here!» finger to all of my questions was not helpful. I got out of that place as fast as my Manolo’s could gallop. If you want to get gouged and humiliated, I am totally not into that, but if you were, you would love this place.

This place reeks with the «we don’t give a f about you» vibe. Yeah, they’ve got a ton of plastic. Yeah, some of it is really cool-​looking. But you can’t distract me from your terrible customer service, cool-​looking plastic or none!
I needed some plexi etched, so I called them up and asked about what I needed to send them to get the job done. They told me, and I did it, and sent it to them, and then called to confirm that what I sent was correct. I got the «OK» and was told to come in to finalize and confirm the order. So I go in, and out of the 5 or 6 people standing around the counter, none ask if I need help. I finally find the guy I need to see. He begins to pull up my file, and then tell me its all wrong. When I ask him how its wrong, he says I need to go ask someone else to help me fix it because he doesn’t know how. But he didn’t mean someone else in their store. He meant someone else… in the world. Then he’s like, let me see if I can fix it. Okay, great. Then the phone rings, he picks it up and starts talking to another customer, pulls up their files, explains to them that they sent the wrong thing, and they have to send this and that… All while there are plenty of co-​workers doing close to nothing a few feet away from him. So meanwhile, I’m standing there, in front of the guy. For like, ten minutes. Then I mill arouind the store. Then I go back over to him, and I call my friend and start chatting with my buddy. Then I finish my phone call, and this guy is stil helping someone else. Right in the middle of helping me. Right in front of me.
So I’m like, «hello?» he puts the phone on his shoulder and says rudely «I’m on phone! I’m busy helping customer!!» So then I get all pissy at him, tell him this is terrible customer service and I’m taking my business somewhere else.
You know what, if you need cool-​looking plastic, go to Plastic Land. They’re helpful and quick.

I do not recommend this place at all. First of all, they are very expensive, twice the price of other plexi distributors. Second, they are unhelpful and dishonest. I purchased a large piece here out of convenience sake, and was given the wrong color coding. When I discovered that the color was wrong, I returned it to the store within an hour. Although they finally acknowledged their error, they did not commit to giving me a refund. I have filed a dispute with my credit card company and the Better Business Bureau. On the other hand, I found Plexi Craft on 24^th to be the complete opposite.

I overheard a woman say that Canal Plastics is cheaper than Plastic Land, which is two blocks down on Church.
I came in search for 12×12 plexi. The store seemed huge, so I decided to wait on line by the counter like everyone else. This woman and I waited a long time in front of two counter ladies, looking at each other with confusion. I was getting no attention or recognition of existence from the counter lady in front of me.
Finally the customer woman basically asked to the counter lady in front of her, can i go to you for help or do i have to go to him, pointing to the only guy behind the counter who was helping anyone. She got no response. She asked again, and finally the counter lady declared, I’m unavailable. So the customer woman was like, so all you had to say was that I had to go to him for help.
well my quoting is off, but my general feeling was. plastic women are moody in this place, and all the guys were pretty helpful, even for strangers coming in asking for directions to other places. And especially when I finally got up to the guy and he told me what I needed was already prepared and in the back.
So all that waiting for nothing.
Well I got my plastic.