Williams Sonoma- Home

Don’t buy any of their overpriced food items because if you should want to return the item even if unused within 3 days of purchase they won’t refund. It is apparently company policy pointed out to me by a rather snippy clerk at this store location. I emailed their corporate HQ to complain and got a boilerplate response. So buyer beware…

I went here to pick up one item. They had it in stock however there were so many employees working (seriously more than shoppers) that they could not find a stock person to check. The floor people were bumping into each other. A woman next to me said she had been waiting for her item for over 30 minutes. I thought more stockroom people and less salespeople would have been a good move.

I have been into this location a couple of times and I have always received amazing assistance from the associate named «Anna». She is very knowledgeable about the products and can give first hand opinions on many of the items. She helped me complete my registry and went out of her way to make sure I was taken care of while shopping in store. Anna gives you the William-​Sonoma experience when you walk in the door and I will continue to go to her for all the best product knowledge!

This is a very nice store with all the tools to make your Food channel dreams come true. The lay out is simple.
The merchandise is top quality and always in stock. While they have a good website, I like to see what I am getting.
The service here is very good. They are always around to help and answer questions. They also are very knowledgeable about what they have.
Don’t miss the second story where they have things for the rest of the home such as sheets and some furniture.
On the main floor to the back and left (from entrance) they usually have some clearance items.
Often if the middle of the store they are sampling a drink. This is also the area where they have most of their food items.
The prices are high though and i have heard returns are much harder then they used to be.

This Williams-​Sonoma is SO nice! And the staff is awesome! Michelle is incredible — she is super friendly and upbeat! She is SO knowledgeable, too! If you have any questions about anything you should talk to her! We will only go to this location now because of her. Thanks so much! Highly recommend this store!

I love this particular store. The staff are always friendly and fast. The prices are on the higher end, but you’re paying for quality. The WS lotions are always fully stocked and of course, upstairs is where you’ll find everything for the house, and they have the free in-​home consultation for designs…
What I like best about this store are the sales. They almost always have some sort of sales going on. And there’s always free coffee, filtered water, and sometimes there’s food samples while you’re browsing.

I’m addicted to this store and probably go in a little more than I should, but it’s so worth it. Best selection of slow juicers and cooking pans. There are great deals online, but there are even better ones in the store, such as an additional 10% off if you happen to drop by during a technique class, which are quite often. You might also get an additional discount when you use your W-​S credit card, which is a quirk that’s unique to this particular location. The staff knows our whole family and always plays with our baby to entertain her when we go in to shop. They know their products inside and out and always have experts on hand (like local chefs) to provide additional great advice. They are great at helping you pick the best product for YOU. Excellent customer service and shopping experience. Sometimes I’m there for hours, just browsing and chatting. The card has been saving us a ton of money and it’s great that you can use your points towards paying your bill. I highly recommend it.
I’ve gone to similar stores (including the one across the street) and can definitely say that Williams-​Sonoma offers the best quality for the price. The products they carry are pretty much things you get to have forever and the price is lower than others if you know how to shop (discounts, promos, credit card, etc.).

I purchased a Le Creuset Oval Pan 6 ¾ Quart at William Sonoma in Beverly Hills. Moved to Portland so went to this store to make an exchange. I’ve had the pan for two years and their is a defect in the enamel where a small bubble broke loose and now its not fully sealed. The pan cost $ 460.00 I could have purchased it from Amazon with free shipping for $ 319.95. I hoped for an exchange, expecting they would receive a full refund from the manufacturer for the defect. However, I was told they only provide an exchange if it comes with a receipt and its only for 30 days. What?! They explained to contact Le Creuset directly and follow their return policy. Which means I have to mail it to South Carolina; pay for registered shipping and wait a month for the replacement. Why did I pay an extra $ 140.00 at this store? Was it for customer service ?
I just learned Sur La Table has a much better manufacturer damaged return policy. Its called store credit.
Goodbye William Sonoma
General manager: Thania Harvey-​Pimentel
The store gave me a complimentary cardboard box and bubble-​wrap for mailing to manufacturer. Nice — right.

Worst service EVER. Was shopping around on my lunch hr for a new pot/​pan set and was interested in Staub. Walked in and 3 – 4 people were asked if they needed help. I was NOT one of those people. Very disappointed, hoping each store is individually owned so I can spend my $$$ elsewhere. Saddened by this experience.

Is it an old lady thing to say I liked them better in the old days? When they were downtown, when they were a bit smaller but a bit less snobby. When the prices were high but reasonable for the quality, instead of «fuck you, you can’t afford me» high.
Oh well, times change. And plenty of other places have awesome peppermint bark now.

Perhaps my favorite of the many Williams Sonoma stores in which I’ve shopped over many years and among many states. What makes this one special is the staff. Lots of friendly people offering assistance. Maybe it is because I have the distinct impression that I have grown invisible as years add up (my aging sisters may have experienced this too) and my walk is more wobbly (MS at work) in some retail stores that I appreciate I am treated as valued a customer here now as before. Nice. Not to mention they have a super selection of items, including Williams Sonoma Home furnishings upstairs. If you go in this holiday season and they offer you a piping hot sample of the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate to sip while you shop… mmmmmmm…try it. Calories do not apply between November 25 and January 2.
THIS N THAT:
1) ACCESSIBILITY: Level in entry, all is accessible inside, elevator up to second floor. And if you go up, pause to note the great millwork on the staircase bannister and the wonderful skylight above.
2) PARKING: It can be teeth gnashingly diffiicult to get on street parking in this neighborhood. There is a public lot under the building. (NOT owned by Williams Sonoma and it is no fault of theirs that the lot owner incorrectly posts that they validate tickets.)
3) NEIGHBORS: Noting older reviews reference this store when located downtown many years ago, it is now in NW 23^rd neighborhood with Pottery Barn up the block and Restoration Hardware across.

When I was there I was the only person in the store. But there were about 10 employees, all of which thought I needed supervising while I looked at stuff. No matter how many times I said I was looking and that I didn’t have any questions, I was getting tailed. Maybe they have a lot shrink and are super protective, but they shouldn’t make people feel unwelcome.
I love Williams-​Sonoma but I don’t think I will be coming back to this location anytime soon.

Whatever the Williams-​Sonoma brand used to stand for and mean, I’m sad to say that it appears that the ghost has fled the machine.
Once upon a time, it seems like Williams-​Sonoma was about curating the best culinary devices from around the world that had great elegance and design but also were equaled in durability and utility. If you really wanted to have a great kitchen at home, Williams-​Sonoma had diligently travelled the culinary world and brought back every time-​tested, high-​quality tool so that you could have it. This was likely very useful when they opened since America was, food-​wise, in the deep fried dark ages at the time.
But like all great brands, in order to continually expand and drive bigger profits, Williams-​Sonoma now, sadly, sells all sorts of things that while they may appear to be tasteful or well-​designed frequently lack utility and function as well as durability.
The very significant common-​sense energy that clearly lived in the brand at the beginning and its founder is rapidly being replaced by very expensive gadgets that serve such a limited range of utility that they are likely to be the culinary version of a Bowflex Home Gym – a premium-​priced junkyard of future donations to the Goodwill.
They still sell the really significant, substantial stuff too, of course. If you need the right tool for the right job and you only want to buy it once – it’s a fine place to go. But everyone else sells the same stuff they do these days, including a host of less-​expensive online retailers. You might point out that by shopping online, you miss the high-​touch experience of a well-​established brick and mortar retailer like Williams-​Sonoma.
And that would be true if it was indeed the in-​store experience. Not so much. Case in point at the NW 23^rd location is this. I needed a Vita-​Mix the other day and, of course, Williams-​Sonoma carries them. So I went to the 23^rd W-​S, parked in the lot underneath the building and rode the private Williams-​Sonoma elevator from the lot to the inside of the store. Very snazzy and upmarket.
I also had to pay $ 3 for parking in advance. A sign indicated that I would get the money back from merchants with a qualifying purchase.
No problem, right? A Vita-​Mix costs about $ 500. (I know, I know. WTF am I buying a $ 500 blender for? But that’s another story.) So I buy it. Bam. And I hand my parking ticket to the well-​dressed Williams-​Sonoma sales person. She scrunches up her face and says, «Oh. We don’t validate for that. We don’t have anything to do with that parking lot. I don’t even know who owns it.»
Say what?
«I just rode up in a private Williams-​Sonoma elevator directly from the lot right inside your store.»
«Yeah. But we don’t have any connection to the lot.»
«It’s underneath your store.»
«I know. Strange, isn’t it?»
Very strange. And indicative of the problem. Williams-​Sonoma is a private elevator that costs three bucks to ride and goes nowhere.
Just a small suggestion for the 23^rd location – maybe, just maybe, eat the three dollars for people shopping in your store. Or at the very least, establish a better story than, «We have no connection to the lot that our elevator leads to.»
Sure, sure. What’s three dollars on a $ 500 dollar purchase? I’ll tell you what it is. A big fat sore thumb that sticks out of our very expensive blender every time we use it. And let me tell you something – sore thumb doesn’t taste all that good in a blended fruit smoothy.

As a tourist, I am super sad that the WS one 5^th Ave (downtown) appears to be gone :(
Unfortunately, the nearest one to the downtown core is this location so it meant I had to trek further than expected to restock my stash of Sprinkles mix, early shopping for holidays gifts (tax free) and other goodies.
(On the plus side, I also found a Trader Joe’s en route so it made the trip out to this area doubly good… you have no idea how much I want a TJ’s in Canada!)
No issues — lovely items, good service and yummy food demos. I’m always tempted to buy another gadget that I probably don’t need… my newest obsession is the Zoku pops… someone please tell me that it’s not as cute as it looks!
This location also has WS home so it was nice to be able to see the items/​fabric swatches in person.

Let’s say I’ve always had great luck with service at this place and always spend more than I plan to. And why might you ask? The people who work here and the layout of the store is much more shopper friendly. The staff and ambience in this store is much better than their Washington Square/​Tigard location. Who the hell wants to spend their time in the mall with screaming kids and annoying mall kiosk sales people anyways. The only other place that rivals this place when it comes to cooking supplies (and notice I don’t note tableware) is Sur La Table on Couch.
The only downside is that they no longer accept phone orders for purchase holds. My family is big on that because we live all over the US and it’s much easier than shipping. Plus the added bonus is it gets you in the store to shop for more!

Williams-​Sonoma is easily every cook’s candy store. If I had an unlimited budget, you’d be sure the entire store was coming home with me. Came here this weekend with plans to get a pie dish that I’d been lusting over and was greeted at the door by whiffs of cooking bacon. How’s that for a welcome?!
This store feels more cramped than the Washington Store location, and in my experience, customer service can be hit or miss. There are days when they are spot on and seem to anticipate my need for assistance, and then there are days when you can’t find a soul to help you even if you cried bloody murder.
On this dreadful weekend before Thanksgiving I was able to efficiently get in and out within 15minutes (perhaps because I was there at 10 am on a Sunday morning??). All in all, I walked out with a bag of goodies that they were careful in wrapping up individually and visions of my next item to lust for in my head.

WOW! Williams Sonoma Home is one of the most impeccable stores I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting. The one in New York City, located in the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle, may be small in size, but it packs a huge punch of quality and design. I went with a friend who was immediately taken by a huge solid wood parsons table which he purchased. I was already to buy dining chairs at Room and Board, but after seeing two beautiful Fitzgerald chairs replete with piping on the arms, I’m having second thoughts. In addition, the selection of carpets is astounding. The Ocean Washed Peshawar is so beautiful, I’m afraid to walk on it. The knowledgeable staff all have a passion for design, and are extra friendly even to window shoppers, a rare commodity in New York City. WSH is basically upscale-​casual, classic pieces with a hint of modernity. Great care and attention was taken in amassing the collection, and the result is breathtaking. Prices range from high to exorbitant, but this is one store that is worth it. I’d rather save my pennies to purchase quality that will last a life time.
So go to the one of only eight WSH. Live, love and pray you can afford it, but it’s worth it!

Popped in looking to decorate my new abode. Sales people never checked in with me to see if I needed anything so I left the store without buying. Probably will not go back.

This was my first trip to WS Home, as I live in Seattle. WOW. What a gorgeous place. Yes, the items are high-​end, and out of reach for most, but it is impeccable! They carry a surprising number of original art pieces, which were a nice treat.
But really, I can’t say enough nice things about the staff. I spend $ 100 that day, and was treated like royalty. I’ll be back, even if it is just to browse!

Shopping is as much about the experience as the product, or so I was taught back in college, and that is so evident at Williams-​Sonoima. The lovely gift wrapping, the sturdy bags, the sincere smiles, and the excellent quality of product.
The foremost personal example I can offer you is Porcelain tableware. I have a mix of W-​S pieces and others from elsewhere to save a buck (white goes with white, right?). Well, it is now 5 years later, and the pieces from W-​S are not chipped, not scratched, not cracked at all, but the «other’s» product is looking severely shabby (chipped, cracked, scratched), and believe it or not the W-​S pieces are used more on a daily basis than the knock-​offs! In a house of 5 kids (yes, 5!) that anything survives is a miracle, but that the W-​S bowls look as if they just came from the store is amazing.
Oh, and here’s a secret: even years later if you keep the sales reciept, should the product go «belly up» you bring it back in with the reciept and you’ll walk out with a new one, or the closest thing to it, for little or nothing! Are you going to find that at Marshall’s? Hmmm? Are you?!? So you see, you pay a bit more than the net, but you get that much more!
No, I don’t work for them (couldn’t afford to, I would go broke), I just love the way they do business and the product they sell.

Goddy, is the first word that comes to mind. But if you visit Biltmore, Winterthur, etc. these amazing beautiful homes are goddy. I’m not justifying WS Home, I’m simply saying they know their market and who they want to sell to.
When I walk into this store, I never feel airy or dreamlike, simply over the top. It’s a shocker. Not sure if it’s positive or negative, just blah. I do expect a lot more, but it’s still fun walking through the store. I love the way they decorate and I enjoy absorbing their ideas.
Unfortunately, most of their decore doesn’t fit in the Pacific NW lifestyle. It’s almost exotic, warm, and open feel. Most of the home here are cool, grey, and rainy. It’s beautiful to look at the items, but I can never picture them in my house.
But, there are moments when I do and I pick it up to check out the price, and I have to say it’s very overpriced. Even when there are sales, it’s not even worth it,
The staff will probably tell me I’m wrong, but that’s justifiable, since I don’t think they understand my language.

I just read an article in the Times that explained how single people spend a lot of time in their heads. This leads them to «exaggerate bad past experiences» where «the inside of the brain resembles the combined plots of The Poseidon Adventure and Saw III played on loop but with all the uplifting parts edited out.»
Ouch.
I had mixed feelings on this thought as I perused the shelves of Williams-​Sonoma. On one hand, I was there to pick up something for –another– friend who is getting married, and I caught myself jealously pining for the days of true love and wholly unrealistic gift registries full of place settings, silverware, small appliances, and kitchen tools. Yet on the other hand, I was grateful to hold off on the conversations of «Honey, what do you think of these tins in the shape of pumpkins and acorns?» for the foreseeable future. (Side note: don’t like ‘em.)
I confirmed that my past, including MANY trips to this warm, high end culinary retail shop wasn’t bad at all. And it’s been walk in the park when compared to being forced to traverse a fiery sinking ship or wear an explosive collar.
I really only ever come here in the fall. There’s something about their displays that remind me of the formality yet comforting atmosphere of my grandparents house at the holidays.
The smell of cider and cookies wafts through the air as mellow tunes of the cd’s they hock play overhead. I always go straight to the cookbooks, with themes for the season, meal, and regional cuisine neatly lined up on the shelves. They have a wide selection glassware, pots & pans, knives, tools, and gadgets. The changing months bring specialty dishes and gifts (think turkey carving kits and cocoa packs) and of course gift cards for those who can’t decide what to pick up for someone.
The staff is the typical friendly mix you find at any downtown store surrounding Pioneer Courthouse Square. While it does tend to lean a bit more toward the touristy safe haven («Oohh Look! We have one of those at home too!») I can’t knock them for it. Like I said, there’s something strangely comforting about being here… warm smiles included.
And if I ever find myself falling into the mental trap of relationship despair, I know I can be almost instantly consoled in the fact that cheery spatulas all the colors of the rainbow are there to brighten my day.

The first time I went in here was fairly surreal, because they were in the middle of re-​merchandising the store. It was shortly after they opened in the morning, and all the employees were scurrying around moving furniture and lamps to and fro, and there were large swaths of the store in complete disarray. Also, pretty much all the price tags had been removed from the furniture, so I had no idea how much anything was, but I could certainly guess. It all seemed kind of strange to me — I mean, wouldn’t a store of this scale want to do their merchandising at night, and not show the inner workings of the machine to the public? So, having said that, the furniture is all pretty delectable, very much in a glam Hollywood Regency Karl Springer meets James Mont on the veranda with a mint julep kind of feel (with a touch of French mid century a la Jean Michel Frank thrown in for good measure). The buyers for the store definitely have a good finger on the pulse of «what’s hot» in the decorative arts market, and are doing their best to reproduce those designs. Some of the stuff seemed to be pretty lacking in quality, but other pieces were pretty well put together. Personally, I would say that for the money you’re going to spend on a piece here, you might as well get the genuine article (i.e. a real vintage piece with some design provenance), but… maybe that’s just me. If you’re going to spend a wad of cash on new furniture for your crib, you could definitely do worse than dropping it here.

Strolling down Portland’s lovely 23^rd Street on a sunny afternoon I notice William Sonoma’s Home store. Since I love nothing more than William Sonoma’s Pine scented candles and all their fantastic cookware (which I can’t *yet* afford) I decided I had to step in to check this place out. I knew it would be classy, simple and very expensive.
Well, I was right about it being expensive. Oddly though, the furniture and home-​wares were strangely glizty and retro. Imagine Vegas bling meeting the 1950s with plenty of mirrors and gold to go around. It was just not what I expected, nor what I would day-​dream of buying.
There are two floors, though, full of everything from furniture to bedding, to curtains, to decorative accessories. However, I was disappointed and hope that one day they re-​think their Home product line and style.

I didn’t know? Did you? I thought Williams– Sonoma was just about wonderful cooking supplies that you can’t really afford, and food that you’ll only find on the pages of catalogs and the in-​store sample bars. But no!
They also have a completely different concept store, their home decorating line. With only 8 stores in the United States, WSH gets 2 stars just for knowing how cool PDX is, and placing one smack dab in the middle of shopper’s alley (NW 23^rd).
The feel in their store is like Tommy Bahama’s right now, but I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt because it’s spring and everyone is really in to that beachy, coraly feel right now.
That said, they had some very interesting pieces, large dramatic dinning room tables, clean lined crystal taper lamps, and seemed just as un-​afraid as their kitchen specializing big brother to use color where it counts.
I’ll be keeping my eye on this one, especially for a bridal registry, since if you dip in one aspect of the company, the sales representative assured me, you are able to reach all– including Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware, which are also owned by the same chain.