Beard’s Framing

I popped by this place looking for a frame, but their readymade frames were too expensive and too large for me. At ~$ 45 perhaps they are better quality than the average frame. I thought they might have cheaper readymades in stock; more like ~$ 20. The lady working the counter was friendly and offered advice on where to find a cheaper frame even though I didn’t buy anything.

I’ve only visited this location once to have a single piece of art framed. As a bit of background, I am very experienced as a framing customer and have had much fine art framed over the years. That being said, I won’t be going back to Beard’s.
First, their prices are exorbitant. For a moderately sized item and mid-​range materials, the charge was to be $ 400. When I politely remarked that it seemed rather high to me, I was told by the staffer that they are «competitive in this market». Only after returning to my office and doing a bit more research did I learn that there are numerous coupons and discount opportunities available for the company. They might be competitive when coupons are applied.
They lose considerable respect from me for not being honest with me when I questioned the price of the item and they chose not to tell me about coupon opportunities that may be available or their Frame Club (which always provides at 15% discount). They did however, apply a discount after the sale which reduced the price of the purchase by almost 25%, which I certainly appreciate.
Their lack of candor and high markup will likely cause me to look for a non-​chain, locally owned and operated frame shop with less overhead for the next framing project I have.