Party City

Write a Review508-917-6056

OPEN NOW - Closes at 8:00pm

Horrid experience. The store is cluttered and feels unclean. The employees seem uninterested in shoppers' experiences. Like many other "discount" chain stores, the modus operandi for this business seems to be "assume that customers are just looking to scam, steal, or otherwise get a free handout." Here is what happened to me:



-My mother in law and I went into Party City on Friday, February 7th around 1 pm. I purchased over $150 in party supplies for my four-year-old's birthday, including a dozen latex helium balloons and two mylar helium balloons. I also brought three mylar balloons that I had ordered from the internet for them to fill (at a fee). A young woman who worked there filled the 5 mylar balloons and a young man filled the 12 latex ones. After the latex balloons were filled, the young man added a balloon clip to keep them all together. The young woman handed me the mylar balloons in a bunch without a clip. I asked for a few spare clips (to rebundle the balloons in groups at the partys) and she handed me some. I carefully fastened one around the five mylar balloons and ensured it was firmly in place.



-After all the balloons were filled, we walked outside. My mother in law had the mylar bunch, and I had the latex bunch. It seemed to us that we got them all in the car with no problems, and headed home. When we got home and brought them inside, we realized that the largest mylar balloon, a $10 My Little Pony pony-shaped balloon, was missing. We both assumed that it must have been left behind in the store.



-I called the store back to inquire about the balloon. The young woman who answered (the one who filled the mylar balloons and handed them to me) IMMEDIATELY put the manager on the phone, even though I hadn't asked to speak with him. The manager got on the phone, and this was how our conversation went:



Me: (Explaining the situation)... so I am calling to see if we left the balloon behind.

Him: No, there's no balloon like that here. Also, two of my employees saw you leave with the balloon. So it's not our problem. It was windy outside and it probably wasn't clipped well and flew away.

Me: Oh. Well let me check the clip (checking). Actually, the clip is on the bunch so firmly that I can't pull any of the balloons out without opening it. So I feel certain that it did not slip out of the bundle that way.

Him (combatively): Well, ma'am, I'm not going to give you a free balloon. Two of my employees can confirm you left with the balloon.

Me (remaining polite): I'm not asking for a free balloon. I'm just trying to figure out what happened.

Him (still combative, now defensive as well): Well the clip that you put on the bunch must have been loose. It's not our problem.



-I hung up and felt terrible because his automatic assumption was that I was somehow trying to scam a free balloon out of him. It was at this time that my mother-in-law and I looked closer at the bunch and realized that yes, it WAS still secure, but this time we saw that there were FIVE ribbons in the bunch, with four mylar balloons. The My Little Pony balloon's ribbon was there, and at the end (where it had been connected to the balloon) there was a very loose open knot. So it would appear that the employee who filled the balloons and tied them with ribbons did not tie that one correctly, and consequently it slipped out of the ribbon and flew away when we walked out.



-Unfortunately, because of the attitude I faced from the store manager, I am extremely reticent to return to the store with the ribbon. I feel like they would (again) accuse me of trying to get something for nothing - nevermind that I spent $150 there.



Anyway, buyer beware.