Yoshi A.
Yelp
Muji outside of the US has a very good name, but here in NY, they're working very hard at being bad.
The store is dirty, a decent layer of dust covers pretty much every display case, shelf etc.
The prices abroad are usually very affordable, yet somehow, in the move to NYC, they are quite jaw dropping, and nothing here seems to be made in Japan.
Muji is a Japanese company that prides itself in its traditionally Japanese customer service, yet this location is staffed entirely by non-Japanese, who's emphasis is on anything BUT customer service - and that is very prevalent at this location. If you want customer service, go elsewhere, as in another city at least, or possibly another country.
I ordered two thousand dollars worth of sofa and everything needed to make it look like one (Muji nickle and dimes you to death with things like covers and feet being extra) and when they didn't have all the parts, only after being prompted did the sales person even begin to cough up a very stingy discount on the parts that were not available. Then, in the middle of the transaction, he switched to another customer for ten minutes while we stood there with that "WTF?" look on our faces.
No apologies later, he came back to us and began to arrange delivery, which was another $200 to Brooklyn(!!!). 2 grand, and they don't even offer a discount on delivery, let alone free delivery! See what I mean by nickle and dime you to death?
The delivery company isn't even part of Muji, they're just some guy with a van that they call. If you want, you can pick your merch up at their warehouse, but who the hell has a car big enough to fit a sofa and ottoman in the city???
Delivery was pushed back a week suddenly as the warehouse decided to be closed on the day they were supposed to release our merch.
When the delivery finally happened, it was abrupt and unceremonious - just business.
Once we opened the boxes to begin the long assembly process (Ikea, eat your heart out!), we noticed the ottoman cover was missing. I called up the store at Cooper Union and got probably the most unintelligent person in the City. I honestly doubt she can chew gum and breathe at the same time. Needless to say, she never shipped out the ottoman cover. I called back a week later to inquire about it, and yup, it was sitting there at the store. "You can come pick it up whenever you want" said the sales kid on the phone. After explaining that it was supposed to be SHIPPED to us, he eeked out a quick "sorry" and promised that it'd be delivered in 4-5 business days, which it was - with my name butchered on the address label, even though I S-P-E-L-L-E-D it out twice. Sigh...
I guess I don't have to say that we're not at ALL impressed with Muji, their employees, or their prices. The couch worked out okay, but after all that money spent, and all that time spent in the store and on the phone, it really wasn't worth it.
Disappointment.