Comments on: Swoozie’s assumes Blue Tulip leases

By: Disappointed & Disrespected

Disappointed & Disrespected — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:13:42 +0000

I want to reiterate to any vendor considering doing business with Swoozies that they will lie to you and not pay you within any reasonable time period. They still owe me thousands of dollars from product I delivered nearly a year ago. This is the case with many vendors that I know. I had done business with them previously, and they paid me in full after about 6 months of torturous tooth-pulling . Before accepting PO’s last year, I had their buyer and accounting department assure me multiple times that their wayward treatment of vendors was a thing of past. I explained that my company is a small business, and could not afford to be a bank for them during these harsh economic times. I delivered the product, and they have only paid me a portion of it, after more than 8 months and counting. They will not even respond to emails or phone calls any more. Be forewarned. They are dishonest, and do not treat many of their vendors with any respect. They do not encourage loyalty, and should have an article written about their practices in a national gift magazine. I can’t imagine that they will survive while treating their vendors so atrociously.

By: Julia Bailey

Julia Bailey — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:16:30 +0000

I wish I had read this thread before shipping Swoozies a substantial Holiday order, that yes, remains very much unpaid . . . . Ditto to comment about no one from their HQ responding, I even have the principles email address and she won’t reply. Shame on Swoozies.

By: anonymous

anonymous — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:43:19 +0000

I am a vendor that has sold to Swoozies and chose to pull our product due to deliquent and no payments. Deliquent as in they still owe for invoices from over 10 months ago. We tell everyone we know to NOT shop there. It is unethical the way Swoozies chooses to not pay their vendors while they are paid up front when their customers purchase merchandise. Be careful Swoozies…karma!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:58:04 +0000

I’d like to address another problem that I have had in the past with Swoozies. I am a vendor who has sold to Swoozies for a few years. They have been increasingly delinquent in paying invoices and there is absolutely no one willing to speak to us from their accounts payable department. Net 30 invoices were not paid for at least 120 days and only then, I believe that we received payment only because they wanted to place another order. Now they have assumed another company that’s gone into bankruptcy. Wonder what THAT will do for their ability or willingness to pay on time?

By: sad

sad — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 22:55:13 +0000

As a previous employee and customer of Blue Tulip, I feel that the real loser here is the consumer. Watching my community embrace the Blue Tulip product in an area where there was no other quality gift store was amazing. Soon after my departure, I personally watched and heard from my old customers how repetitive and cheap the product offering became. This was not the Blue Tulip they loved – once offering unique and fabulous gifts – now massing out the same product over and over again. I fear that Swoozie’s will just be an extension of this concept. As Anonymous commented – when “the man” left – so did the true vision of Blue Tulip and what made it successful. The passion was gone – which effected the product, the employee and the customer’s response.

I hope that Swoozie’s upper management embraces the comments here and brings back the greatness that their Blue Tulip customer is looking for.

By: Appalled

Appalled — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 23:53:11 +0000

Blue Tulip was the best company I have ever worked for. Although I would never wish for a company to plummet, I do not see great success in the locations Swoozies has taken over.

For everyone who has knocked Blue Tulip, you should all really think about what you are saying. I have been into Swoozies once, an acquisition of one of the NE stores, and it was the most atrocious display of merchandising, customer service, and employee knowledge. Any member of the Blue Tulip TEAM would be appalled at what they saw.

Swoozies will not survive in the NE, not with their pay, their shipment, their lack of knowledge, and failure to tend to one of the most needy populations I’ve ever seen. Sincerely…Good luck.

By: Resi C.

Resi C. — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 22:02:55 +0000

I agree with the people here who are actually my ex co-workers. I too saw first hand how the company made bad decisions after more bad decisions. The VP was truly, truly horrible. The fact that this company went through 3 CEO’s in such a short time is appalling. Swoozies is in for a shock here, they’re offering LESS than minimum wage to work in their Northeast stores, which of course, is illegal and will realize soon enough that’s not what wages are up here.

By: sheep

sheep — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 11:34:05 +0000

I also worked for Blue Tulip, for a little over four years. Mr. Malbrook hit it right on. Not only were Blue Tulip’s business model and expansion plans flawed, but anyone with a right mind would question who was running the company. The VP was horrendus and she had no business at all being in that position. The same could be said for a few others.

The areas Blue Tulip opened in could not be more off the mark. The merchandised purchased was horrible. They never, never ranked anything! Inventory was never accurate. This one is my favorite, Blue Tulip was not competive at all.

That attitude helped the company fail.

By: Prefer not to be named

Prefer not to be named — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 06:45:04 +0000

The wool has been pulled over the eyes yet again. Joe Ellis, founder of Blue Tulip was formerly a partner in Swoozies. This is not a coincidence. I would bet he owns stock again.

David Cully put Egghead Software, Lechters, and now Blue Tulip into chapter 11. He makes six figures and is rewarded or his brilliance. Go figure?

By: Ed Malbrook

Ed Malbrook — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:36:30 +0000

I don’t know read “hate” here, but I do agree with the person from NY-NJ. Blue Tulip‘s business model and expansion plans were flawed, explaining the company’s brief lifespan. Swoozies (IMHO) is equally shortsighted in their approach to the NE quadrant and its customer base. Having visited several Swoozies locations in different regions, I can attest to the fact they look alike, just as most big boxes and chains do.

I tend to agree that one year from now we’ll be seeing Swoozies in trouble on at least some, if not all, of these ill conceived locations.