SEPHORA

"I walked in hoping to buy products to do a full face of makeup and that didn’t happen. I asked this one associate if they had Patrick TA products and she responded while having her back towards me, like she wasn’t bothered to talk to me at all. Then I see another associate stocking products so I asked her if she could help and instead she radioed if another person could help me as if stocking the shelves was more important than helping the other customers in the store. After waiting a while for someone to come help, I decided to go to the register but the person left as soon as I walked up to the counter. So I left and on my way out, the same associate that was stocking asked me if anyone helped me but she knew that the answer was no because I had been in her line of sight for the entire time I was in the store. Long story short, don’t come to this Sephora if you need help finding the right products for you"

"I booked a 60 min full face beauty service/make-up appointment 6 days in advance and got a call the morning of my appointment that their make-up artist called out sick. I completely understand that this staff member needed to take care of themselves and have no ill-will towards the staff, however the Sephora policy on staff cancellations is TRASH. They cancelled my appointment and just told me the two other stores that had some availability today (both being inconvenient locations for me). The staff could neither offer to assist me in re-booking or offer any kind of store discount. Their cancellation policy is: "appointments canceled or rescheduled less than 24 hours prior to the appointment time are subject to a cancellation fee of $20.00". They called me only 5 hours before my appointment and cancelled but if I was 15 minutes late I would've been charged. This was incredibly inconvenient and I think people should be aware that this could happen to them and throw off party-day plans."

"Came to Sephora to pick up a new bare minerals powder. On my way to the register I was looking at the moisturizers when one of the store associates came up to me and asked if I needed help. I let her know that I did not need help and she continues to let me know with the exact words “in your condition I’d be looking at which brands you should use” referring to me being 9 months pregnant. I told her I’m aware what I should be looking for as I’ve had the conversation with my providers and she said “that’s good and all but we’re trained on these products”. Just completely unsolicited comments when I said I didn’t need any help and rude remarks! A few minutes later she came up to me and said that the brand I was looking at is in fact ok to use when you’re “in my condition”. Horrible experience and made me feel so uncomfortable. If I wanted help with pregnancy safe skincare I would have asked, and describing it as “in your condition” was so distasteful."

"I would like the makeup artists to be available and allowed to assist me in learning how to use and apply the products I’d like to purchase and work with me to apply them so that I can feel good that I’m getting the right shades and color tones. When I asked for help I was told no, the associate would only be able to apply one item and I could pick if it should be a contour stick, a highlighter or a foundation - not all three and not the eye shadow I wanted to try. I said “well I’m looking to purchase 8 or 9 items and spend $200-300. I have never done contouring and I’d like the associate to show me how to do it and to make sure I’m getting colors that look nice on my skin.” The answer from the manager was that I need to book an appointment and pay for that service. I said again, “How can I spend $200-300 on makeup if I’m not sure how to apply it and whether the colors are right? I’ve never been refused help at a makeup store or counter...” I was angry and almost left the store. But Silvana was very nice and said she’d do her best to help me. In the end she helped me with the foundation, dark contour, a couple different types of highlighters to see what works best for me and a blush. I ended up buying 7 items for $220. I’m not sure if I’ll be back to a Sephora again given the treatment I received and the new philosophy about NOT helping customers. Everything I purchased I can get from the department store makeup counter or online. If I return, the only reason will be that Silvana was so helpful. As a company you can choose to offer added services like full makeup for a fee. But that doesn’t mean you should refuse to help customers apply the makeup products they would like to purchase, especially if they ask for it and say they haven’t used these types of products or these techniques before and need to learn and/or test the colors with the opinion of a professional. That is the only reason to come to the store in the first place, otherwise can just purchase online. Your approach makes customers feel like scum frankly. You should treat customers with respect, believe them when they say they need help with new products, and actually help them rather than make them feel like you think they are trying to get a paid service for free."