I visited this Brooklyn Anthropologie location shortly after 5 p.m. on June 14.
I came all the way from the UES because the Anthropologie website showed that a pair of cherry earrings I wanted was in stock at this specific store. When I arrived, I first tried to find the item myself on both the 1st floor and the basement, but I could not locate it anywhere.
So I tried to find someone to ask about it but there were almost no staff visible on the sales floors. Eventually, I approached the only employee I saw walking around the store, a woman with shoulder-length dark hair who appeared to have a measuring tape or similar tool hanging from her neck. I politely asked, "Excuse me, can I ask you one question, please? Do you have this item?" while showing her a photo of the earrings. Before I had even finished speaking, she immediately said, "We don't have them." very rudely. I then said, "But it says this store has them in stock." Again, before I could finish my sentence, she cut me off and repeated, "We don't have them!" and immediately walked away. There was no apology, no explanation, and no basic courtesy. I understand that inventory systems are not always accurate, (especially at Anthropologie) and I understand that items can be out of stock. That in itself is not the issue. (Should be fixed ASAP though) What upset me was not only the dismissive attitude, but the complete lack of basic respect in the interaction. It felt like frustration was taken out on a customer who was simply asking a polite question. A simple "Sorry, we don't have them, unfortunately." would have been good enough, I don't need any other apologies. I'm usually the sort of person who never fails to thank someone after asking them a question but at this time, I was completely lost for words because of her rudeness. What she did wasn't appropriate customer service. The behavior felt unprofessional and, frankly, not suited for a customer-facing role. In addition, she never greeted the customers at all as long as I was there, so at first, I wasn't sure whether she was working there. (or she was one of the customers) I was left feeling dismissed and deeply shocked by the interaction with her. Even though it was just a minute interaction.
On a positive note, I would like to mention that the male security staff member at the entrance is consistently very nice and welcoming. He is the only person in this store who always greets all the customers with warmth and professionalism, and his kindness & beautiful smile stood in stark contrast to my experience with that sales staff. Everyone at this location should be like him. He is a great role model for how to treat people with kindness.
Because of this experience, I'll never return to this location, again, sadly. read more