I used to highly recommend this smoke shop to anyone in the area. Unfortunately, after my most…read morerecent experience with one of their newer employees, I can no longer say that.
I stopped in as a favor for a friend who was bedridden and unable to make it to the store themselves. They needed a specific ceramic nail, and I want to first acknowledge the gentleman with glasses and arm tattoos who helped me. Despite being new, he was incredibly patient, respectful, and thorough. He spent a significant amount of time searching for the exact size I needed and even checked with another employee because he remembered seeing one recently. He went above and beyond, and his customer service was genuinely appreciated.
Unfortunately, my experience went downhill from there.
After finding out the item wasn't available, I called my friend on speakerphone to figure out what else they wanted. Another employee abruptly confronted me and accused me of recording inside the store. I explained that I was simply on the phone, and she informed me that recording wasn't allowed. Fine. I respected that and specifically chose NOT to FaceTime my friend.
My friend then wanted to see what other products were available, so I took a couple of photos to send them. Apparently, this violated another rule that had never been clearly explained to me. The employee immediately came out and said, "I saw what you did," before ordering me to leave the store.
At that point, I had already spent roughly $50 and was preparing to spend more.
There is a professional way to communicate store policies to paying customers, especially when those policies aren't clearly posted or explained. Immediately becoming confrontational and throwing someone out instead of simply saying, "Hey, photos aren't allowed either," is unnecessarily hostile and terrible customer service.
If you shop here, I strongly recommend dealing with the gentleman with the glasses and arm tattoos. He was courteous, patient, and exactly how a customer-facing employee should behave.
As for the JoJo Siwa impressionist, your attitude was unnecessarily aggressive, your communication was poor, and your customer-service skills left a lot to be desired, much like your Disney career(sorry, not sorry), but If management expects customers to follow specific rules regarding phones, photos, or recording, those rules should be clearly communicated--not enforced through hostility after the fact.
I came in intending to spend money and help a bedridden friend. I left knowing exactly which employee I will avoid if I ever decide to give this business another chance
