Looking for colour didn't think my colour would have been an issue though:
Walked in to the store and was impressed that I was greeted as I came in by Dora, the store manager. I then proceeded to enter the store with one thing in mind,hair colour, but as you know you enter with one idea and come out of the store with more than you anticipated because you browse. She offered me a basket, I kindly declined and she continued to insist on what it was I needed today, taken aback by he steady push, I paused and expressed my desire to get hair dye and possibly purchase a bleach and add highlights. I'm not quite sure if it was a cultural or personality thing, she was attentive but not kind never once did she smile or seem as though she really cared about what I was asking her for.. I tried to keep an open mind and shrugged it off...
As other people entered the store an elderly black woman and a young Hispanic lady the same level of 'customer service' was not displayed no one pushed baskets or hovered over them as they looked-- the elderly African American woman actually sought Dora out to get assistance-- customer service ?!
l kept walking around looking for other things as I found a color and a spray that I opted to try instead of bleaching-- since Dora is being soooo helpful, I decided to ask her about the spray; while before she was attached to my hip, no matter where I moved in the store (the sales attendant and Dora were always in my view or more like I was in their view... ) she gave some random answer and rushed off as though she was too busy for questions-customer service?!
Side note, most of the ethnic items are in the back of the store so it just so happened that I was in a back corner or in the far back row... As I continue to pass through the store picking up other items that I saw and also decided to purchase, Dora and the sales attendant come up to me various times through my visit offering this big red basket for the 4 items I had in my hand, I at this point a bit annoyed by this extra "customer service" decline again and again... As I make my way to the front of the store Dora states, "Are you ready.." As if she is trying to push me out...
While in collage I worked at the Gap for 4 years as a manager and I know what customer service is the more a customer is looking at things the better! Offer information and get them to purchase things they may not have thought to purchase, discuss sales, rave about a product, SMILE... What she thought was this black girl with dreadlocks was going to come in and steal items from the store.
When I got to the register I expressed to Dora, the store manager, that I am a professional, I live in the area and I was not going to steal from the store.. I took out my card as she stated,"She was providing customer service. Thereafter she began to get defensive and flustered and out right rude-- customer service huh, ruffled some feathers and sized up the situation with my simple statement. She basically tried to ignore me after that and I expressed, "that is not customer service!" She attempted to defend her actions by saying that people come in and don't acknowledged their customers and they are not that kind of store and whatever I was feeing was my problem basically... Hmm, Customer service?!?
After reading some of the reviews this store is not an establishment that I would ever spend my money in. I felt like I shouldn't have purchase anything after that I told her that I wanted to return and she called in the sales associate as she said go to the other register picked up her clipboard and pushed up the attendant with such an attitude-- combative and sarcastic-- not customer recovery or anything--customer what?!-- but, again I was close to home and needed the items-- should have stuck to the beauty stores that cater to African American products and steer clear from Sally's.
As I said to Manager Dora, I will never come back and will let my other Ethnic and Caucasian friends know what happened today and not to spend their 'Green' at this establishment since colour is an issue.
Hey a tip Dora from a former Manager at 19 and now a Trauma Nurse at Ryder, you may want to find a workshop on customer service/customer recovery--Disney has a great model!
Never Again!!! read more