I rarely leave poor reviews but the most recent Sephora experience I had at the Town Center Plaza Leawood location has iced the cake.
First, every time I enter this Sephora, there are between 3-5 employees loitering at the center of the entrance, talking to each other. I've even witnessed employees poking fun at customers in the store and laughing. Fairly wretched behavior. These "sales associates" seldom, if ever, look at a customer entering and greet them or ask them if they can be of help. My most recent visit was more of the same.
I came in to purchase 2-3 items approximately a week ago. Some of the displays and brand locations within the store had changed, so I was milling around for about 15-20 minutes trying to find the items I needed. No one, repeat - NOT ONE sales associate - asked me if I needed help, though I counted 7 associates roaming the store including a manager talking to 2 associates in the middle of the store while customers walked around and past them. While I was searching for my items, I witnessed a couple of customers who were already in the store who were looking for things and not being helped. A couple of other customers walked in after me and weren't greeted. The manager and 2 sales associates never approached anyone to help them. I made my way back to the fragrance area and was looking around, clearly ripe to be asked if I needed assistance. A male associate was standing in the area as I was smelling fragrances and browsing. He barely glanced at me and then resumed typing into his phone. I sincerely hope he was searching the internet for "what does the word job mean?"
When I finally went to check out, I waited alone at the counter for about 5-7 minutes before the same sales guy from the fragrance area came up to the counter and said he could check me out. What a privilege. He told - yup, told, not asked, and with no "please" attached - told me to enter my phone number into the keypad. He asked me if anyone had helped me. I said no, while checking his face to see if he recognized me as the person he had just failed to assist in the fragrance area. But there was nothing but a blank stare returned my way. In the middle of the transaction, as the manager was walking by, he told her he needed to talk to her about something before she left; this interaction had nothing whatsoever to do with me, he was just making sure he caught her - in the middle of "helping" a customer check out. He never told me the total or asked if I found what I needed. He told me the keypad was ready for me to pay with my card. Then he told me my receipt would be emailed to me, handed me my little striped Sephora bag and walked away from the counter as I was still putting my wallet back into my purse. The whole experience was as bizarre as it was bankrupt of service.
On top of that, at nearly every makeup area I looked at, Ilia, Kosas, etc., the testers had not been cleaned and makeup was smeared on new, boxed items. Yuck.
So my question, Sephora:
Why even have sales associates? I literally helped myself until I had to check out and I would have had a more pleasant check out experience with a kiosk and AI.
If I could give this location and Sephora's over all lack of customer support online sub zero stars, I would. I'm going to make a concerted effort not to shop with Sephora anymore in general. I seriously do not want to contribute to paying the paychecks of these...well, I'll let you dear review readers enter any old name you wish to call them. They already wasted enough of my time. read more
