Before Covid, I came in here all the time. I was a make-up and perfume junkie. After Covid, well I'm more of a skincare junkie now because who wants to continually wash masks that are soiled with make-up. When I heard Sephora had re-opened I was excited to go check it out and it would give me something to do on my lunch break as I just returned to the office 3 days a week.
So off I went one weekday on my lunch break. I walked in and everything pretty much looked the same with the obvious exceptions. Doors marked in and out, there's an associate at the door giving people the run down, everyone is in masks, everything you would expect. The woman at the door greeted me and told me the "rules." Please keep your distance. Wear your mask. Please don't use the testers, they are just there for looks. If you need any help, just ask. Okay, everything seemed straight forward, so off I went.
An associate helped me pick out a face wash and a moisturizer and then I went looking around on my own for a bit. I looked at some more skin care and make up and then I ended up at the Fresh display and a bottle of their rose petal toner caught my eye. If you haven't seen it before, it has real rose petals floating in the toner. Do you know what I did? I picked that bottle up. I didn't open it, I didn't test it, I didn't empty it out on the floor, but I picked it up because I was interested in buying it. Keep in mind I was picking up bottles with the sales associate not that long ago while I was picking out my other items for purchase. Have you ever for a split second forgotten the circumstances of where you were or why things were the way that they were? That was me. And it's not like I opened it and used it. I. Just. Picked. It. Up. 2.6 seconds later a very young sales associate started wagging her finger in my almost 40 year old face and was so rude and condescending at my mistake as I first apologized but second also mentioned that no one told me that I couldn't pick the testers up, but only that I wasn't supposed to use them. Everything on deaf ears though as this GIRL just kept going. I don't want to get Covid just like anyone else, but a simple, "Ma'am, you're not supposed to pick them up" followed by a cutesy cringey face would have been adequate for me and would have saved her, and me some embarrassment.
Sadly that experience has soured me, at least on that location. Maybe I'll check out the one on Westlake by Whole Foods. This location has been going downhill for a while now and every time I go I really haven't had a stellar experience. Maybe I'll just drop Sephora altogether and shop exclusively at Ulta.
My suggestion for Sephora: Either take all your testers out and put them in the back until someone asks to see them or glue/velcro or somehow affix them to the display so no one can remove them...OH and teach your sales associates not to wag their fingers in the faces of those that are more than likely twice their age. Next time it happens, I'll bite it. read more