If not for 1 empathetic employee out of 3, I would try to give this place 0 stars. My experience yesterday:
I was shopping for myself with a female friend. I am very petite for a woman in her mid-twenties, and thus I wanted to try on an outfit for a Bulls game that I am attending this week. We asked a clerk if there were dressing rooms, and he responded there was not - they used to have a dressing room but did not anymore. This clerk was a few steps away, but he was standing still as I told my friend I would just go to another store's dressing room and try them on, and return them if they did not fit. The clerk may not have heard me and I understand if he did not.
After going to the register, my friend and I sat our clothes down on the counter and discussed again as the female cashier waited and stared at us. Specifically, my friend said I could wait and buy the leggings tomorrow if I want, but I said that I would get them now because it made sense to have them to try on, and if they did not fit, I could always return the items that didn't work out. I did this on purpose as I had to be sure the cashier heard, in case that was an issue. My friend and I were the only customers at the register, there were no other customers behind us or within a 15-20 foot radius, there were less than 7 customers in the entire store (including my friend and I), and the cashier was indeed staring right at us. I am absolutely sure she was listening to our conversation and had no distractions as I debated buying the items at her register. This was my first time ever purchasing any items at a Jimmy Jazz store.
After buying $75 worth of items ($20 top, $13 hat, and $35 leggings/sweatpants, + tax for each) with my personal credit card and verifying with my I.D., my friend and I went one more store, then into a nearby mall restroom so that I could try on my Jimmy Jazz purchases. The top and hat fit, but the leggings were too large (they were a size small, but as I stated before, I am very petite - which is why I always ask if a store has a dressing room that I may utilize prior to purchase). Thus, because the leggings did not fit, we came back to the store. We came back to the register where the same female cashier was stationed and said "we would like to..." right as we finished the sentence, the cashier said "No refunds. Only exchanges or in-store credit", shrugged her shoulders for a few seconds as me and my friend said "but we were just in here", and then the cashier walked away.
After looking around and finding nothing I liked, I opted for in-store credit and another store clerk rang me out. I said "excuse me, do you have a moment?" to the original cashier who was not too far away and asked if she could come back. When she came back to the register area (and in front of two male store clerks), I said, "I understand if you don't get the chance to tell every customer the store policy, however this is my first time ever shopping in this store. My friend and I had an entire conversation in front of you as we were at the register, before you rang any of my items up, debating whether I should buy these items and return what I did not like/could not fit. It would have been helpful if you could have let me know that you do not allow refunds before I purchased these items".
And she responded... "When I'm at the register, I'm just trying to ring people out. I don't listen to my customers' conversations, because I'm just doing my job. I'm sorry." And with that, she gave a half smile, and immediately walked away. That made a second time she walked away as we were having a conversation
What baffles me is that the Jimmy Jazz website states "As a testament to our ongoing commitment to providing the highest level of customer service and satisfaction, JimmyJazz.com has been certified by the Better Business Bureau as an accredited business and a trusted retailer." It makes me sad that this standard is not the same standard upheld at the particular Riverside Mall store I visited. As a customer, I said I would be making a return in front of the cashier. There were no customers behind me, so she was looking at and listening to my friend and I (I know because I looked back and forth between her and my friend during the conversation). For her to say that she doesn't listen to her customers, but be very quick to state the return policy when we returned to the store, was upsetting. Also, being that there are no longer dressing rooms in the store, the policy should be stated to customers in general as there is no option to try on items in the store to verify that they fit - the only option is to purchase an item and hope for the best, which I found out too late. My first time experience in a Jimmy Jazz store was one I regret and because of it I may never shop there again, even shopping for gifts to give others, and that is very unfortunate.
Also: Apparently, the Ford City location has a dressing room -I called another Chicago location to verif read more
