I usually shop at the Total Wine in Brea, but I was in the Huntington Beach area and decided to…read morestop by this location.
When I first walked in, I was looking for a specific bottle and asked an employee for help. She was standing on her phone, and when I asked where the bottle was, she simply replied, "It's in the back." Since I wasn't familiar with the layout of this store, I asked if she could tell me where in the back--left, right, straight ahead, etc. She just repeated, "I said it's in the back." As a first-time customer at this location, that wasn't very helpful and honestly made me feel dismissed.
Thankfully, the rest of my experience was completely different. I found another employee near the refrigerator section, and he was amazing. He walked me directly to what I was looking for, helped me grab everything I needed, and even carried it up to the register for me. He was incredibly friendly, made me laugh, and genuinely turned my shopping experience around.
The cashier was also super sweet, and the manager who was there took the time to ask how my day was going and chatted with me for a bit. Those interactions made the store feel much more welcoming.
While my first interaction wasn't great, everyone else I encountered provided excellent customer service and really made up for it. I hope the employee I first spoke with can be reminded that a little kindness and direction go a long way, especially for customers who aren't familiar with the store.