To say I have been anxiously and excitedly awaiting the opening of this new location is an understatement, primarily because it is in my neighborhood. It has only been open for a minute and yesterday, I made time to go there to see it and purchase some things. When I walked through the entrance to the store, it was WOW! It's bright, clean and shiny as you would expect any new store to be. While perusing the "higher" end lines, I immediately noticed that the shelves were well-stocked. Some products haven't been set up yet although the signage and labels are there which is no big deal as that happens when you're trying to get up and running. Also, not only are the testers all there (before some customers steal them) but they're pristine with no dust, nicks, and product all over them and the areas around them. I looked around and shopped for about 30-40 minutes and sadly, this is where my satisfaction ended.
During the entire time I was in the store, I wasn't, at any point greeted or asked if I needed help with anything. There were plenty of employees standing around and MAYBE one other customer in the store. Not the end of the world but it would have been nice, especially since there was one product I was trying to locate. I finally got my phone out, went to the Ulta website, chose the store I was literally standing in, and found the item. That is how I found out that it was currently online only and not available in-store yet. Again, not a huge deal but surprising and a bit of an inconvenience. After picking up a couple of eyeshadow palettes, single shadows, and a few other things, I headed to the register area. By that time, the store had a few more customers. There were two ahead of me in the line and two employees working the registers. So, I waited....and waited...and waited. One of the employees rang up the person in line ahead of me and when they finished, just looked at me and walked away. At first, I thought they were just quickly getting or putting something away and would be right back. It wasn't until I saw them come out of the back area wearing their coat that I realized they were going on break or going home. Looking right at me when they passed, I was a little surprised that they hadn't said anything before that like "they'll be with you shortly" referring to the other employee/cashier. Nothing. So, I continued to wait on the other cashier who was still ringing up the same people and they (the customers) were taking FOREVER. Still patiently waiting, I looked around and saw that there were 5 (maybe 6?) employees in the immediate area including three others right behind and near the registers. One of them must have been a manager as she had what looked like a clipboard or tablet and she was talking to the other employee. I looked behind me and another employee was behind the registers in an area that said "body care" or something similar. She never even looked up. So, 2 customers, one of whom was me standing there waiting, and 4-5 employees (besides the one ringing up the same customers) and they weren't helping anyone. The customers ahead of me finally left and I greeted the employee/cashier with "hello." I told her I had a $10 off of $50 coupon that I'd gotten in an email a couple of days before and that I'd also like to use some accrued rewards points I had. When everything had been rung up, she scanned the barcode of my coupon several times but for whatever reason, it wouldn't register. She told me, "sometimes you'll still receive these emails even though the coupon has already been used." I explained to her that I hadn't used it before (which was true) and she finally got someone else (one of the other people who was still standing around) who basically said the same thing. I told her what I'd told the cashier, that I had not used the coupon and hadn't been in an Ulta store in a month or so. They finally got the coupon to scan and $10 was deducted from my total. I reminded her about the $9 in rewards points I'd like to use and she pointed to the screen explaining that the amount had already been taken off and was noted in the price to the right of each line item (which I already knew). I pointed out to her that the $10 off coupon and the $9.00 in rewards points would be $19 off but that the new total was only showing $10 off. Finally, she tried something else and the total was corrected. I told her that I really appreciated her help with all of it and her reply was, well, nothing because she didn't reply or even acknowledge that I'd said anything. When we were (finally) finished, I told her "thank you again" and "have a nice night." Again, no response. No smile, nothing, she just seemed irritated. I walked away from the registers pretty bothered at how the entire experience had gone, especially since I'd gone into the store so happy and optimistic. This location is ridiculous and needs to get it together. read more