The whole vibe of the store is prison. I mean, the manager - who has to approve every return,…read moreunlike normal stores - has to have been a former prison guard who thinks every person around her is a criminal. She talks to everyone, customers and staff alike , as if they're filth beneath her feet. I had to do a return once a few months ago, and they acted like they were about to get out the handcuffs, how dare you return something!!!!! There is never a pleasant encounter with anyone working at this store. Blase or uncaring is the best you'll get - and feel lucky that any one employee wasn't on the attack.
They attack you the minute you come into the door. then they don't actually help you find what you said you need help fidning.
The staff on the floor are supposed to be helpful, but instead of helping, they wave vaguely at entire areas where the item you looked for help finding might be. The store setup makes it hard to find things, even when waved blithely towards an area while being looked at with suspicion. THAT had been my experience the two times in 2 years I'd been in there. But I was so stupid that I went back.
I really didn't like the idea of having to go into this place, but it was the only store that had what I was looking for.
There were broken makeup containers in 2 areas of the places I was searching for the product. When I found the brand, the whole area was a mess: there was thick product smeared on the floor, throughout the entire display dividers, and the products. I got some of it on my hand when I didn't notice the "clean" bottle I picked up had glops of goo on the back. I couldn't open my purse to get a tissue out with just one hand, which would spread the stuff onto my purse.
I asked for help from my assigned lurking "Every breath you take, every move you make, I'll be watching you" staff member, who then made comments hinting she was accusing me of trying to steal the makeup -- by breaking it, did she mean?
She said something about "that happens when you make a mess" and I figured, they already knew about this mess long before I got there, it may have been here for days, even, and they had played this act on many people just to see if they could cause a big scene.
Instead of helping or expressing concern that there was makeup on the floor, other products, etc, she got another employee and followed me (I was heading toward a restroom to wash my hands.) I went just 2 aisles before deciding just to leave. I knew I could open my car door with one hand and grab some wipes in the door side pocket. But Ulta: can't fix that. It's the same old "customers are always wrong" Ulta as usual.
Before leaving I told them that, by the way, I noticed broken bottles of makeup in one of the aisles over there. One says, "oh, you were THERE too? Uh huh" while nodding and looking like the rogue cop in a movie, about to break out the billy clubs. Yep, I had gone in that aisle, too, and standing about accusing customers of breaking makeup (how did someone even break those thick glass makeup bottles?) instead of cleaning up or helping customers? I'm at a loss for words because this IS the norm at Ulta, where the standard is customer abuse.
In the parking lot, I noticed the Flock cams - only at Ulta and no other store (I looked to see if they were elsewhere) - and thought, oh yeah, of course they are selling our info, our photos tied to our license plates, to make more money. The cams follow you to the door. Who can get THAT info?
What a place. I wouldn't be back if they had the they had the best sale on the planet.
