So, you will probably hate me a little bit for this post. And that is okay. Because I need to vent it out of my system. My favorite places to shop for clothes: Forever21, Urban Outfitters, H&M, The Bay, Dynamite and almost anywhere I spot something nice. But mostly, I will want to walk into Forever21 every time I go to the mall.
And this is what pisses me off the most about Forever21 - their crappy customer service. So, it is almost obvious that you never get attention or service at the larger and more popular stores. Why? Because they are selling garments like crazy and they don't care about people who are not happy with their in-store experience. They have the sales to beat out anything else. In other words, they don't have time for you 'cause they are busy making some big-time moola. There are 3 stores I love to shop at: Forever21, MAC, and Sephora. They are always packed and even if they aren't, you do not receive the attention you would like as a customer.
Forever21 is a nightmare in Brampton. Do not even bother going to the Brampton location. All the good stock that they have online is never in store. They are always out on all their L sizes. You mostly find S and XS lying around the most. And in the plus section, XL is almost never there. You always see 2X and 3X the most. Now, don't freak about the bigger sizes. Their dress sizes are weird. I wrote a post about that before. I am usually a Large at other places but XL at Forever21 because their bust sizes are too small for L. Oh, the joys of having mountain-loads. Other locations of Forever21 i.e. at Eaton Centre are always stocked up on various sizes. But that could just be a location and re-stocking issue. I can let that slide.
And they freaking start saying rude things about how 2 people cannot go in one stall. Like, hello! She is my MOTHER. We are not a high school couple trying to shoplift or something. She is just trying to have a look at my garment because it may be revealing and I MAY NOT feel comfortable stepping outside especially when they have male customer reps walking around. Not everyone may feel this way but it is my own need for privacy and that should be respected. Argh! The most annoying thing about the store is their no-return policy. It is exchange only and store credit. I am not particularly complaining about this because I always get store credit and end up shopping for jewellery or something else. But it's worth a mention. In comparison to the Bay, Forever21 is shit. The Hudson Bay Company always ensures top class quality service. Their returns are within 30 days or so. They offer you refunds, exchanges and help with fittings. My mom and I always go into one change-room there because we try on a million things and we have to show each other. I have never heard one person complain about that and I have been shopping there for YEARS. I find myself detaching from Forever21 stores. If I really like something, I'll just order it online. I have become very correct about my sizing because I've been shopping online for about 2 years now at stores such as Forever21, Suzy Shier, Dynamite and other retailers. I know it may not sound like a big deal to you guys but when you go in-store and someone treats you in a rude manner, it ruins your entire day. And I don't like my mommy-daughter time to be interrupted by some stuck-up rude CSR who knows nothing about the customer's needs.
Going to MAC in Toronto is almost useless. Forget that you will be colour matched properly. It's likely that you will find a better foundation by researching online and sampling out foundations in store by yourself. These chics are just huddled by people and they frankly do not care about your skin type or problems. THEY WANT TO SELL THE PRODUCT. PERIOD. In fact, if you get trained at MAC for being a MUA, you will probably focus on the importance of sales rather than customer service. So, I've just stopped going there. I order stuff online, which gurantees more products being in-stock. Plus I see swatches on other beauty blogs, so that helps with picking out products. The only thing I go in-store for is lipstick.
A couple of other things to mention. Not only is it always insanely busy, but they are extremely unorganized. They do not take notice of any customers coming in. They don't care how long you have been waiting for them unless you go remind them yourself. They are incredibly rude and even though I always smile at people, I just get a cold look back. WTF? Are they prohibited from smiling? I need to go through a MAC employee's work contract. What are they exactly supposed to do? And most of the girls I've met at MAC are super arrogrant. If you walk in wearing no makeup, they will think of you as an amateur and somewhat less of a person, I feel. Like, you are now holier than me because you have drawn on eyebrows, half a pan of bronzer on your cheeks, and lip-liner extending 2 miles out of your actual lip radius. Yep, MAC it is. And not to mention the fact that if you mention another brand of makeup you are wearing, they will find some way or the other to degrade it. All in all, it's the money in their tills at the end of the day that counts. Not you, not your experience as a customer. There is no helping you, no advising you, no suggestions, no knowledge.
Sephora has the same problem but may be to a lesser extent. The only time I could remember being given attention was on a weekday during mid-afternoon. I was looking to buy the MUFE HD and I was colour matched correctly. She identified that I am mostly yellow (warm) undertoned with hints of olive in some places. To colour match your foundation, the person needs to correctly identify your undertones. Not only that, they also need to look at your neck and chest. My neck is darker than my face but my chest is lighter than my face. LOL. *Sigh*What I have learned in the past years = 2 foundations will do wonders for you. You need a lighter and a slightly darker foundation to get the right colour IF you are in-between colours. Do not settle for an off colour just because. You can mix and match your own. And to think about it, it's a good investment because we tan in the summer and we are lighter in the winter. So, you kinda need 2 foundations anyway. I can never pull off one shade all year long because I tan a bit crazy in the summer. Anyway, this will be a new blog on it's own. I am just rambling right now.
Back to the rant - customer service sucks at these stores. They don't care for your needs. They just tell you to colour match yourself and look at products. We don't have the entire knowledge about a product as a customer. And what is the point of researching everything online if they cannot help you in-store? That is what they are there for. The least they can do is guide you. They are supposed to educate us. I have always find that whenever I buy Benefit Cosmetics at Shoppers Drug Mart & Biotherm Skin Care, they always educate me before I purchase anything. They ask me questions about my skin type, my T-zone, what I currently use etc. Then, based on those answers, they will give me a recommendation suited to my needs. And that is what customer service is all about. I also shop CoverFX and other makeup products at Shoppers now instead of Sephora.
And sorry MAC, you are freaking horrible. You really need to train your employees to be at least polite and helpful. Have you guys also experienced something like this at these retail stores? Let me know :) lots of love.
No comments:
Post a Comment