At this location, I just had probably the worst shopping experience of my life.
When my friend and I visited this store, we were greeted by very friendly staff that seemed happy to help us. Together, my friend and I talked to multiple girls in uniform that were very nice to us and seemed to know what they were doing.
During our about 1 hour visit, there was one male employee who came up to me more than three times to "check up" on me, asking if I were ready to go to the counter or if I needed any help at the moment; both times I politely declined and moved on. I didn't think much of it and assumed that he was just being friendly to me like his coworkers had been. However, as I was shopping in various aisles, I noticed that he seemed to be following me throughout the store. I'm not just being paranoid - he definitely was observing what I was doing, and when I caught his eye he quickly busied himself with organizing shelves and whatnot. (This is all when I am separated from my friend btw). Even then, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt because I have never been followed in a store before, given that I don't think that my appearance really screams "thief" since I am a younger Asian girl (as if appearances should even factor into that.)
In the checkout line, I realized that I wouldn't have enough money to buy everything in my basket, so I took out a thing of mascara and placed it deliberately in one of the sample shelves. Nothing too scandalous, right? When my friend was called to the counter to buy her things and I was left alone at the front of the line, the same Guy came up to me once again and awkward/seriously asked me how I was doing. Before I could even respond he was walking past and away from me, glancing in my bag as he did so.
Less than a minute after I got called to the counter, the Guy approached me and told me to come with him. First, he asked me if I knew where I put the mascara that I had before *hm, I wonder how he knew I had the mascara in the first place? Was he by any chance watching me when I put it in my shopping bag?* At first, I was a little confused and embarrassed - was I getting in trouble for not putting it back where it belonged? The Guy proceeded to tell me that they have been "watching me on their cameras" and that he saw me putting the mascara up my sleeve, which I definitely didn't do. I offered to take my jacket off and let him search it, so he can know that I'm telling the truth. He told me that he saw me enter the line with the mascara in my bag (proving that he was indeed watching me shop) and leave the line without it. I suggested that perhaps the mascara fell behind the shelving or that another employee may have taken it out when organizing, but he proceeded to talk to me like a child and explain how the "shelving there is special and doesn't work like that."
He told me to go back to the counter and pay for my things, and as I did, he met with some of his coworkers and began to whisper and glance at me. By this point, I was pretty shaken and a little teary eyed just because of the way the situation was handled and how I was talked to. I understand that Sephora probably gets a lot of shoplifters, but I also know that there is a much better way to handle that than to follow customers around for no apparent reason and then talk to them as though they are stupid liars.
Basically, the Guy ended up finding out that one of his coworkers picked the mascara up while organizing the shelves. He let me go with a curt, "you are free to go." - no apology offered whatsoever. I was too overwhelmed to remember to check what this guy's name was. The other guy who helped me out behind the counter saw that I was crying and offered me a free moisturizing face mask though.
Thanks.
Ulta Beauty, you'll be seeing a lot more of me from this point forward :) read more