SEPHORA — Attraction in Ottawa

Worst experience at the Bayshore Shopping Centre location yesterday, me and my friend came in (Monday, February 6th between 6-7pm) and as we were shopping around, got asked over 10 different times if we needed help, many times by the same lady following us around who accused us of stealing at one point… (In her 40-50’s, dark hair, lots of eye makeup on, on the chubby side, looked to be of Middle Eastern or South Asian descent and had a mask on) Me and my friend were sharing one of their shopping baskets for the things we were getting and she approached us asking “if I wanted another one instead of putting stuff inside my shopping bag” which was from ANOTHER STORE. I explained to her that the bag was my purchase from another store and we already had a basket for our things (not that I owed her any explanation) and she proceeded to ask me if I I am sure while suspiciously looking at us. We were in disbelief at what she was suggesting so I asked her to clarify if she was saying that we were putting products inside my bag and stealing them, and she said yes. No words for that. We are at a mall, everyone has shopping bags with them, why target us? I’ve never felt so much disrespect from anybody like this. After purchasing our things, we asked the girl who was helping us at the counter if we could put in a complaint about the lady and speak to someone, which is when we got to speak to another lady, I’m still not sure if she was manager but she had blonde hair that was in a bun, glasses and a piercing, and shirt that said “loss prevention” on the back and was on the chubby side as well. She was not helpful at all, she apologized but kept trying to minimize the situation and saying it was something normal that happens in a lot of places. But it’s really not, I work in sales and this is not normal at all. No one on our team would ever approach a client like this accusing them of stealing and if this is what this employee thinks is normal occurrence for people to have during their shopping experience here, then she shouldn’t be working in a customer service position like this unless this is the view and practice that Sephora wants to uphold. She also mentioned how she had to look at the camera footage first and “hear both sides” before talking to the employee who did this. We left without even an apology from the lady herself who made the accusation and treated us like we were thieves. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars at this store (not that it should make a difference) and was a loyal customer, but good to know that just because we are not white, we will be accused of things like this by their staff who think this is a normal way to treat their clients. We’re extremely disappointed and will be making sure to spread the word to all our family and friends about the terrible experience and staff at this location.

UPDATE: Despite their reply pretending to care and me reaching out to them, they didn’t end up doing anything to resolve the issues, it’s all just...

I went in to Sephora in Bayshore this last Saturday with my 13 year old daughter. She was becoming self conscious about dark under eyes she’s had due to allergic shiners, and she wasn’t sure what she would need to cover it. My daughter also struggles with anxiety and is shy to the nth degree and asked me to explain what she was looking for when we found someone. It was a bit of a madhouse in there at the time, so the idea of approaching staff when everyone looked so busy was horrifying to her. Eventually we flagged down a staff member who radioed in for help for us, and Natasha helped us. I explained what my daughter was looking for and what products she had originally in mind. And Natasha set off trying to coloatch and find alternatives, and explained that my daughter might need a colour correcting product as well. At this point my daughter was more comfortable and was speaking for herself, so I wandered away a bit to give her space and to browse a bit for myself. As my Daughter tells me, this is the point where Natasha quietly checks in with her to make sure that “this” (dark circle/under eye coverage) is what she wants , and not being pushed onto her. My daughter confirms and they continue on and we finally have product recommendations and colour codes for her complexion. At that point my kids about 5 seconds away from a panic attack at the sheer volume of other clients in there who kept walking into her and hitting her without notice during their own shopping, so we thanked Natasha and I noted the colours and products so we could come back later or get online. I wanted to thank Natasha for checking in, in our case the concern wasn’t warranted, but the fact that this is a conversation (internally or otherwise) that’s happening in this environment is really comforting. My daughter might be driven to learn about and utilize the beauty industry herself at her age, but that can’t be the case for...

Extremely disappointed with the repeated negative experiences my daughter has had at this Sephora location. There is a female manager (Asian woman) who has treated my daughter poorly on more than one occasion. For context, my wife is also Asian - this is not about race, but about unacceptable behaviour and poor customer service.

Each time my daughter visits, this manager gives her a difficult time, and on our most recent visit, she even went so far as to falsely accuse my daughter of stealing. My daughter was simply testing different skin tint shades—completely normal for a beauty store—and was approached and watched multiple times. The manager hovered around her, confronted her unnecessarily, and even ran to the cash register when my daughter went to check out. She even accused her of having a “tint” in her shopping bag, which was completely absurd and inappropriate.

What’s worse is that I had previously called Sephora to file a complaint and sent in a form about this same woman, and clearly, no action was taken. She continues to work there and treat customers in this unacceptable manner. I would have gotten her name, but my daughter, visibly upset, asked me not to go into the store and escalate things.

This kind of treatment is unacceptable from any retail employee, let alone a manager. My daughter is now afraid to return to Sephora because of this experience. My wife and I are going to speak with our lawyer and seriously consider taking legal action if this matter is not addressed appropriately. Sephora, you need to do better. No one - especially not our baby girl - should be made to feel watched, judged, or falsely accused while...