SEPHORA — Attraction in Chicago

I visited this Sephora location specifically for Haus Labs, a brand recommended by my friend. Upon arrival, the first associate who greeted me directed me to an employee, whose name I believe is Hodgee. She mentioned that she has been working at this location for 10 years, which is why I initially trusted that I was in good hands. Unfortunately, my experience quickly became uncomfortable.

Rather than focusing on what I was looking for, Hodgee immediately pointed out my hyperpigmentation and began giving unsolicited skincare advice. While I understand the nature of upselling, as I work in customer service myself, leading with what’s “wrong” instead of what can be enhanced made me feel self-conscious rather than supported. She also made presumptive comments about my personal life and struggles, which felt invasive. Even after I acknowledged that I was aware of my skin’s condition, she continued to compare my situation to her own, making the interaction feel less about assisting me and more about her personal narrative.

Throughout the experience, multiple associates walked by, visibly noticing my discomfort, yet no one intervened. Hodgee struggled to keep track of the foundation shades she was applying, testing four different ones on my face, making me feel even more uncertain about whether there was a suitable match for me. After some back and forth, she redirected me to the Sephora brand, even though I felt we had already found a match with the initial brand. She appeared distracted, had difficulty reading labels, and ultimately had to call for assistance. By the time another associate came over, I was overwhelmed to the point of tears and had a full-blown anxiety attack. Instead of stepping in to properly assist, the associate still deferred back to Hodgee, who offered me a seat and water—far too little, far too late.

I never want to jeopardize anyone’s livelihood, but I am in disbelief at how this situation unfolded. As a Black woman, I specifically chose this location because my friend, who is also Black, recommended it as a space where we would feel represented and comfortable. Ironically, in a store with so much representation, I have never felt more alone. I left with nothing but tears.

I hope Sephora takes this feedback seriously and ensures that employees are more mindful, empathetic, and professional in their approach to customer service. No one should walk into a beauty store seeking guidance and leave feeling worse...

The reason I'm sharing this is because I do not want anyone else to experience what I went through yesterday (06/09/2019)at my favorite store, Sephora. While looking through the make-up yesterday afternoon at Sephora, a clerk named Jim approached me and requested I leave the premises. I was in disbelief at what I heard him say to me and assumed he was joking. I replied to his request with "Excuse me?" and he insisted I leave the store with the people I came in with. I replied, "I came in by myself. What are you talking about? " Another employee stepped in and asked, "If everything was ok?" I replied, "No, he's asking me to leave the store, and i didn't do anything." She replied, "oh, im sorry if you didn't come in with them, then you dont have to leave, its ok." I replied " No it's not ok, you don't treat people like that. " And then the cashier was also trying to apologize by saying, " I'm sorry, its that earlier we had some people come in and they were being disruptive." I said "and what does that have to do with me." She says , "we have employees of all races here in Sephora we are not racist." I replied, "but you dont come up to people and kick them out when they are shopping just because they are hispanic." I ask the cashier for the employees name and she says, " I can't think of his name right now." The other employee says "It's ok, she can have his name its Jim." I have been a loyal customer for years and this was the last place I ever expected to be disrespected, humiliated, singled out and discriminated against! I frequent the store at 938 W North Ave, Chicago, IL and I hope no one else goes through...

I like the brands of skincare and makeup that Sephora carries, however I didn’t feel comfortable shopping in store yesterday after one of the employees quickly rushed up to me while I was picking out a foundation, and asked what I was looking for after I was already helped out by another employee. I told her I was there to purchase a particular item (that I had done research on prior to my visit), and she brought me another foundation to purchase instead.

I kindly declined, and when I walked away to look at other items in the store, she kept staring at me the entire time as if I was stealing or something. I assume it is because I’m Hispanic, which made me feel uneasy and quick to purchase my item without looking at anything else.

Also, I don’t appreciate employees trying to sell me random products that I have no clue what the ingredients are in them. Whenever I purchase makeup, I will do research on every ingredient in the product and read reviews beforehand due to the fact that I’m diagnosed with multiple inflammatory skin conditions (one of them being autoimmune related). Being knowledgeable about makeup does not make one a dermatologist. It would be appreciated if employees respected their customers’ boundaries and not assume they are stealing or being rude just because they did not go with a product they...