MODE Consignment Boutique — Attraction in Raleigh

My first experience at Mode was not great, with sales associates giving contradictory information that resulted in my spending a lot more money than anticipated, but against my better judgment, I decided to give them another chance. I walked into a sea of unfriendly faces, who turned out to be bored, surly employees of the store. The second I picked up one item for consideration, someone grabbed it from me to "start a room." When I was ready to try on, I could not find the items that had been ripped out of my hands in any fitting room. "OH, WE TAKE THEM TO THE BACK. JUST HOLD ON." Really friendly. And helpful. From the fitting room I could hear the consignment boss rejecting item after item from for being "worn." Is this not a consignment store?!

I tried on a literal tent that a passing associate told me "fit perfectly" but since I have no plans to visit a national park anytime soon, I passed.

I then emerged from the fitting room asking for help with a tricky button. The sales associate could not assist due to her nails. Were they wet? Sharp? Useless nubs? I still don't know, but it was off-putting to say the least. She clearly cannot work with her hands due to the nail situation. One of her colleagues stepped forward to assist, but I was clearly inconveniencing everyone. And despite three separate individuals explaining that all dresses were 60 percent off with an additional 500 percent off because it is Monday with a free coupon for 12 percent off of sandals in July, nothing was eligible for this fantasy promotion because they were designated "Designer" by a crudely scribbled star on the tag. I could understand if it was Prada, but some brand I had never heard of? Or "Zara Collection?" Please. Stupid gimmick.

The woman who checked me out looked at me like I was a total cheapskate for skipping the designer items, though I reminded her that they were not eligible for the promotion. "Will they ever be marked down?" I asked. "No" she replied, "it's part of our CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT." So someone is going to leave their terry cloth v-neck here priced at $68 until the end of time? For some reason, that made me kind of sad.

And by the way,...

Do not come here. I had a terrible experience at this consignment store and definitely will not be returning. From the moment I walked in, the staff acted as if I was invisible. No greeting, no offer of help, nothing. They stood behind the counter chatting with each other and completely ignored me as I waited awkwardly to be acknowledged. When I finally approached them to ask about consigning some clothes, the workers in charge pointed to the back of the store like they were giving me an order. They could not have been more rude or dismissive! The lady in the back barely glanced at my items before saying they did not meet their “standards,” though she gave no clear explanation of what those standards actually are. When I asked politely for clarification, she just shrugged and acted like I was wasting her time.

What made this even more frustrating was the awful condition of the clothes they were actually selling. So much of the merchandise on their racks was frayed, faded, or obviously worn out. I saw shirts with loose threads, pants that were stretched and misshapen, and even a few pieces with small stains. It was unbelievable to me that they refused my clean, gently-used name-brand items while trying to sell such low-quality, damaged clothing to customers (sometimes for hundreds of dollars). Their standards seem completely inconsistent and need revision.

Between the rude and dismissive staff and the poor selection of clothing, this place is not worth anyone’s time. I left feeling disrespected and frustrated. There are plenty of other consignment stores in the Triangle area that treat customers with basic courtesy and care about the quality of their inventory. I suggest skipping this...

I have always loved coming to this boutique, but my last experience was not what I expected.

There were quite a few workers and they were slightly overwhelming; we were greeted multiple times and constantly asked if we wanted to start a fitting room. I appreciate their persistence, but it was a little much as someone who was just there to look around. This was not really my main problem though.

After I tried on my clothes, I went over to the jewelry. I picked up a pair of earrings and kept looking around. A middle-aged to elderly woman, named Stacy, started following me around and peering over my shoulder. It was very uncomfortable. She then asked me multiple times in a row if I wanted her to hold my clothing at the front, including the earrings, after I answered no each time. She kept mentioning the earrings over and over again, as if I was trying to steal them. I then went to the front to pay for my clothing and she was my cashier. She inspected my card before I payed and then after, dropped the card in front of me. I appreciate her looking out for the store and making sure no items are stolen, but to me, it seemed a little overdone. I am younger and believe this was part of the reason why she was suspicious, but that should not be an excuse. I did not pick up the earrings in a suspicious way or try and hide them.

I usually do not write reviews like this, but I believe the way she was treating me (as if I was just there to steal) was not kind and wrong. MODE, please do something about this. Again, the clerks name was Stacy and she was a middle-aged to...