SEPHORA — Attraction in Washington

After driving to 6 Sephora's a friend reminded me that it's one in my neighborhood( Capitol Hill/ Eastern Market). I called after checking online because the items are out of stock online but Sephora brand still available. I asked the store associate to check for my items and gave the exact names the Sephora brand. I normally spend $200 a month at Sephora and frequently go to other locations forgetting about this one. Well, They had one of the 8 Sephora lipsticks left and not the marked down cheap ones. I can order them from Amazon or an Asian company that will knock them off for $2. Each.

. I work on Capitol Hill and live 2 streets over but I have a disability so I can't walk from the Capital to this store. I asked her to hold it and she lied saying she couldn't. I've had items held at the location before and it was a regular price item l, not a cheap lipstick. It took my driver 3 minutes to pick me up and rive me. I informed her that it is not online ( out of stock) and I'm coming to get it now. Why can't you hold it? She said," No! You'll just be fine!" I'm not wasting another ounce of my time and money. I spend $200 monthly in your company just on lipsticks. Then, she hung up on me. This is not good customer service. This is also why this store should not be in the location that it is and will eventually close due to poor etiquette of some worker that hates her job.

It also doesn't take 25 minutes to check. The items are literally 5 steps from the counter and this location is tiny.I know this location very well. After I decided to purchase at a none Sephora store based on my experience today Jan 2, 2024. I remember it was a mouthy girl being rude to other customers the last time I went in. I demanded that someone else help me or I won't purchase. This individual pissed everyone off in the store. I stopped her then and said anyone else can help me but you. This person has a reputation for being "passively nasty" in a fake nice way in person and over the phone as a beauty advisor. She thought it was ok to not sell a product. Boy this location is going to close down if she keeps working at it. She must go on a long vacation.

I called back and was then informed I can order online. I also wasn't given her name but I a letter for corporate is necessary, not based on her no but her behavior. This location needs someone to retain all the staff. The other employees covered for her when I asked to speak to her again. That says it's a hostile work environment. I decided not to send that nasty attitude to the person that had nothing to do with my first phone interaction.

I can't order what is showing as out of stock online. I thanked the second person that answered the phone because she at least said that much and how to order but was at a loss by the time she came back to the phone. The problem is that the $17 Sephora brand lipstick is NOT showing up online, it says that it is out of stock online. I'm not returning and any lipstick they have I can dupe it and keep $2,400 in my pocket. So she is right! I am happy no longer shopping at Sephora, again; I will be just fine. This place will go just like the Popeyes...

I shopped here on Thursday 11 April 2024 afternoon. Standing in-line for close to 15 minutes as I wished to pay by cash (although an option to pay by card was offered, I declined).

The cashier on this date was a tall, big made and light-skinned Black American woman. As my turn came up to make the payment for my purchases, I extended a USD 100 bill. Prior to which as my details were taken down to add me to a company mailing list (which to this date, I have not heard from nor received a single email), I informed, that I was not a US citizen. Promptly a supervisor was called to check on my US 100 bill. I was offered NO prior explanation as to the reason behind this! Nor an apology extended to me for the inconvenience by either the cashier or her supervisor as to the reason behind this!? Was my money tainted because I was not a Black American woman or for that matter a White woman!!??? I was to find out later as my suspicions were confirmed in no uncertain terms!

Whilst the USD 100 Bill was cleared and after paying for my purchases, I moved away, a White woman who was standing behind me in the queue, probably for a minute or two, to pay for her purchases drew up. As soon as she came upto the cashier, immediately the same cashier woman who served me prior , apologised to her saying "am sorry ma'am for keeping you waiting in line" etc. in a very polite and empathetic manner!! Whilst I was made to wait for 15 minutes in the queue, I recall that the Black woman customer who at that time, was before me in line , was encouraged by the same cashier, to "...take her time..." with her purchases and her discounts (whilst giving me the side eye): NO apology whatsoever was extended to me for my inconvenience or my time, when my turn came up to pay!! Whilst I would have generally ignored such action, the reason that prompted me to write this is below.

I can only take it that this woman cashier at Sephora at 380 7th St SE, Washington, DC 20003, is ill trained on customer service and harbours a racist and biased/ prejudiced attitude towards customers of brown skin from South East Asia. The racism I experienced in this shop by this cashier woman was not subtle but direct! To this date I've not been issued an ebill for my purchases although I requested for one!.

Well this will certainly be the last time I shop products from this brand even though it lauds itself as one targeted at women! What I can take away from this bad- taste -in-the-mouth- experience and that too, my first visit to the US on holiday, is that, for a brand targeted at certain "types" of women, it is certainly not, for all!! Especially not those Brown skinned South East Asian women, who are more or less discouraged by the attitude of the staff, to stay away!!

P.s. the shop does not stock nor do they have most of the stuff I wanted to purchase for my...

The stock here is fine and I am always able to get what I need, but the employees here are consistently sort of rude. Yesterday I went up to the checkout holding an item I was trying to purchase and just said "hi!" assuming that obviously meant that I was trying to buy something. The employees were chatting behind the desk, looked at each other, then at me and said "do you... want to buy something?" Like ok, why else would I be at the checkout? So I said yes and one of the women looked at me so angrily and said "Sorry, we didn't KNOW." You didn't know I... approached the checkout to buy something? So you had to be kind of mean to me for no reason? This isn't the first time someone here has just acted like the adult version of a high school mean girl to me for no reason. Like WHY are you doing this? I will still buy stuff here, but every time I enter this store I just assume I'll catch strays from an employee and that is...