Ulta Beauty — Attraction in West Des Moines

TLDR: Clean store, great customer service

Experience today around 4:15 pm was overall excellent. After a few minutes of looking around the two of us were approached by who I later learned was Sasha/Sacha. She asked if we were finding everything alright. I had a question about combs which she answered confidently (it appears she really knows the store) and then followed up by checking the aisle. Then another question about online price versus in store price and another question about makeup applicators.

We came in not necessarily looking like we belonged in Ulta (both no makeup, older comfy clothes). We were both treated with kindness and respect and as though our questions and business were important.

While looking for the makeup applicators she offered to bring them to us so we wouldn't have to keep walking around the store (so thoughtful). What Sasha found was close but a little larger than we wanted. Another employee, who's name I also later asked for, (Jess) had been stocking. She must have overheard us because just after Sasha showed us what she had found, Jess popped up holding the style we had been looking for.

Sasha also informed the cashier about the price discrepancy to give her a heads up, and she came over while we were checking out to make sure the price was adjusted correctly. (This makes me think maybe she is in a more senior position). Cashier was kind and courteous as well.

In 2023 it is a breath of fresh air to find employees who are customer service oriented and willing to go above and beyond. There was also many staff members in store today. Maybe not being overworked/understaffed also creates a healthy work environment/culture. Also appreciated that even though neither of us was giving "beauty guru" today that we were still treated very well. I will be back when a need arises for more beauty/premium hair care products. (My only thing is I wish they had more styling tools). Thank you Sasha, Jess, and team Ulta at WDM University...

I swung by this store to stock up on a product instead of placing my usual online order. About a week later, I received a letter from Comenity Capital Bank stating that they were "unable to approve my Ulta Beauty Rewards Mastercard Credit Card application" due to not being able to verify my credit score. The issue is, I never applied for this card, nor did I authorize anyone to apply on my behalf.

I went back to the store to speak with the manager, Madeline, about my concerns. Instead of addressing the seriousness of the situation, she dismissed me, was short in her responses, and told me, “We don’t have your information and you would know if you applied for a credit card because the application is long.”

What she failed to acknowledge is that my Ulta account contains personal details like my name, address, phone number, and date of birth, which could be easily accessed by staff. Thankfully for me, my SSN wasn't, so the fraudulent credit card application was denied.

At first, I wanted to believe this could have been an honest mistake, but given how my concerns were brushed off by the manager, I can’t help but wonder if something more questionable is happening.

Biggest takeaway: Be cautious about storing personal information in your Ulta account and shop at this...

I’ve never had such a weird and disappointing experience at Ulta before… typically I visit the one at the Merle Hay mall or just shop online. I think I’ll be going back to that habit after today’s experience. One of the makeup girls came and asked me if I needed help finding a color. I said no thank you, and she backed away from me with a look on her face like I had slapped her. Super strange. This makes me uncomfortable so I headed for the register to pay for my purchases. No big deal… some young people are jumpy, I get it, but I was ready to leave all the same. I get to the register and as the girl is ringing me out she lets me know that the Benefit minis are bogo, and I only had one, would I like to run back and get another? No thanks, it’s fine. Then an incredulous, but it’s free! No, it’s fine. I did not want to go back there and spook the makeup girl again, not do I want to buy too much product and waste it, but I shouldn’t have to explain that or my spending choices. I don’t want to be judged openly when I’m making a self care purchase. Makeup is supposed to be fun, and I’m no longer having fun. I’m regretting my decision to trek out to university avenue for this purchase. 😢 Moving forward, I’ll just stick with the team at the...