Norma Reed — Local services in Toronto

Lots of inventory so points for that.

5 change rooms, only one with an internal mirror, all other mirrors are outside the change rooms, requiring the shopper to check for fit outside the privacy of their change room, providing a spectacle of modelling, whether they like it or not, for everyone else in the store. Free advertising for the shop?

Staff is terribly disorganized due to the lack of a system for keeping track each person’s dress selections. For hanging the dresses a shopper wishes to try on, each change room conveniently has a set of hooks right outside the curtain “doors”, behind the public modelling mirrors. There’s another set of hooks around the corner from the change rooms for people waiting in line for a change room. Sounds like everything should be fine, right? Wrong.

Often, the hooks beside each door were ignored and unused and everyone’s dresses were lumped together on the set of hooks around the corner. In our case, the dress bundle was divided and not hung on the same hooks or even on hooks beside each other, but mixed randomly amongst other dresses. Dresses were being brought to shoppers that other people were waiting to try on. Shoppers were going up to those reserved dresses and browsing through them, pulling dresses out for themselves.

Dresses were being put away before they even got to be tried on, again because there’s no system for keeping track of everything.

We were there on a Saturday and the store was understandably busy. That busy-ness illustrated precisely why a system is required for managing the dresses being reserved for people to try on. Too much time was being spent correcting wrong dresses being brought to the wrong people, finding dresses that were mistakenly put away or taken by other shoppers to try on. The result is that it took much longer for each person to try on their selections. Time is valuable. For both the shopper AND staff. To be efficient in times of height volume traffic, a system is a necessity,...

I recently visited Norman Reed to purchase a ready-made dress, and I must say, the customer service was exceptional from start to finish!

Upon entering the store, I was warmly greeted by Shohreh who was incredibly friendly and eager to assist. She took the time to understand what I was looking for and guided me through the various options available. The selection of dresses was impressive, with a variety of styles, colors, and sizes to choose from.

She offered insightful suggestions based on my preferences and body type, which made the whole shopping experience so much easier and enjoyable. Her knowledge of the products and keen eye for fashion were evident as she helped me find the perfect dress.

The fitting rooms were clean and spacious, and I appreciated the prompt assistance whenever I needed a different size or color. The dress I chose fit perfectly and looked even better in person than it did on the rack. The quality of the fabric and the attention to detail in the design were outstanding.

At checkout, the process was quick and efficient. She made sure I was satisfied with my purchase and even offered tips on how to care for the dress to ensure it stays in great condition.

Overall, my experience at Norman Reed was nothing short of excellent. The combination of high-quality products and top-notch customer service makes this store a standout. I highly recommend visiting for anyone in search of a beautiful ready-made dress and a pleasant shopping experience. I will definitely be returning for...

I am writing to formally express my disappointment and frustration regarding the way my friend, her family, and I were treated at your store during our recent visit. The experience left us feeling disrespected and discriminated against, and I am seeking an explanation as to how your store will take accountability for this situation.

During our visit, we noticed that your staff went out of their way to assist white and Asian customers, while we, as brown customers, were largely ignored. When we asked for help with trying on dresses, we were told there was a 30-minute wait. We confirmed with your staff that it would be okay to browse other stores in the meantime. However, upon returning, our dresses were not set aside as promised, and we had to wait an additional 10 minutes.

In contrast, we witnessed two white customers who had done the exact same thing—left the store while waiting—return to find their dresses ready for them. Staff even took their dresses to the back so they didn’t have to wait. The clear difference in treatment was upsetting, and because of this, my friend was unable to get her dream prom dress.

This experience made us feel unwelcome and unfairly treated, and we strongly believe it was due to racial bias. I would like to understand how your store plans to address this issue and ensure that all customers, regardless of race, are treated with the same level of respect and service.

I did send this to their customer service but heard nothing...