Maison Empereur — Local services in Marseille

I had an unpleasant experience with the staff of the shop. Most of the staff members are arrogant, overstimulated with the number of customers coming in and incompetent. They are probably just overworked and underpaid. I was struck by the contrast between quality of the products and very mediocre service. Please don't save money on staff and make sure you have qualified and well paid people who are happy to help their customers. It’s a shame to sell such beautiful things and have bad service that ruins the whole experience. As long as the quality of service remains like this, I do not recommend this shop.

To give you more detail: I wanted to buy a frying pan and I needed advice. I first approached a staff member at the entrance to ask whether someone could help me with that, the guy started to correct my French, which I found quite inappropriate. He showed me where the cookware section was and the salesperson there said they didn’t have the pans I needed (ceramic ones) in stock, and that I had to come back the next day. When I came two days later there was a different person at the cookware section who told me they actually did have some pans in stock for one week already, so their colleague wasn't aware that some items were in stock (which could have saved me some time). But it’s just the beginning of the story…

Today they indeed had some new ceramic pans in stock, but the salesperson was not proactive at all and not willing to help me choose the right item. I solicited her twice, but every time she left in the middle of the conversation while I still had questions, and no other people were waiting for her advice. Then I went to a different section to see whether there was someone else to help me, the person I found simply brought me back to the woman I talked to at the beginning and she wasn’t happy that I complained about her quality of advice. She started telling me that she'd already spent ten minutes talking to me, which is simply not true (she barely spent two minutes). She then said that it’s not like I’m buying a house and that I'm a big girl who can choose a pan by herself. I was surprised by her arrogance and found her way of speaking quite passive aggressive. I decided to leave and said “Thank you, goodbye”, she then complained that I put the pan I checked out on the wrong shelf. I'm sorry, but it’s not my job to keep things in order in this shop and take care of the logistics while on top of it I'm being treated...

Returned here again having visited in 2022 - it’s no longer the same value and the staff were quite rude. My partner was told off by a saleswoman for letting our two year old play with a spinning top in the toy shop. The gentleman staff member had encouraged them to play and then two minutes later an older female staff member told them off, quite rudely and condescendingly. Shortly after while my partner was breast feeding she was encouraged to do so in a private area and not on the floor. Again, in the toy shop. For babies and toddlers. Not a nice environment for either, despite being a toy shop.

It was really disappointing as the first visit was so positive but we left feeling quite unwelcome it was a really unpleasant experience. I had been quite excited to return again having enjoyed it in 2022. Just shows how important it is for a business to have the right team working and engaging with their customers and the damage that can be done by staff with a poor attitude. Also everything was considerably more expensive, which also removed the charm and authenticity I’d felt on the first visit. It now feels like tourist trap intent on ripping you off with no care or respect for their customers. Especially those with children. So why have...

This is a place we're I could spend my weeks holiday in....being well into D.I.Y. This place has more iron mongers than you can shake a stick at.....every type of screw-catch-pulley-electric light fitting- pots n pans-more than I can mention, this place needs a visit if you go to Marseille, I think it should be stamped upon your passport (just visited a few days to see my son who lives there)it has a haberdashery depth, along with oodles of fine clothes on rolls, ooh and you must visit the toys of yesterday section I must say it took me back to fond memories....unfortunately the items that were not for sale The storage solutions for their stock are period pieces that are superb pieces of furniture, my favourites were the small workbench with the wooden vice and other workbenches....the battle scars of making items for many a year.....can't wait to go back and visit this stylish emporium er I mean my son.....ahem cough 🤓👍 Go on get yourself there tell them Geoff Brown sent...