Malabarium — Local services in Palma

Honestly, I have never experienced a “store” like this before. It feels far more like a museum than an actual shop. Customers are not allowed to touch anything not the figures (which I could still understand), but not even candles to smell them. Prices are hidden, so for every single product you have to call over the staff just to find out what it costs. How is anyone supposed to feel comfortable spending €100 or more on an item they cannot even examine properly? It’s absurd.

What makes it even more frustrating is the inconsistency: I personally own many big Baobab candles at home, and in official stores you are of course free to touch, pick up, and smell the candles. That is part of the experience. Here, however, the staff treat you like a child. When I picked up a candle to smell it, one lady immediately approached me and told me I wasn’t allowed. She said I should call her over if I wanted to smell something. But why didn’t she say this at the beginning, when I entered the store? Instead, she only came when I had already touched the product. If this is their concept, then the staff should follow every customer around the entire time which would be ridiculous, but at least consistent.

After she came over and gave me that strange explanation, I honestly lost all interest in the store. I’m an adult I don’t need to be treated like a child or constantly ask, “Please show me this, please show me that.” That’s not shopping, that’s just frustrating.

The whole situation felt unwelcoming and impractical. Even in high-end luxury boutiques like Cartier, prices are displayed clearly and customers are treated with respect. Here, everything is hidden, restricted, and unnecessarily complicated. To me, this is not luxury it’s simply bad service.

And this is exactly why so many physical shops go out of business and customers prefer to shop online: because online, you can look at products freely, see prices instantly, and make a decision without feeling uncomfortable or watched. This store, sadly, was one of the strangest and most disappointing retail experiences I’ve ever had. Definitely not a place I would return to, and certainly not one I...

I was just visiting this shop and took a few photos of a suitcase to send to my wife to get her opinion.

Then suddenly a woman who apparently works there approached me aggressively admonishing me for taking pictures. I asked her if pictures were forbidden and she said yes they are and essentially invited me to leave.

I tried to find a sign where they warn that pictures are forbidden and there was no such sign posted.

A business depends on the clients; this behavior is unacceptable and leads people to...

El día 26/02, compré unas gafas de lectura Okkia en su tienda del aeropuerto de Palma. Como el modelo que quería solo estaba disponible en el expositor, la vendedora amablemente me entregó esa unidad. Dejé la caja en la tienda y solo me llevé la funda.

Al subirme al avión, me di cuenta de que las gafas tenían una graduación de 0,00, lo cual no me sirve en absoluto. El día 03/03, durante mi regreso, pasé por la tienda alrededor de las 20:00 para solicitar un simple cambio por el modelo con la graduación correcta, ya que no había utilizado las gafas. Sin embargo, la vendedora que me atendió en esa ocasión fue muy poco colaborativa y me informó de que, sin la caja, no era posible realizar el cambio, a pesar de que tenía el ticket de compra.

Me sorprende y decepciona esta falta de flexibilidad en el servicio al cliente, más aún considerando que las gafas ya estaban en exposición y que realicé una compra adicional de una...