Saks Fifth Avenue — Local services in Birmingham

My sister and I have had consistently disappointing experiences with Saks Fifth Avenue at The Summit in Birmingham for three years in a row—each time around my birthday. The first year, my sister and I visited the store to find a birthday gift for me. From the moment we walked in, we felt slightly uncomfortable. The fragrance counter staff at the main entrance stared at us in a way that made us feel like we didn’t belong or weren’t "high-class" enough to be there. We were dressed nicely—elegant dresses, not business formal, but definitely appropriate and respectful. As we sampled different perfumes to find one I liked, one staff member was initially helpful. However, after we tested several scents, we noticed her whispering something to another employee while both of them glanced over at us. They began to treat us coldly when I asked to try more scents. It made us feel judged and disrespected, as though they assumed we were too young or couldn’t afford high-end items. Because of their attitude, we decided not to make a purchase, although we still politely thanked them before leaving. We returned the following year because we wanted to visit the Louis Vuitton store inside. Again, we had to walk past the fragrance section. This time, we decided to dress more “luxuriously” to see if we would be treated differently. Unsurprisingly, we were greeted a little more warmly, but we still overheard comments being made about us. We stopped briefly to sample a few new fragrances again, but didn’t make a purchase. After finishing our shopping at LV and heading out, we were given a cheerful goodbye—only after we had bought something from a luxury brand. This year, my sister went alone to buy me a birthday gift and once again had a negative experience. She went in intending to purchase a bottle of Delina perfume, which costs $390 before tax. When she asked if they had a larger size available, the sales associate responded with a condescending tone: “You WANT a BIGGER size?”—as if questioning whether my sister could afford it. She was taken aback but stayed polite because it was for my birthday. The associate then told her that they were out of that size but offered her the display bottle, saying it was still new. I’m not sure if they were truly out of stock or not, but it felt odd. My sister doesn’t have much experience with purchasing perfume, so she accepted the display bottle and paid full price for it. I was very upset when I heard this. Overall, I am extremely dissatisfied with the way several employees at Saks Fifth Avenue at The Summit have treated us over the years. Customers should be treated with respect, but we have repeatedly been made to feel like second-class citizens or freeloaders. We are more than capable of affording luxury items and have always treated the staff politely from start to finish. I don’t understand how staff at a high-end store can act so judgmental and dismissive toward paying customers. It feels like we were constantly being judged based on our appearance, age, or assumptions about our financial status—as if we were wasting their time. The only reason we’ve continued to return is due to a lack of other options nearby, not because we tolerate being disrespected. The staff act as if they own the store or the brands they represent, rather than providing professional service. I sincerely hope management takes this feedback seriously, addresses these concerns with their staff, and improves their training process. Otherwise, they risk losing customers and receiving even more...

I went to Saks in Birmingham to find a jewelry gift for my wife a few months ago and had a excellent experience with Kim Muffoletto. She was very friendly and helpful through the entire process. I didn't feel like I was being pressured and felt really comfortable. She seemed very knowledge about the pieces and didn't make me feel stupid when I would asked questions. The selection at the store is not vast by any means but she was able to find me the piece of jewelry that she thought my wife would like best and it worked because my wife loved the jewelry she got. She really took the time to work one-on-one with me, which I could tell other sales people were not doing as they were trying to help multiple customers out at one time. I feel if I am going to pay for the quality Saks provides I want to feel like I am getting a quality experience and not having to share that experience with other customers. On top of the in-store experience I was stunned to receive a few days later a personal thank you card from her for shopping with her. I highly suggest if you are going to be shopping at Saks in Birmingham you ask for Kim in the...

I always thought Saks was a high-end store but recent experiences from myself, friends and most importantly, my boss has led me a down totally different path of my belief system of high-end clothing stores. He ordered a $300 computer bag and was charged three times for it on his credit card. That is 900.00 folks. No one at Saks seems to care about the situation nor the monetary damage this could do to someone if they were not financially stable. Thank God my boss is. But think about if this was you and you splurged to get a $300 computer bag and got charged for it three times, the store knew about it and never contacted you and now that you've been in contact with him they treat you as if you are not important and they have no compassion or do not care. My boss spends hundreds of dollars per week with Sacks but that ended today. Nor will I no longer be purchasing my fragrances and my other Splurge items from this place. That's all I can think of to call it because calling it by name is painting what it embodied...