Express — Local services in Columbia

I visited the store on Saturday, November 26, 2022, in search of an outfit for an upcoming holiday party. During my time there, I noticed a young man and woman consistently in our vicinity. However, aside from brief interactions with the manager, Luis, and a young female associate while my wife was trying on clothes, no other staff members acknowledged us. I chose to overlook this, assuming the store was busy, and remained patient. My wife completed her purchase, and we left.

We returned on November 30, 2022, as my wife was looking for a cream turtleneck to pair with pants she had previously purchased. While browsing, I saw a two-piece set that interested me, but my size was not available in the top, so we decided to leave.

On December 2, 2022, we visited the store again during the day. The store was relatively empty, allowing me to take more time to explore. Initially, there were no staff members visibly available on the sales floor. However, within a short time, I noticed at least four employees nearby, none of whom greeted us or offered assistance. Ironically, they appeared wherever we went, without making any effort to engage with us.

Eventually, I saw Luis, the manager who had previously helped us. I asked whether additional sizes were available in the back, as only XS and S tops and L and XL bottoms were on the floor. He was kind enough to check and found a size L top for me, which was exactly what I needed. I also mentioned to him that, up until that point, no staff members had greeted or assisted us, despite clearly monitoring our presence. Shortly after this conversation, multiple employees began to walk by and ask if we needed help.

I would like to take a moment to express a deeper concern. It is disheartening to be treated with suspicion simply for shopping while Black. The assumption that every Black customer entering a somewhat pricey retail store is a potential threat is deeply offensive and harmful. Individuals intent on theft will do so regardless of race, income, or appearance. When long-time paying customers are met with silent surveillance rather than welcoming service, it sends a strong and painful message, one of bias and exclusion.

While I understand that some individuals may lack basic social or customer service skills, the behavior exhibited by the staff during our visits suggests a need for immediate training. Employees who hover near customers without acknowledgment, follow them from a distance, or appear to watch them while refusing to speak create an unwelcoming and discriminatory environment.

The only reason I am rating this experience two stars instead of one is due to the professionalism and courtesy shown by the manager, Luis. He was apologetic and responsive. I urge the company to prioritize customer service training and cultural sensitivity education for all staff members. Express is a well-known brand, and it would be unfortunate for its reputation to be damaged or its business impacted by discriminatory practices, even if...

So i have been a long time customer of Express we are talking close to a decade of shopping at this store and never have I had such a horrible experience as I have had this past week. It started when I ordered the wrong size coat which I completely understand is my fault, however after checking the website to make sure my size was available I arrived at the store on black Friday(the day after my order arrived at my house)and the system was down. Luckily the manager James is very helpful and intelligent and was able to explain to me the issues and asked me to return the next day.(I live about an hour from this location it's the closest one to my house since they closed the Frederick location) I returned to find the system was still down and I could not be helped, I even called customer service who could not help me. I returned the next day to try again. This time the system isn't showing my item online and they are still telling me the system is down, like really two days with no system, give me a break. A this point I'm a little frustrated but determined to get my coat that I love so much in the right size. I return to the store one last time on Sunday and no one can help me and the manager give me a number to call(customer relations) he tells me the only option is for him to find a store that has it and have them ship it to him( he doesn't work again until Tuesday) I call the number they were not only unhelpful I question the woman I spoke with's competence in her roll at the company. So that was a dead end. SO I try one more time and go to the store this morning and speak with the taller bearded gentleman running the cash register. I forgot to mention in between all of this I bough a white shirt which turned out to be heavily stained on the inside. So he exchanged the shirt for a new, and starts calling stores to find the coat in my size.... at last he says Montgomery Westfield has the coat in my size!!!!! they even match the style numbers and confirm with him the coat is the one I have handed him.... He tells me this news and of course I am excited as the store is near D.C and will hold the coat for me. I drive the hour and some change to the store and that's right you guessed it it was not the same coat!!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME GUYS!!!!! you had the coat and all the info right in front of you and tell me they have the coat and it is the wrong one!?!?! so after four days and about $125.00 in gas I still do not have my coat and no one at express can help me!! Please trust me when I say I am canceling my credit card for this store and never coming back!!! AFTER TEN YEARS AND THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS SPENT I AM DONE! THIS IS HOW YOU TREAT A LOYAL CUSTOMER? WITH INCOMPETENCE AND RUDENESSS i WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER SHOP HERE EVER AGAIN! IF SOMEONE AT CORPORATE CAN MAKE THIS RIGHT I'D LIKE TO HEAR YOU OUT BUT IT WOULD TAKE A MIRACLE TO BRING ME AND MY EXTREMELY EXTRAVAGANT LIFESTYLE BACK...

I usually like this location since Columbia isn’t far from my house and the selection here is different than the one at the outlet. I went to make a return and I got there at 7:50pm and they close at 8pm. I was disappointed when I saw the gate closing at 7:50 after I had driven out of my way. I asked through the gates if the employees could just let me drop my return off, I wasn’t planning to do anything else. The store manager Zion comes to the door to let me know that he had already closed the registers I assume at 7:45 and wasn’t going to help me since no one had been coming in they closed early. I understand people are ready to go home at night but as a company I would think you can close the registers at 8pm and still get out of the store by 8:05 especially if no one else had been in the store before that. I know stores have been closing early since COVID times but come on this was such a disappointment and not customer...