Ulta Beauty — Local services in Columbus

I am writing to express my deep disappointment and outrage regarding an incident that took place at Ulta location at 5550 Whittlesey Blvd, Unit 600, Columbus, GA 31909, on October 15, 2024. This was, without a doubt, the most humiliating and embarrassing experience I have ever encountered in a retail store.

Between 5:00-5:45 PM, my husband and I visited the store. He was shopping for cologne while I was browsing skincare and makeup products. As he approached the cologne section, he was met with an unpleasant and confrontational “Can I help you?” from an associate named Anya, who continued to monitor his every move. My husband, feeling uncomfortable, walked over to inform me that she was constantly watching him. It didn’t stop there—Anya proceeded to walk by our aisle, glaring at us on three separate occasions.

As we moved to the counter to finalize our purchase, Anya’s behavior became even more offensive. When my husband attempted to get her attention, she looked directly at him and then deliberately turned her head away. Another associate eventually offered assistance, and when we asked for the Ralph Lauren Romance fragrance, I confronted Anya about her behavior. She rudely denied it, even though the associate assisting us acknowledged that Anya had, indeed, looked directly at us.

It was clear that Anya was racially profiling my husband, a Black man. The level of disrespect and discrimination we faced is unacceptable. When I informed Anya that I planned to contact corporate, she brazenly responded, "Go ahead," as if she had no fear of consequences and was confident that nothing would be done. This cavalier attitude is unacceptable and indicates a systemic issue if your staff feels comfortable treating loyal customers in this manner.

What Anya did not realize is that I had my Ray-Ban smart glasses on, recording the entire encounter. I was in the store to film content for an Ulta Haul video, showcasing my monthly skincare, hygiene products, and new makeup purchases. Unfortunately, her conduct completely ruined this experience. I intended to buy several items, including hair products on sale, but after this disturbing encounter, I could not continue shopping.

I am seriously considering posting this footage across my four platforms to highlight the type of treatment customers may receive at the Columbus, GA, location. I am a loyal customer who has held a Diamond Membership for the past two years and am also an Ulta cardholder. I have been shopping at Ulta for the last five years, and I have never experienced such appalling behavior. I am now contemplating transitioning to Sephora, where I have never faced such issues.

Anya’s actions call for immediate disciplinary action, and I demand she receives diversity and customer service training. I will no longer visit the Columbus, GA, location and am prepared to drive over 30 miles to the Auburn, AL, store instead.

Please look into this matter urgently. If no action is taken, I will have no choice but to escalate this issue and explore...

I’m aware and understanding of the store’s loss prevention strategies and normally unbothered by them, however, my visit to the store on 2/7/23 was extremely uncomfortable and cannot go unshared. After wanting to switch from a full coverage foundation, I went in to explore different options of tinted moisturizers and try the different shades using the testers offered/displayed. One of the employees helped me a couple of times, seemingly with reluctance, since she was sitting down and didn’t (initially) offer to color match the product she knew I was unfamiliar with. After trying a couple of products in different areas of the store, I began to hear the communication between the employees via their headsets CLEAR AS DAY. Again, this wasn’t new to me and I continued to shop at my leisure to find the best product I’d be spending my money on. The problem came in when an AA gentleman w/ dreads came into the store, obviously not a stranger to the employees, and lingered around me - clearly not shopping for anything. Again, cool. Additionally, I brought in my own wipes since the store no longer offers them. The same employee that helped me then proceeds to walk back up to me and ask if those were their wipes. I stated they were mine & asked “why?” She then states “Because we’re supposed to hide ours” - obvious reason as to why I bring my own in. The cameras are CLEAR and monitored, use them rather than accuse me or anyone else. I’m aware of the recent encounter of theft made known to the public and quite sure there are many others, however, experienced management should know/teach how to gauge customers and the impact of engaging with customers to prevent loss AND retain returning, paying customers. I also asked a manager for a sample of a product they were out of and she proceeded to tell me they’re unable to do so, yet, I was previously provided a sample of a Fenty foundation which I followed up to purchase at a later date. Again - a disregard for loyal customers ACTUALLY trying to spend money in their store. After a previous visit months ago, I noticed I’d accidentally taken a duplicate Fenty lip gloss without paying for it. The next day, I went to return the item and an employee told me not to worry about it since they can’t sell it anyway “unless I was a secret shopper or something.” In their defense, it’s sad the bad apples ruin it for everyone; however, not everyone is a thief or dishonest, yet that’s how they treat ALL of their customers - paying or stealing. Each visit totals to the bare minimum $50, but typically $100 from makeup, fragrances, gifts, etc. and maximum $400-500 for my Dyson dryer. I refuse to continue to spend so much money with them, SO glad Sephora...

The customer service here is so weird. It feels condescending and discriminatory. I hate to feel like that’s what I experienced but not sure how else to label it. A POC owned skincare line (Live Tinted) was recently laughed at Ulta, so I went in and asked for help to see if the had it in stock. The girl immediately said “no, never heard of it” then I asked her to please check because the brand was recently launched in Ulta. She responded saying “the app says we have it but I know we don’t” . So I bought SuperGoop and left instead. Well one of the SuperGoop products didn’t really work for my skin and I had to get my husband a moisturizer as well so I came back the next day. I asked two different women for my husband’s skincare brand (also POC owned and said to be at Ulta) and one of the women responded in a condescending tone saying “no we don’t have that” so I said okay and dedicated to ask about live tinted again. The same condescending woman responded saying “nope don’t have that either”. The lady next to her seemed to be a lot nicer and said “that one sounds familiar, let me check” and she checked on the phone and walked me write up to the display section (I didnt get her name but she was helpful). I bought my product and left. Since I got the original product I wanted and one of the SuperGoop products didn’t work for me I decided to take the SuperGoop product back and swap it out for a foundation. There was a male employee that was nice and helped me. But the cashier was rude and condescending in her demeanor ( I believe she was the first employee that I had asked for help on my very first visit). Anyways I have to go again because sadly that Ulta is the only place to buy make up products in Columbus since Sephora is closing down and I am honestly dreading it so much that I’m contemplating driving to Atlanta to go to Sephora there so I won’t have to deal with this Ulta’s customer service. Like I said in the beginning I hate to think that the service was discriminatory but the positive interactions I have had in the store has been with POC employees and the one White female employee that helped me find the live tinted product. But the condescending and negative experiences have been with all white employees. So I can’t help but to feel as though there was a prejudice there. However, I would hope that isn’t the case being that it’s 2022 and Ulta tries to be an inclusive...