Columbia Factory Store — Local services in Commerce

UPDATE-

I'm a big fan of Columbia products. I own 5 of the Columbia PFG UPF 50 long sleeve polyester shirts, a pair of PFG convertible pants, and enjoy wearing my Grove Heights OutDry waterproof shoes during wet weather. The customer service has been good, for the most part. Unfortunately, there has been an oversight at the Columbia Outlet store at the Citadel Outlets.

I was double-charged for a purchase I made on 1/13/21, using my Citadel Outlets gift card. I became aware of it when I checked the balance the following day. I called the store, and was transferred to the manager. I explained the situation, gave the date/time/UPC on the receipt, and was told it would be looked into, but from what she saw, there was not a double-charge. She informed me she would call me when an update became available, and I could also call the following Mon/Tues. Calling back Monday after checking the gift card balance, the manager said no new info on any update, and she insisted she'd call me if/when a refund was given. I checked the balance the next day, and the refund had been posted. However, now being 2 1/2 weeks later, the manager never called as stated to let me know the refund was added back to my balance.

I'm satisfied the error of the double-charge was corrected, but keeping your word is important, at least to me. I should have received a call, as I was assured I would.

Originally 4 Stars

Columbia! It's not known just for coffee! And, I'm not taking about the white, powdery stuff, either!

Social Distancing review

Doing my due diligence, I made a shopping list by scouring the Columbia website. I was looking for waterproof shoes/sneakers for rain & fishing, and not heavy, uncomfortable boots. Perusing the Columbia website, I made a list of things I wanted, hoping everything would be available at the Citadel Outlets store.

The Columbia outlet store is smaller than I imagined it would be, as I made my way towards the shoe section by the registers. I asked for an employee for assistance, hoping they had the SH/FT shoes I found on the website. Unfortunately, the answer was negative. Putting my best foot forward (pun intended), I navigated the selection of shoes, on hand. I found a couple low & mid waterproof shoes I fancied, and used my phone to find reviews. Couldn't find anything. Seems like the Columbia Outlet store sells discontinued models of shoes, hence the lower prices. After trying them on, and not finding the correct size on the mid shoe, I was quite happy taking home a pair of Columbia Grove Heights low waterproof shoes.

Service was good. The line seemed to take awhile, even with 2 registers operating. The young man who rang us up was friendly, and when my shoes came out $10 higher than the advertised price on display, I brought it to his attention, showed him where it was, and he remedied the error right away.

The Columbia Outlet store is located towards the northern section of the Citadel Outlets, adjacent to Adidas.

I'm very satisfied with the Grove Heights waterproof shoes I purchased. They handled the end of December downpour just fine. Columbia sells high quality, durable merchandise. It's too bad the selection is limited to whatever they have in stock, as my pre-shopping preparation didn't pay off. But, the hospitable staff & the items they did have, certainly paid off making Columbia the first store we visited at the...

I rarely take the time to write reviews on retail stores because I've never felt the need to comment on a shopping experience, but this visit to Columbia has left me feeling a little disappointed.

But let's start with the good!

First, I love Columbia. I absolutely love that they even have an outlet available here at Citadel! With that being said, I come into this store with the expectation that it'll be full of huge savings and discounts and they are rightfully so. The store organization is great. There's no guessing involved as to which side is for men, women, children, or accessories. I wish that they labeled their apparel more though. It would be nice to know the SLIGHT differences between jackets and at least their name so if I decide I want to come back and purchase it, I'm not just going to say it was "the pink windbreaker jacket with zipped hand pockets."

Now the bad news...

The employees here are very sweet, I'll give them that. But they are VERY unprofessional. I was browsing the women's section and came across this woman who kept cursing and talking about how she so badly needed her aspirin but forgot it in the car. Then she continued to complain about other things that annoyed her with her friend. Now normally I would have shrugged this off if it was another guest. But the problem is that it was an employee... I only found this out because a third employee came up to the two and they started gossiping and talking shit about a coworker who called out sick.

If you're going to gossip on the job, at least do so from a distance where you won't disturb your customers OR leave a negative impression on them.

At another point during my time here, I went to the dressing room and came across a young girl (maybe 6-7 years old) who was obviously related to the employee that worked there. It took me a few minutes before I was even issued into an empty dressing room because the employee was so "preoccupied" with her visitor.

Columbia, please pay more attention to the professionalism...

Dear Columbia Team,

I am writing to report a negative experience at your Citadel Outlet store on December 29, 2024, around 5 PM.

I visited the store to purchase a large suitcase, as my husband had previously bought one at the Long Beach store, where we received excellent service. At Citadel, we chose the only large suitcase available, but it seemed smaller than the one we had purchased before. I asked three different staff members if it was the largest size Columbia offers, and all confirmed that it was. Based on this information, I bought the suitcase.

However, upon arriving at our hotel, I realized the suitcase was indeed smaller than the one purchased earlier, which caused inconvenience as I relied on incorrect information from your staff.

Additionally, the checkout experience was disappointing. I was told I couldn’t use my $20 coupons as they were valid only after January 1, which I understood. However, when I asked for the $20 coupon I was entitled to for spending over $100, the cashier claimed they had run out and refused to register my information to resolve the issue, as another store had done.

The cashier’s behavior was unprofessional, rushing me to leave and ignoring me when I thanked her. This lack of courtesy made the experience even more unpleasant.

This situation not only caused inconvenience but also fell far short of the standards I expect from Columbia. I kindly request a resolution for the misinformation provided and the...