SEPHORA — Local services in Elizabeth

Employee # 326265 (per my receipt) Horrible Customer Service from a Miserable, Unprofessional Employee

I recently visited Sephora and had one of the most shockingly unprofessional experiences I’ve ever encountered in retail. I was at Register #4, and the employee who rang me up—Employee #326265, an African-American woman approximately 5’3” tall with short dreadlocks and a medium-sized Pride flag in her hair—was incredibly rude, condescending, and dismissive from the moment we approached the counter.

My friend kindly said, “Hi, we have an item behind the counter—it’s a lip liner,” to which the employee scrunched up her nose and face in disgust and loudly said, “Huh?” as if she was annoyed to even be spoken to. It was so uncomfortable that I had to step in and clarify, “It’s a lip liner for Angela.” Without saying a word or even acknowledging us, she turned around, grabbed something, and rang it up without confirming whether it was the right item.

Then she barked, “Put your phone number in.” I replied, “I don’t think I have one on file,” and instead of answering or offering guidance, she just rudely repeated: “Put your phone number in.” There was no explanation, no patience, no professionalism—just pressure, attitude, and cold energy. After that, she bluntly stated, “$22.”

When I used my travel card, it declined. Instead of handling it discreetly or professionally, she loudly announced in front of the entire line and store: “DECLINED!” It wasn’t just the volume—it was the tone. It felt like she took pleasure in trying to humiliate me, as if she wanted to make a scene and pass judgment. I grabbed another card, but she was too busy scrolling on her cell phone and laughing with a coworker to switch the screen over so I could complete the transaction. I stood there waiting while she casually ignored me.

Once I paid, she shoved the receipt in my bag and literally yelled, “NEXT!” No eye contact. No goodbye. Just nasty, bitter energy the whole time. I left the store absolutely stunned.

To make things worse, I immediately called the store to speak to a manager—and guess who picked up? Her. I recognized her voice immediately. I asked politely to speak to a manager. She demanded, “What’s your name?” and I calmly said, “I’d rather not give my name.” Without saying another word, she hung up on me. She didn’t put me on hold, she didn’t transfer me—she flat-out disconnected the call.

I called right back, and thankfully, another woman answered and identified herself as the manager. She was incredibly kind, listened carefully, and was everything the other employee was not: professional, respectful, and caring. I explained what had just happened—including the fact that her staff member hung up on me—and she was sincerely apologetic.

What’s most frustrating is that my experience didn’t start this way. Just 15 minutes before I came into the store, I had called to reserve the lip liner, and the woman who helped me over the phone was so sweet, helpful, and polite. I wish I had gotten her name because she was a shining example of what good customer service should look like.

Unfortunately, the woman at Register #4 completely overshadowed any positivity. Her behavior was rude, aggressive, dismissive, prideful, and outright hostile. If she’s acting like this with me, I can guarantee she’s treating other customers the same way every day.

This experience has left such a sour taste that I honestly don’t think I’ll ever shop at Sephora again. I’m also making a TikTok to warn others because this kind of treatment is unacceptable, and corporate needs to take notice. A beautiful brand like Sephora should not have someone this toxic on the front lines...

I really felt it was my responsibility to come on here and shout out my experience at this location. I’m a rouge and frequent Sephora more often than I’d like to admit. I moved to NJ a little less than a year ago and this location is nearest to me. Time and time again, the experience with the staff is lovely. You have a really great staff. However, yesterday I met Luna, who is a star. She heard me ask for help and jumped in and gladly offered her assistance. In addition to pointing me in the right direction, she was full of so much knowledge, educating me clean product options and ingredients (I’m currently pregnant and limiting my choices to safe items). She went above and beyond to check on inventory that wasn’t available by checking the back and offering to ship to me. These things stand out because customer service across the map has really lacked after Covid staffing shortages so I really valued the attention she put towards me. Needless to say I left with a close to $800 receipt when she was done with me lmao!! But worth every penny! Thank you Luna! You’re amazing! I appreciate everything I took away from our encounter!

Not to sway in a negative direction but something I haven’t enjoyed about Sephora this recent year is all these product specialists that come in to represent single brands and then the staff shooting you to them even if the products don’t align with your needs… I’m happy that didn’t happen yesterday and I was able to get some honest...

Poor customer service. Seems understaffed. Everyone tells you something different from the other. I am traveling from out of state and I used the brand Claudalie. However, I forgot to pack my Vinopure cleanser, I went in with my best friend because she needed to replenish on some products. I then asked an associates if it were possible to get a travel size sample of the cleanser to use while I’m visiting for the weekend. I was told yes, it could be done and someone was going to bring it soon. We waited and waited, then finally I asked someone else, then I was told it would be a very small amount and it wouldn’t last me the weekend. There were a lot of conflicting stories about how it was not possible to get the sample. Then I noticed them staring at me in the corner and whispering to each other with a disgusted look on their faces. As if I being deceitful . I proceed to purchase a travel size kit of the Claudalie brand, which was unnecessary because I just replenished spending a little over $200 2 weeks ago. I even showed the purchase history to one of the associates. It seems as though all they cared about was making a sale. Thank God for my wonderful Sephora store in South Florida. Now I know not to travel without visiting...