Bath & Body Works — Local services in New York

I’m a teenager, so are my friends whom I was with at this store yesterday. When we first walked in, the store was empty and the security guard didn’t say anything, doing his job, standing by the door. One of the ladies, young,skinny,white,brown/maybe dark red hair immediately greeted us and we kept it nice and greeted her back, she asked us the normal questions like if we were looking for something specific in which I kept it nice and short “no, we’re just here for looking for a gift for my friends birthday.” Two of my friends behind me were laughing even before she started talking, but somehow she assumed they were laughing at her? I know it would be awkward if people started laughing as you were talking, but my friends were complete sidetracked on another conversation that could be clearly heard and not focused on what was going on. The lady got very hostile quickly, questioning why they were laughing and explained why she asks these questions. I didn’t say anything, as she can assume all she wants because they were absolutely not laughing at her. We leave it alone, and walk around the store together smelling perfumes and testing out lotions. Me and my friends had noticed this lady kept following us and “fixing” products that weren’t out of place. One of my friends had accidently dropped a lotion which me and her immediately bent down to pick it up and the lady rushed towards us as if she was keeping a close eye on us and said “I’ll fix it i’ll fix it” wanting to usher us out of there. (We fixed it anyways) We went to the back of the store, and although she didn’t follow us, another lady whom she had talked to before about something started to talk to us. I also told her it was my friends birthday, and she told us about apps and deals in which I returned smiles and gratitude. This lady was not a problem, although she had kept following us too. Although, this lady did make some side remarks about us going somewhere else, such as when I mentioned it was my friends birthday she had told us to maybe get her makeup done at sephora in which isn’t a snarky comment, but made us uncomfortable. We eventually got fed up of being followed and questioned, and left the store. In no way were we being suspicious and trying to do anything like stealing, and we were absolutely not making any kind of disturbance. We kept our hands out of our pockets and minded our business. Age isn't an excuse to assume, please...

I've been coming here for years I'm a pretty high paying customer I'd think l've walked in and bought from this store countless times. it's a couple blocks away from my house but the past year or so with this new manager with the thick black frame glasses is DISGUSTING, god forbid you get a hello how are you welcome from her, never heard those words come out of her mouth and she's supposed to be a manager? I've worked retail for many years across the street and have never seen a behavior like hers, perhaps the DM should take a visit because it's well past due. All I hear everytime i walk into this store is her gossiping so loud and about stuff customers should NOT be hearing. The first interaction I've had with her that made me notice her behavior was when me and my sister were smelling a tester and she literally screamed (unless she's always loud considering her gossiping echos throughout the store) to not use the testers, when it was one. When she realized she was wrong she didn't even apologize, she just walked away. We flat out stood there shocked from her behavior. Ever since we've always felt like as if she has a problem with us. Why as customers do we feel that the manager hates us..... that's the vibe she gives off. NEVERRRRRR have i heard a hello or have had any help offered from her to me but she'll help others. I've always kept her disgusting behavior to myself but today she went past the line. When i walked in today, i was the only customer in the store, she was right in front and she didn't even let a customer walking in stop her from gossiping to the bodyguard loss prevention guy whoever it is therefore leading her to be screaming in my ear. So instead of a hello I'm getting screams in my ear. This is not what i want when i walk into a store I'm buying from. She needs to go, it's been too long either train her on her behavior on customer service or get her out of there. She completely ruins the experience i remember such nice girls I've befriended a couple in the past but ever since she's come here it's TERRIBLE. Love the store itself but with her as a team leader it's making the team and the store bad. I don't even wanna go...

I understand it's strictly pushed in these type of places for employees to make sure they're available every second possible they're in there, but this place overdoes it. I had to state multiple times (4 times) that I'm browsing at my own pace. It's painfully noticable how employees "subtly" come over from somewhere else in the store to mess around with product on the same shelf that doesn't need to be restocked, just so they look busy and are near a customer to help. It comes off as though I'm being watched because I did something wrong or refused their help, and is not a pleasant experience. Maybe the employees did think I was going to swipe something, but my suspicions that it's an employer expectations feel more confirmed when I had to overhear the retail manager attitude who was uncomfortabley passive aggressive because they weren't on the same page with what was being displayed on a shelf and it not being stocked 100%.

The ironic part of all of this is despite everyone that was constantly behind my back through my shopping experience, they only had one person on registers. Despite all of this, their in-store decor was lovely and I just feel bad for the employees honestly,...