Tiffany & Co. - Rockefeller Center — Local services in New York

I visited the Tiffany & Co. Rockefeller Center location this past Thursday around 3 PM with my fiancée to browse wedding bands — something she has always dreamed of. Unfortunately, what should have been a memorable and exciting visit quickly became one of the most disappointing retail experiences I’ve ever had.

Upon entering, we noticed roughly five sales associates behind the counter, all glued to their phones. Not one looked up, greeted us, or made the slightest effort to acknowledge our presence. It was as if we were interrupting their afternoon social media session rather than entering one of the world’s most storied jewelry houses.

We approached the wedding band case and I greeted one of the gentlemen, explaining that we wished to view options for bands that might complement my fiancée’s engagement ring. Although we didn’t have the ring with us, we simply wanted to explore styles — something any professional jeweler should be able to discuss with ease.

Instead, the associate responded condescendingly, telling me I was “running a fool’s errand” and that we were “wasting both his time and ours.” His demeanor was dismissive, his words insulting, and his attitude shockingly out of place for a luxury brand that prides itself on elegance and service.

For context, I am personally familiar with the jewelry industry — I have a partnership with a jeweler on Fifth Avenue and regularly shop at Cartier, where professionalism and attentiveness are the standard. I had considered exploring Tiffany’s as an alternative, perhaps even as a whimsical indulgence in the brand’s legacy. After this encounter, however, I am completely turned off.

The only pleasant part of our visit was walking out the door and deciding that our wedding bands — symbols of something deeply personal — will come from a house that values its clients’ time...

I called Tiffany asking if I could get a necklace cleaned here. It's the closest location to my office. They said yes. I brought the necklace here, and the staff were clearly really annoyed that I would bring in something for cleaning at this location as it's mostly just a small gift shop. I explained their company had told me to bring it here when I called, that their position was totally understandable, but not my fault. They said they'd make an exception and have it cleaned but that it'd need to be sent to the flagship store on 57th. I told them sure, no worries, I could pick it up the following week and asked for a receipt. They said it would take 15 minutes to generate a receipt (why?!). I agreed and took a walk, returned 15 minutes later. They said they were still working on the receipt, clearly annoyed with me. I asked why it took so long to print or email me a receipt. They didn't have a response for that but asked for more time. I stood there another few minutes. They said they were still working on it. Finally, I just asked for the necklace back. They were clearly pleased. Was that their plan the whole time? Who knows. Either way, what a waste of a half hour, very disrespectful of my time. Clearly this staff is annoyed with the circumstances at Rockefeller, but again, not my fault. I don't have time to wait half an hour for them to print a receipt. Awful customer service. Separately, we are in the process of buying engagement rings. Use David Yurman! They have amazing...

What a wonderful experience I had at the Tiffany Flagship (around the corner) from their usual 5th Avenue store which is under construction. It was like little elves transformed this empty space almost overnight into a glorious version of the original store. The people who greeted me outside made me instantly happy to come in and then there is a COVID system in place of having a salesperson meet you at the escalator to keep everyone a safe distance from each other. It made me feel very comfortable shopping there. The day of my visit I was lucky enough to get a delightful saleswoman named Jizhi Li. She was helpful and friendly and showed me every thing I was interested in seeing. I explained her to exactly what I was looking for and she said she would do some research on availability and price and email me asap. She totally understood what my price range was and what quality of diamond I was searching for. She really listened. Within a day or two she had the information for me. One of my questions had to be researched more and she promised me should would get back to me as soon as she had the information and that's just what she did. Jizhi (Gigi) is exactly what you would expect from such a class operation as Tiffany. She was friendly, warm, efficient and was an expert about the product. Thank you Jizhi! Your service shines as much as the diamonds as Tiffany do. A truly fantastic...