Burlington — Local services in Pleasant Hill

This was one of my favorite discount stores when it was in Concord. Now a days, I've had too many bad experiences to just turn a blind eye to. Part of reviewing places is matching expectation with reality. That's why it's possible to rate high-end stores lower than discount.

So it disappoints me to rate Burlington at just 2 stars, but that's as generous as I can get.

It's Christmas eve, 2023, and my tradition is to shop for one final gift on this special night. The selection of possible gifts, and their prices were very goog, and found what I needed quickly. And according to my watch it was still an hour from store closing. Oh but it wasn't.

I've been noticing recently that they close their doors early, so that by closing time, all registers can be turned off, and customers were out the door. It's not like Target next door, and every other store I shop at, that remains open until it's posted closing time.

No, no, no.... Burlington picks an arbitrary time to lock-up its doors, and tells its customers to stop shopping and take their items to the cash registers.

Not sure why any store would start reminding people with money to spend, literally an hour before the store's posted closing time, to hurry up and finish, and get out quickly. To me, this is rude, and irritating.

If I show up to shop 45mins from midnight, and midnight is the posted closing time, and the doors are already locked, I'm not happy. You would think encouraging customers to shop and hunt, and stay in the store looking around.... and take your time doing that, makes for happier buyers, spending more money. That's Retail 101.

If Burlington wants everyone out, lights off, employees gone by midnight, then post an earlier closing time, like 11:30. Your advertised Midnight closing time might be a little too late to achieve a midnight blackout in the store.

Lastly... on Christmas Eve, when shoppers are plentiful but panicking, and you've locked your doors an hour early for one reason only, to save employee wages, still try to value your customer's time and feet comfort, and get more registers open.

At early closing time, Christmas eve, 2023, the people in line to pay for their treasures was oppressive. The entire queue was filled with frustrated people, plus back again to men's shoes. And how many registers were open, accepting customers' money, moving the line along? Hint: the store has 10 cash registers, and this is always a busy day for shopping in American retail. Crowds are always guaranteed....

Well, let's guess 8 registers. NOPE!... then it must be 6 registers, otherwise why go thru the expense of having so many cash registers, but keeping them dark on the busiest holiday shopping day? NOPE, wrong again.

Burlington could only manage to have 2 cash registers open at closing time on Christmas eve, with atleast 50-70 people in line.

That's an insult, and closing...

3 stars mainly for the fact that they say on their website / on google / and on their phone line that they are open until 12am everyday - however at 11:30pm they had the doors locked and closed … I’m only bothering to write a review about this because this isn’t the first time I’ve experienced this particular store close their doors early, last time this happened they had the doors closed an hour early, I am not sure what time they closed the doors this time but I know at 11:30 when I arrived they were closed. As for the store itself, it’s hit or miss, I’ve found some pretty cool things at this location but typically I don’t usually see that great of a selection - their prices also tend to be hit or miss I’ve found items at great discounts and then other times found them to be overpriced… I always felt like they had slim pickings in the coat department - ironically - because their actual name says they specialize in selling coats … right ? The last thing I’ll add - and this may be just because I always go at the end of the night when I’m sure the employees are tired and ready to go home by the time I’m checking out but I’ve always found them to be on the grumpy side , snappy and short - and unlikely to help with an item if it doesn’t have a tag or you want a discount on a broken item etc… I can’t say that all of the employees are like this because I haven’t been there in the afternoon when most normal people tend to shop here- I would assume their experience with the quality in customer service would been drastically different but I can’t say for sure since I haven’t ever been during that time. Overall it’s not enough of a problem to get me to quit shopping here because it is open the latest (when they aren’t closing up shop early) and it’s close by for me so it’s usually a great option if you’re looking for something last minute because you procrastinated too long and have to find an outfit for some occasion the following day or whatever it is - this is probably the only department type store I know of that has late hours, especially post-Covid. If the store is however NOT open until 12am then they need to make sure they change the hours on their website and phone line and on the sign in front of the store so people don’t go all the way there just to turn around and leave. I added a photo of their store hours sign clearly showing they’re open until 12am everyday except Sunday they are...

This is the worst store, security is very racist and they have the worst customer service ever, and they don't have authentic items you really have look really hard, again the security is very racist , My friend and I were shopping for some shoes and a backpack.. I went to the store a week before that and they had this shirt I wanted it was a tom Brady patriot jersey, a week later I come back with a friend, I got 2 pair of shoes and a bag so we went to the kid section where I saw the jersey a week before.. They changed everything the jersey and shoes and backpacks songs. So me and my friend walk there and were looking for it could find it so we go back where I found the shoes and backpack, I sit down and I'm checking the price and everything and getting ready to go down stairs and pay. this security guard comes up with a replica badge looking to scare people. Comes up to my friend and I who are foreign and colored people, he says what do you have in your pocket so I tell him my phone and I have a big phone (iPhone 6s plus looks very big in my pocket) and I show him my phone and my wallet that has 300$ In side.. We ask why do we have to leave he says" I don't have to tell you why but just leave the store" .. To this point we are like is he joking or is he just being racist. He's like "leave right now". I asked if he could call the cops or we would do it ourselves. He seemed pretty scared that we were about to call the cops, he was dressed like a undercover security he kinda looks like a person who was racist and just wanted whites in his store, he had no reason to kick us out, he didn't even search us. He just did it to make us feel like bad guys. My friend and are in high school so we know the rules and human right and store laws ans terms. We didn't steal anything we both had money on us , so we are being polite at this point, we ask him if we could buy it and just leave with no problem, he said I don't have to let you buy it it's my choice I'm like wow, dude you do not have the right to do that, we are teens but we are not stupid. So we go downs stair they are waiting for us outside thing we are going to run, but we not stealing or anything we wait in lines nicley and we buy the itiem sand we leave they are outside some a cigarette like it was there break! Worst people, I will be filing a...