Mongrel — Local services in Richmond

I visited Mongrel yesterday (not my first visit) and had a mixed experience. While they offer a fantastic selection and an awesome seasonal display, I felt uncomfortable due to the behavior of one employee (potentially the manager). As I browsed through the store, I noticed that the employee made their way near me every time I moved around, making me feel like I was being unfairly singled out or suspected of stealing. There weren’t a lot of customers in the store at the time, so it was weird that they were doing that. Their actions created an uneasy atmosphere for me, especially because they made zero effort to greet or interact with me.

On a positive note, another employee who rang me up was very pleasant and friendly, which somewhat improved my experience. However, the feeling of being racially profiled made me not want to shop here again.

Ironically, a store that offers a decent selection of products that promote inclusivity lacks awareness of how profiling can negatively impact customer experience. One suggestion would be for employees to greet customers upon arrival so that everyone feels comfortable throughout their time in the store. I hope management can address this to ensure all customers feel welcomed...

It has been over a year since I visited Mongrel on Cary Street in RVA. I was followed around like I was a thief then and it happened again today. Every corner of the store that I shopped, there was a young brunette white girl following me. She was not hiding the fact that she was following me, she just lurked the entire time. I still spent $100 bucks in this store that has the same items you can buy online from a major distributor for much less. I asked the girl at the counter if theft is a big problem in this store because I had been followed the entire time and she said she didn’t know because she just started working there. I have decided to return the items because, in my opinion, they don’t appreciate the buying power of the black community. By the way, I was the only black consumer in the store and everyone else appeared to be...

Everyone is super nice and helpful here and the item they carry are really unique for a brick and mortar store. Living so close to Mongrel, I frequently find myself buying special cards and postcards for friends and family.

My only issues are that they do seriously mark up the prices of the items they carry and that the isles of the store are very small. This is only an issue around the holidays and during nice weekend days as the store gets crowded and it is hard to move around. It also feels like the collective group of shoppers keep pushing you forward so you can't really get a good look at what you are browsing during gift...