Ulta Beauty — Local services in Riverbank

I was very excited to visit Ulta in Riverbank on Tuesday August 12th, as I usually buy my makeup at Macy’s but know Ulta carries some of the same high-end brands. Unfortunately, my experience was far from pleasant.

From the moment I walked in, I could not find anyone available to help me. When I finally did approach one employee with a question, she seemed rushed, gave me a dismissive look, and answered as if I didn’t know what I was talking about. This interaction made me feel unwelcome and uncomfortable.

I ended up not purchasing any makeup because there was no assistance available, and I didn’t feel comfortable testing products without proper disinfectant or application tools. Hoping for a better experience, I went to browse hair styling tools, but the shelves were nearly empty. I wasn’t sure if items were kept in the back, but again, I could not find any staff willing to help. Several employees appeared to be chatting with each other instead of assisting customers.

Even when I asked the salon area for help, I was told to “find one of the workers,” which was already the problem. The overall attitude in the store felt unprofessional and unwelcoming. I take pride in investing in quality beauty products, but this visit made it clear that Ulta Riverbank is not the place for me.

I ultimately left without making a purchase and returned to Macy’s, where I received excellent service as always. Based on this experience, I will not be returning to the Ulta...

My original post was somehow removed...but wanted to share the horrible experience at their salon. IF you have curly hair - please do not let their "specialist" near your hair. I cannot speak for other hair types. According to their online appointment services, 2 staff members are certified as curly hair experts, this seemed promising because it is rare to find a stylist experienced with curly hair. The appointment started off horribly - the "stylist" was late to the appointment and did not acknowledge this, later she walked over to state that she was setting up and getting ready so it would be "a little more waiting," this was upsetting and I felt like leaving but drove an hour for this appointment, I should have left. I explained to Dani that it was important for me not to loose any length during the cut and she said that she cuts curl strands and will make sure it's the least amount possible - this was not the case, my hair was extremely short, choppy and uneven!! not only was the cut horrible, but during styling she created so much frizz with the brushing and drying process that I looked worse than when entering the salon. Needless to say, this experience has been so upsetting and embarrassing I hate looking in the mirror and avoid going out. I would hate for this to happen to someone else, do not go here for a curly/signature...

So I was in the store yesterday and there's these little heart signs on all these shelves throughout the store that say 50% off skin care products and it has a little QR code. Nothing is 50% off unless you purchase it on the correct day, according to the girls at the registers. So apparently you have to click on the QR code and read which day you can get the 50% off price and have to go back to the store to purchase your product. Now none of the little signs explain this they just advertise the 50% off. I was not the only one confused. Even some of the employees that I talk to were confused. The way it looked in the store was there anything on those shelves that were skin care products were 50% off. It's obvious the rudeness of the employees was because they were tired of answering why the products were not 50% off. I witnessed this several times while I stood in the line. I was told to come back January 19 if I want my product for 50% off and I said no I'm not going to waste my time or gas to come back to the store. I was going to go buy my products from Sephora across the parking lot and I did. I will not shop at Ulta they are so rude there even one of the managers said if I find the product on the sale ad she would give me the 50% off but when it came down to doing it it did not happen. I had to wait till...