1 /5 Miller Violet (Vi): I’ve never been in here before and after my experience I will never come back :) I came in to grab one item for a Christmas gift. It’s close to the holidays and I understand that it’s going to be busy. That can be a bit overwhelming for me, so I brace myself before I go in.
Immediately I notice the really strong perfume scent being pumped throughout the whole store. My nose is pretty sensitive to smells so that was already quite repulsive. As I suspected, it was very busy, and the aisles are incredibly dense and narrow. I was lucky enough to find a helpful associate who was able to show me the exact location for what I was looking for, which was great!
Unfortunately things started to go downhill after that point. The register line was clearly not long enough to accommodate the holiday crowds, and there was no signage to indicate where to stand so people were just kind of filing in wherever until the same associate from earlier came by to direct us where to move.
I waited patiently for about 10 minutes in a line that moved quite slowly considering that there were only about 5-6 transactions ahead of me and three active registers. When it was finally my turn, I placed my one item down.
The lady at the register asked me for a phone number. Now, I don’t like to give out my personal information anymore, so I declined to sign up as I did not have a number already and there were still lines behind me, I just wanted to get out of the way as fast as I could. Normally one “no” is enough for cashiers, but this lady HOUNDED me for it even after I expressed my discomfort with it several times. Each time countering whatever excuse I was trying to offer, and then threatening that I wouldn’t be able to return my item easily. I told her I would hope that the one 12 dollar item I’m purchasing as a gift should not require a return, seeing as I was purchasing the exact item requested.
As if the cashier’s threatening dedication wasn’t uncomfortable enough, she then tried to make a snide remark about how I was having a bad day, which definitely was not true up until that point and only that point.
At this time I was finally able to get her to skip the phone number registration screen and pay for my purchase and get out, not before a silly reprisal of the same “I hope your day gets better” sentiment as I was walking out. I’m not the most socially adept person but I can definitely hear the difference between a cheerful tone and a bitter one.
Now, this encounter passed me by with ease as I continued on with my day’s errands, and it wasn’t until I told the story to my spouse that they encouraged me to write a review. We actually found this kind of predatory behavior is commonplace among Ulta employees, which I suspected as much. No cashier is harassing me for my phone number like a bar stool sleaze unless it’s under managerial direction. Frankly, this is absolutely disgusting and unacceptable behavior and I will never again give any Ulta my patronage. I normally have a lot of sympathy for retail workers as their role is so vital and underappreciated, but after the way I was treated I cannot feel that sympathy for the employee who handled my transaction.
If you want to be Costco so bad get a membership counter at your entrance.