Venting - TERRIBLE service at Saks Fifth Ave
- Thread starter xxmicahxx
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I was at a department store looking for a lamp for my room. I asked for assistance, waited 20 minutes and then approached the salesman again. He turned around and screamed at me "Don't you see I'm busy? I don't have time yada yada" and stormed off. A friend was with me, and to add insult to injury said to me, "oh just get over it". ARGH did I just walk into the department of unkindness? An unkind gesture or harsh word(s) is more wounding than people realize. It doesn't take much to be decent to each other especially if the customer has done nothing wrong.
I suspect that SA's are instructed to do so. Especially at brands that actually do have sales, many SAs act like there's no sale.
I'm sad to hear that a few bad SAs at Saks are giving all of them a bad name. The best service I've ever gotten in a shoe dept. is at Saks SF. There's at least 2 SAs there who are just so kind and helpful, and they never make me feel bad about leaving empty-handed. I agree with kat99 - let management know. It's better than punishing all the other SAs because they have a bad coworker.
I totally refuse to be bullied by a SA, ever. Not that it happened often. The most I got maybe was a mild uninterest in me, which is actually preferable as I like to shop uninterupted until I want to pay. But there was a time when a young SA in a beauty department who didn't know me (I'm a regular and buy a lot), said they didn't have any samples, when I was about to purchase a sizeable amount of high end beauty. She lied to my face in my opinion and I gave her a look that could kill and sent her to GET some samples. 2 minutes later some other girl runs over with a lot of samples, ha. Just don't let them put you down. If I buy 500$ of cosmetics I expect them to offer samples automatically, so if I went to buy a pair of CL I wouldn't allow for a bad service. Just remember they're there for you, not the other way around (but obviously no attitude from the costumer as well).
LOL! Catholic school uniform?A topic for another time. I am a man that has been born and bred into the clothing business. In addition to the businesses we have (both Bricks and Clicks) I have a Blog on this very topic (Color Coordination and matching Men's Clothing). I am consistently horrified as to what many men think is nice and well done in dressing. Here is an example from another forum that so many members were simply fawning over.
fourinhand.com/ProductImages/FTWU/TBTResolveBetter1.jpg
Go Figure.
In general, I avoid dep stores for shopping except Nordstroms where I always get nice service. In my area, Neiman Marcus and Macy's are the worst of the bunch where snobbery rules. Since I used to work in retail management, if I saw one of my people talking down to customers like that, i would "tear them a new one"
I am wondering if this has ever happened to anyone else here. I am soooo livid, soooo disappointed, and as weird as it may sound, just downright sad over this. Over a jean jacket, yes, a jean jacket!
So here's the story. Last week my SA who I always work with at Saks was holding a Current Elliott jean jacket for me. I absolutely went crazy over this jacket. It looks perfect on me and was on sale for 40% off. She said though that she could hold it for me because she thought the price would go down on it even more this week. She's a very good SA and because I buy from her a lot she tries to get me the best deals on items which I very much appreciate. Anyway she told me that she is only allowed to hold items for 2 days so she has to keep switching the ticket and changing the dates. Please note that she never once mentioned the Saks policy for holding sale items.
Anyway I spoke to her yesterday and she said my jacket was still there waiting for me and if the price doesn't drop by the end of the week, come by and get it. I was actually thinking of just going yesterday to purchase because i also had a $100 gift card from spending money at Saks a couple months ago and i was concerned that someone would take it. It was just too cute for people not to take a 2nd glance! Did I listen to myself and go there? Nope!
This afternoon she called me to say that my jacket was TAKEN from her area in the back and that she had searched all over the store for it and could not find it at all! I was FUUUUUUMING
I asked how can it be gone if it had a hold sign on it?? I then decided to run over to Saks and speak to her in person because I didn't want to talk on the phone. I was literally holding back tears because I absolutely ADORED this jacket and because I was thinking I can save, I dunno, an extra $30-$50, it was now gone.
I get to Saks and speak with my SA as well as her co-worker. They told me, (never before when it mattered) that this has happened to them a lot. They hold a sale item for a good customer only to have it be taken by a locator for the store. I asked what a locator was. They said people who come in and search the store from corner to corner to find items that either people requested or ordered from another location. To be honest I am still confused over that. I said how can they just help themselves to an item on a hold rack with a sign that says it's being held for another customer?!!? Because it was a sale item and SA's aren't allowed to hold sale items. So what does that mean!? The customer doesn't know this policy so screw them, they are out of luck because their SA failed to tell them the store rules on holding merchandise?
I really don't know what to do. Unfortunately neither I nor my SA write down the item name or sku number and so she couldn't do a search for it on the computer. She said one of the managers who should know the details of the jacket can look tomorrow, but basically, I'm sh*t out of luck and lost the jacket because my SA failed to tell me policies :cry:
Oh and another thing, they don't think it was another SA in the store who took it but I wouldn't be so sure. My friend who I told this all to thinks it probably was some *****y SA who took it for their client.
I'm thinking of calling Saks corporate and complaining. They should give me a gift card in the amount of the jacket to correct the situation, am I wrong?!!?
Has this happened to others here? I'd love to know your thoughts. Thanks.
So here's the story. Last week my SA who I always work with at Saks was holding a Current Elliott jean jacket for me. I absolutely went crazy over this jacket. It looks perfect on me and was on sale for 40% off. She said though that she could hold it for me because she thought the price would go down on it even more this week. She's a very good SA and because I buy from her a lot she tries to get me the best deals on items which I very much appreciate. Anyway she told me that she is only allowed to hold items for 2 days so she has to keep switching the ticket and changing the dates. Please note that she never once mentioned the Saks policy for holding sale items.
Anyway I spoke to her yesterday and she said my jacket was still there waiting for me and if the price doesn't drop by the end of the week, come by and get it. I was actually thinking of just going yesterday to purchase because i also had a $100 gift card from spending money at Saks a couple months ago and i was concerned that someone would take it. It was just too cute for people not to take a 2nd glance! Did I listen to myself and go there? Nope!
This afternoon she called me to say that my jacket was TAKEN from her area in the back and that she had searched all over the store for it and could not find it at all! I was FUUUUUUMING
I asked how can it be gone if it had a hold sign on it?? I then decided to run over to Saks and speak to her in person because I didn't want to talk on the phone. I was literally holding back tears because I absolutely ADORED this jacket and because I was thinking I can save, I dunno, an extra $30-$50, it was now gone.I get to Saks and speak with my SA as well as her co-worker. They told me, (never before when it mattered) that this has happened to them a lot. They hold a sale item for a good customer only to have it be taken by a locator for the store. I asked what a locator was. They said people who come in and search the store from corner to corner to find items that either people requested or ordered from another location. To be honest I am still confused over that. I said how can they just help themselves to an item on a hold rack with a sign that says it's being held for another customer?!!? Because it was a sale item and SA's aren't allowed to hold sale items. So what does that mean!? The customer doesn't know this policy so screw them, they are out of luck because their SA failed to tell them the store rules on holding merchandise?
I really don't know what to do. Unfortunately neither I nor my SA write down the item name or sku number and so she couldn't do a search for it on the computer. She said one of the managers who should know the details of the jacket can look tomorrow, but basically, I'm sh*t out of luck and lost the jacket because my SA failed to tell me policies :cry:
Oh and another thing, they don't think it was another SA in the store who took it but I wouldn't be so sure. My friend who I told this all to thinks it probably was some *****y SA who took it for their client.
I'm thinking of calling Saks corporate and complaining. They should give me a gift card in the amount of the jacket to correct the situation, am I wrong?!!?
Has this happened to others here? I'd love to know your thoughts. Thanks.
No, they are not wrong. SA was wrong in "breaking" store policy to "help" you out to save a few bucks. I thought it was common knowledge most stores won't hold sale pieces as those are considered to be immediate sales items. It was nice she was able to help you out in the past. Just didn't work out this time around. I wouldn't be going around trying to get her in trouble for it.