experience

[lilithpresley]

hello, i’ve never really done this before but i’d like to share my bad experiences at an sephora when i was 15, that made me have to go to therapy. now i’d like to say, i knew all the workers at this sephora and i believe all this happened once they got new staff. now as a teen id spend lots of money and time there, wanting to get a job when i was 18 and just wanted to know more. some staff members even knew my mom and were super happy to see me there. they normally would let me use their brushes to try out makeup, and taught me how to clean them. one girl even let me use her brush belt, when she was on break. not sure if that was against policy but at the time, it wasn’t a big deal. they let me do my friends makeup, i always buy stuff afterwards so they didn’t mind. i did the makeup, cleaned the brushes and had the girl check to see if i did everything right. the brushes were in the same condition i had received them in, she said they were perfect. i checked out and left. the next week i came in, saw a gel eyeliner i wanted to try and asked one of the girls if i could borrow a brush.  in the rudest voice said, and i quote. "you ruined another girls brushes, you can’t use any of our brushes anymore.. if you want brushes to use then buy them" i was completely fine with buying my own brushes, because i completely get where they were coming from.. but it was the way they accused me of damaging the other girls brushes. later on a woman approaches me and asks what powder i use, i told her i wasn’t an employee and she said that was okay. at the time i was young, and i showed her which one i used. all of a sudden WHILE im grabbing the same powder, i get called over by a cast member and got yelled at. they basically screamed in my face, telling me i wasn’t a staff member and i was NOT allowed to help anyone. i was taken back and told her i told the woman i wasn’t a staff member, but she just wanted to know how i got my base so smooth so i told her and showed her the powder. needless to say, i nodded.. stayed quiet and checked out. the cast member at the cash asked me if i was alright and i said NOTHING, once i left the store i started sobbing. see i get where she was coming from, i completely get it.. but i was 15 and simply just wanted to help someone. i want to specifically say , i was delayed mentally and couldn’t fully understand why she was fully mad. the staff knew i was delayed because of what my mother told the manager, the older staff knew to sort of over explain things, and not to raise their voice at me since i did get super scared. once my mom got ahold of what happened she absolutely lost it and went there to talk to them. she chewed their ear off, especially since she was there when i did my friends makeup, AND KNEW i was gentle with the brushes. i didn’t go back for two years, i always got drug store makeup after those incidents because i was too scared to go back. i went back once i was 17 to pick up some stuff i needed, thinking it would be fine. right when i got there i asked for a basket, the cast member looked at me then ignored me. so i asked again, causing her to walk away. i found that strange so i started to walk around the store, grabbing the stuff i needed quickly. right as im about to make my way to pay, a staff member yelled at me asking me where the fenty lipgloss i grabbed was. i quickly showed her, my hand starting to shake since im a very anxious person. she glared at me and followed me to check out. i payed for everything, using my mums beauty insider account as well. then left. ever since then i have been scared to go into stores, i’ve even had three years of therapy for it.. still it hasn’t worked. other things happened too, like hearing a staff member talking bad about me etc. 

i still love sephora, but for the most part i just shop online. but psa to any cast members who read posts like this, please be kind. you never know how someone will reacts, or how it will effect them.

[LaurieBT]

Hi @lilithpresley,

I'm so sorry to hear of your experiences in store and appreciate you sharing this with us. We always want our clients to feel welcomed and comfortable when visiting our stores. I'll send you a message shortly.

Best regards,

Laurie