1 /5 Molly Keenan: I absolutely love Lucky Brand. I adore their jeans so much and the material is always excellent quality. However, the interaction I had with an employee today left me feeling like a complete idiot who wasted their time for even entering the store in the first place.
I bought a pair of Palazzo jeans online a few months ago, when they were originally online only. They were almost completely sold out except for the size pant that I usually wear, so it was a no brainer when I bought them. However, when they arrived, they were far too small, but there were no more larger sizes, and I didn’t believe they would ever come back in stock. I held onto them, thinking I might be able to eventually make them work, but all they did was sit in my closet untouched, unworn. To my surprise, I noticed that they were fully back in stock, and immediately called the store to see if I could do an exchange. I explained the situation to the manager, and she said they might be able to do the exchange if I could come in that same day. I was fully prepared to be turned away, and I did not expect them to try and attempt an exchange if it wasn’t possible. I wanted to be as reasonable as possible, considering the circumstances.
When I arrived at the store, I went up to the register and explained that I was here for a possible exchange, and I mentioned that I had spoken to a manager about it on the phone less than an hour ago. I was immediately met with pure hostility and passive aggression. The employee spoke to me as if I was wasting her time and that I was stupid for thinking I could do any kind of exchange in the first place. When I reiterated that I had spoken to the manager on the phone, she began insinuating that I was lying because I didn’t get a name, and tried to refuse service. I again stated I spoke to the manager who said to come in today, and in the most frustrated tone possible, said she would find someone, and then wandered over to the manager standing less than 10 feet away. At this point, I was in pure panic and distress. I chose to call ahead and speak with someone so this interaction wouldn’t happen, and to be met with the most attitude and disrespectful tone I’ve ever experienced in customer service left me feeling small, stupid, and worthless for even entering the store. Even when I then spoke with the manager, she apologized saying that particular employee does in fact have “a tone.”
The entire interaction felt so unnecessary and degrading, even while I was trying to be as polite and respectful as possible, but I was in so much distress that I began crying in the fitting room trying to calm myself down. After purchasing the new jeans I had wanted to exchange for, I left behind the ones I originally brought in because I was no longer thinking straight. I did not want to be in the store any longer, and I certainly never want to return to that location if I can avoid it.
They were not able to do the exchange for me, but that’s not what upset me in the slightest. The manager looked over my pants to check if they were fine, and explained how a couple small marks on the pants meant that they could not be resold. I was completely understanding and apologized profusely for all of the issues and let them know that I understood fully if they couldn’t accept an exchange. What was upsetting was the tone I was met with from the moment I was approached by the employee in the store. I was polite, respectful, and tried to be as understanding as humanly possible, but was met with the worst attitude and response to a customer I’ve ever experienced. As soon as I mentioned that I needed to speak with the manager, she could have brought her over, but instead continued the conversation by insinuating that I was lying about the call and tried to refuse service.
I will never be returning to this location if I can help it. While I love Lucky Brand and their clothes, that interaction left me feeling so horrible to the point that I physically never want to step foot anywhere near that store ever again.