I’ve been shopping at the Fillmore location/online for years so I was excited when the Hayes Valley location opened. It’s smaller, but an easier trek from my neighborhood. Like most shopping in San Francisco it isn’t without its challenges. Parking is difficult, you have to trip over tourists, but hey, they have excellent products!
I stopped in Tuesday and got matched for a new foundation, concealer, and picked up my sunscreen and impulsively bought a makeup remover all in preparation for my return to the office after being on maternity leave. The staff was helpful and efficient.
Today, I pull out my new supplies to get ready for lunch with extended family and I discover that the glass bottle of my $80 sunscreen was shattered inside the box. I’m bummed to say the least because I really didn’t want to have to go back into Hayes Valley for such an errand.
I run inside and show a salesperson what I discovered this morning. I expect an “I’m sorry, what an inconvenience, lemme take care of this for you.” Pull up my email, check the receipt, and boom, here’s a new bottle. She starts getting defensive. They check the bottles before they put them on the shelf. She doesn’t know if they can do anything about this. She has to call her manager. I’m left in the store feeling like I’m trying to rip her off. I don’t want a refund, I want a bottle that won’t shed glass over the floor my daughter is learning to crawl on. Even if the break was my fault, the general expectation is that the packaging will last longer than five days.
She returns from her manager call and unapologetically exchanges the bottles. Ok. Thanks. I guess.
