Torrid

I’ve only entered the store three times, and I don’t plan on returning any time soon due to one employee’s horrendous and unprofessional behavior. I recently entered the land of plus-​size shopping, and the first time I entered the store a young lady named Crystal (if my memory serves well) helped me. She was extremely nice, thoughtful, and reassuring as I was feeling self-​conscious about my body.
The next time I went was more of a shopping spree, and a woman named Christina assisted me. Because I had spent so much money, she told me about Torrid’s «haute cash» and how I was able to go to a preview party. All she told me was to «like» Torrid — East Brunswick on Facebook, and I could find all the information there.
The haute cash preview party rolls around, and I lost my haute cash earned from the previous trip. I called beforehand and spoke with a lady named Megan who told me they could figure out how much haute cash I had by seeing my transactions on my Torrid credit card. Yet when I get to the event and explain everything to Christina, she tells me she can’t do such a thing and threw out three haute cashes for me to use. claiming that I could be lying about how much money I had spent. I was taken aback by her negativity. However, Crystal was there and she was helpful with her reassurance. I bought a few items, and I would see Christina taking frequent smoke breaks and re-​entering the store reeking of cigarette smoke. She saw me at the clearance section and said, «You know you can’t use haute cash on sale items» in an accusatory tone.
When it was time to ring my purchases up, I saw Megan, the lady whom I spoke on the phone with. She told another employee to look up my previous transactions on my Torrid credit card to see how many haute cashes I actually had. Apparently I could have been on a call list to avoid this entire ordeal. I asked if there was a way that I could sign up for the call list now, well before the next haute cash event, and the employee said no, but I could have asked last time I was in the store– interesting how Christina was the last employee to help me and she merely offered to «like» Torrid on Facebook. No mention of a call list, which I would have gladly signed up for. That employee called over Christina only to have her tell me, one more time, the credit card lookup can’t happen. I was also witnessing her having lengthy conversations with her customer/​friends, and even taking selfies with them. Once I left the store, I saw Christina on yet another smoke break speaking with a customer/​friend simply complaining about everything under the sun.
A few days later, I found my old haute cashes (of course). I returned to the store and asked for a price adjustment, and Megan was kind in explaining to me no. I didn’t feel belittled or inferior; I felt like a customer speaking to a professional Torrid employee.
To be completely honest, Christina’s attitude that night made me feel isolated and unwelcome. Many friends of her evidently shop at this Torrid location, and the haute cash preview party is mainly for friends of the employees. It seemed more of a social gathering than a shopping experience, and the store is simply not big enough for both. However, I must say that Crystal and Megan are great employees and these two stars are for their excellent customer services.
Also– in terms of clothes, they fit a curvy body well, but the material in the shirts are sub-​par. I must say, though, the denim jeans fit like a dream.

I have been shopping at Torrid for almost 7 years, but this particular store in Summerhill Square has completely ruined it for me. Torrid has officially lost my business for good.
Twice now I have been treated poorly while trying to make a return here. Both returns were for items that I purchased online within the 60 day return window, and on both occasions I was told by store employees (before even viewing my receipt) that I was not going to receive a full refund because I was returning «clearance items», even though I clearly purchased the items before they were marked down.
I’m not normally one to raise a fuss, but my experience today pushed me over the edge. After having to argue with the sales associate over the fact that I purchased a blazer at full price (as printed clearly on my receipt — I mean, HELLO?!!), she told me that I should have made my purchase in the store. I explained that it’s much easier for me to shop online because their store location is not very convenient for me. Summerhill Square is 20 miles from my house, and it takes me 40 minutes to get there with traffic and stoplights. Then she looked at my address on the receipt/​packing list and said, «Oh, it’s not that far… I see your address right here.» Are you kidding me? At this point I was in no mood to argue about my drive. I know how long it takes. I have made the trip several times.
The sales associate then took a blouse that I was returning out of its unopened package and commented that I didn’t even try it on. I explained that it was too thin, to which I received another sarcastic reply, «It’s chiffon… You should read the descriptions on the website.» That was the nail in the coffin. I didn’t bother telling her that I did, in fact, read the description and knew that it was chiffon. I also didn’t bother telling her that I have been sewing for years and actually know quite a bit about fabric. The thing is, there are different types of chiffon (cotton, synthetic, etc.), and quality varies widely between fibers. You can’t possibly know the quality of a garment without seeing it, even if you know what type of fabric it is made of. But that’s a moot point. Her comment was disrespectful.
While processing my return the sales associate made it abundantly clear that she was doing me a huge favor by refunding me in full for the blazer that I had purchased for $ 55. She told me that Torrid probably wouldn’t have accepted my return if I had shipped it back to them. I doubted the validity of her statement, so I called the corporate office to confirm. The customer service rep told me that as long as I returned the items within the 60 day return window and with original tags and packaging (as they were), I would receive a refund for the amount paid. That is Torrid’s corporate return policy, plain and simple. I understand if they cannot accept returns/​exchanges for items that were purchased while on clearance, but they can’t refuse a return that was purchased before it ever hit the clearance rack.
So in the end this sales associate did me no favors. In fact, she made the whole process much more difficult and unpleasant than it should have been. She was sarcastic and disrespectful. To top it all off, I confirmed with customer service that my refund was $ 6 less than it should have been. Apparently the sales associate subtracted a 5% «Divastyle» discount from my return that I did not receive upon purchase. Torrid can keep the $ 6 because I am never stepping foot in this store again. It’s simply not worth my time and energy.
My advice for this Torrid store? If you want to maintain a good relationship with your customers, you have to provide consistently good customer service, even when you’re not making any money. Those transactions are just as important, if not more so, because they bring customers back to your store. I am not a high maintenance customer. I don’t expect much. I might have stuck around if I had been treated with simple politeness and respect. But after two very unpleasant experiences, I won’t be returning.
*** UPDATE ***
I left a voicemail for the district manager, but she never returned my call. And as if I needed another reason to never purchase clothes from Torrid again, I just washed a flannel shirt for the VERY FIRST TIME in cold water/​gentle cycle, and upon hanging it to dry I noticed that the right sleeve is already unraveling (photo attached). I paid $ 42.28 plus tax for this piece of trash. Unbelievable. I am done with Torrid. A «diva» no more.