L’Occitane

Huge fan of their products ever since those damn sweet-​smelling complimentary toiletries were placed in my bathroom @ the Marriott’s Newport Coast Villas.
I’m a mere weakling for product placement…
Love love the Aromachologie Shampoo & Conditioner; and the Shea Gentle Moisturizer.
*I like this location best due to its proximity; PLUS it’s at the Irvine Spectrum!
Two thousand locations in all… several in Southern Cali, or you can order online — free shipping on all orders!
Supposedly, you can receive preferential prices when purchasing products at the Provence boutique.
…so book your flights now! O_​o
and pratiquer votre Francaise:-)

I love the products, but I don’t enjoy being interrogated every time I stop in to drop $ 100 to $ 150 or so for a few bars of soap and some shaving cream. I bring my purchases to the register and the conversation goes like this for the umpteenth time:
What’s your last name?
A****
Is your first name Chris?
Yes.
Is your address. .. .?
Yes.
Is your email.. .. .?
Yes, why do you need this information?
It’s for blah, blah, blah, rewards or something.
I present my Amex.
Can I see your ID, please.
If I come back, I’m going to pay cash, and I’m not going to answer a single fucking question about my name, my address, my telephone number, my email, the name of my spouse, my date of birth, etc.

First, I love L’Occitane products. I have some of their hand creams and solid perfumes and they last for a long time, as well as are noticeably high-​quality. Everyone can say that. So products are ⁵⁄₅ quality, packaging, etc.
However, I’m rating this PARTICULAR branch of the store as a ²⁄₅. I worked in customer service throughout college (all four years, and believe me, this was after going to class full time, too, so it wasn’t like I rolled out of the dorms and into my position behind the desk), so I understand that it’s nobody’s first choice when it comes to a job. However, it is your job. You’re being paid to 1) answer questions 2) sell things to people 3) represent the company. That’s it. Not to have a good time, or to encounter the kinds of people by which you wish the world were solely populated. People working in retail, especially, should be well aware of this.
My friend and I walked into the store around 6PM or 7PM on Wednesday night this past week and just browsed for a while. When it was time for us to ask some questions, with the clear intent of purchasing some items, the woman at the register replied very shortly to us, not allowing us to finish our questions before answering and acting as though we should have already known some of the answers to our questions, which I think were reasonable since we don’t work for L’Occitane, which is the point… anyway she had long dark red hair and large eyes, I didn’t get her name. I understand having a poor day. But to treat someone like crap just for asking questions – we may have had more than like, five questions, but it might have also been because she wouldn’t actually answer us, because instead of listening to what we wanted to ask, she answered what she thought we were asking, which was wrong, in a lot of ways – is like the ultimate number one do not do that they should teach you in customer service training.
Even when we just kind of mentioned something she’d explain it to us in obvious detail when we hadn’t asked for her help – for example, my friend asked «are these new?», pointing to a display of (yes) their new lip balms. And the lady said, «those are lip balms, yeah.» Yoo-​oo lady. Did she ask that? It was clear at that point she thought we were stupid, or she thought she was the best person on the planet and didn’t like having to deign to talk to us. My friend also tried to pay with a $ 100 bill and instead of explaining it was policy not to have that much change in the till or whatever, the lady just looked at her and said «we don’t have change» like my friend was stupid for assuming they would.
I wish my friend hadn’t actually purchased anything at all because I’m sure in a store like this you make commission {edit: I have been advised that they don’t make commission and start at minimum wage… but my point in mentioning this was that her customer service was so poor that she didn’t earn her pay, which is true even if she makes minimum wage. it doesn’t make a difference to me, or to my point, if she’s on a lower payscale than I had previously imagined}.
She told us to «have a nice night» after treating us that way and I just wanted to turn around and say something but I didn’t because I was with someone else.
This rating is only for the above interactions. I love this brand, use/​wear it regularly, and have had great luck at other locations. I’ll just steer clear of buying at this one in the future.