Armstrong McCall

The girls here are always so knowledgeable and really happy to help! Love their selection!

Horrible horrible service. I was in there waiting in line behind one person. Some of us have clients we need to get to and I’m standing in line listening to the register lady and a customer talk it up. No sense of urgency whatsoever! I asked for assistance and she acted as if she couldn’t hear me when clearly she did. I wanted so long that I had to put my purchases down and leave. Soooo irritating. This is not tea time. Your working my so do what you are getting paid for! Salon centric it is!

Armstrong McCall, Kearny Mesa specifically; were one of the first people I called after discovering that my small shop made number two on Unilocal’s Best beauty supplies in San Diego. The staff goes the extra mile in customer service in so many ways, I wish I could hire them all as personal assistances AKA friends I pay to be my friend and fetch me things, however they are too likeable to boss around… I digress, they go as far as calling me when my 82 year old dad/​delivery guy arrives and leaves so I have peace of mind he is safe and reporting back on how his condition appeared. Customer Service is not the appropriate term, a more apro pro term would be «divine gestures of kindness».
When calling to place orders, I always hang up with a smile on my face because I consider the staff (every each one of the girls who’s names I can’t remember, Ashly? Amanda? Sorry, girls, you know I lump you all in one persona. Why? Because I am bad with names and you all share the same personal characteristic of «divine gestures of kindness». I consider the staff to be more like friends who may or may not reciprocate the same feeling.
I want to add, we are a small independent family owned shop, our orders are often times embarrassingly small, so this is not a preferential treatment due to large purchases, this is a business run with tact, a personal touch, efficiency and an overall great vibe.
The other trait they seem to have (I would call it more of a curse) …according to reading some of the negative reviews, they seem to attract some rather unpropitious clientèle. Well you can’t please everyone all of the time and if you could, why would you? Some people are just mean spirited and based on the horrifying grammatical errors, are obviously lacking in cognitive skills and an abundance of time.
Speaking of which, this is the end of my review because I have to call these delightful people and place an order that would make most other businesses I deal with sigh heavily, bathed in irritation and indignation due to the length, or rather, lack of said order.
But karma is a bitch and the people that treat you well when things are not at your full game are the ones who will get my business, small or large.

Lost my business of $ 1000’s each year over a $ 5 brush. All good. Saloncentric can have my money.

I like this location over any other locations. I’ve been coming here for yearsss. Every time I’ve come here I’ve had great customer service and they always answer my billion questions and recommend products that actually work (I’m very picky so this was great for me!) :) Great products, Good prices. Glad to see that they extended their Saturday hours to 4 pm! I just left there right now and Robert helped me and was more than helpful. 2 thumbs up!!!

They offer all kind of beauty products with very fair price, especially nail polish. This place is clean compare to many beauty supply stores, but the customer service is not great.
I asked for help to find a nail polish color, and the lady didn’t want to help me at all. She was busy with phone call, and I was sure that she was chatting not doing real business.
I think I just experience bad customer service in that plaza! Errr…

This location deserves no stars at all, horrible customer service from bigger lady «karie» the heavy woman working the register. She had no knowledge of any of their products and refused service to me accusing me of not being a member, with my card IN HER HANDS… I’ve been to 5 different locations in san diego and this has never been a problem. Everyone else working here was super helpful except for the heavier woman, «karie» .she seemed like she hated working there, she clearly did not fit in.
This industry thrives on customer service, people like her should really reevaluate their careers.

Horrible experience! I have been a loyal customer here for 4+ years. Me and my friend came in wanting to buy a set of wands, you fellow customers may know there is an area in the front where you can learn how to use the hot tools and try them out. That’s what we were doing I was seeing what curl size and wand shape I preferred. Stike1: Without greeting us a heavyset blonde lady came up to us and said who’s the hairstylist, I said I was and she didn’t even pull up my account she was just being rude because she was not even helping us she was just staring, strike 2: came up again she said the hair is steaming do u know what ur doing. as any hairstylist knows that is normal when u have a thermal protectant or serum in your hair which was the case. she walked away again 2 min passed and strike3: she said «that’s enough» never asking to help us or ask what we were looking for! No manners, rude! I felt like I was doing something wrong they need to have actual hairstylist working there not just uneducated, rude, arrogant assholes. Working in an industry where the customer always comes first this place is embarrassing to the cosmetology industry!

I’m so glad companies like this are still around. 100% based on customer service. My salon flooded recently with the big rain and all my color books were destroyed. Many of them where out-​of-​print and I was having the hardest time replacing them. And after one call to my Clairmont Armstrong, they made some calls. found them for me and did not charge me. I just wanted to make sure and give them a big shutout of appreciation and let them know they’re totally worth the five star post I give
them.

If people, say people I know, had a contest about where they would be LEAST likely to find me, I think that list might look something like this:
(10) A stanFUrd fundraiser
(9) In something called a «shou-​u-​er» or «show-​er» or something like that. Some shit that doesn’t exist, whatever the hell it is
(8) Heaven
(7) Barrio Star (Booooooo…ok…ok…I made my peace with Barrio Star)
(6) Luce «Free Speech Killer» Bar & Kitchen (still hate them)
(5) In a peanut (ok, I’m not sure who would ever actually be INSIDE of a peanut, besides Mr. Peanut’s «friend,» Anthony)
(4) Arkansas
(3) *Nerd alert* A tauntaun (I thought they only smelled bad… on *the outside*)
(2) Armstrong McCall
(1) A shower (for some reason, people *really* think they won’t find me in the unicorn of bathroom apparatuses)
Anyway, I WAS there. You can buy lots of shampoo at wholesale prices. NEAT!
I learned what shampoo was.

I have to send an update because Armstrong McCall on Clairemont Mesa Blvd. has been much better with customer service.
Great Job!

sometimes minimal selection at different stores so call before hand to see if they carry that item at each particular location

I had been going to this place for over a year just because of it convenient location near to my business, but it is over now… On average I would spend $ 200 each visit and I had expected decent customer service from the management asking to return a $ 5 item that was suggested by a staff member who possibly mistakenly sold me the wrong product. Yes, it was purchased awhile ago, because I buy supples before I run out, and yes, I had opened it, because that what it takes to make sure it is a proper fit. But it is fully complected, hadn’t been used, and I have the receipt… Anyway. It is not the $ 5 I’m disappointed about. It is about the fact that the manager didn’t get her buttock detached from her chair to come out and personally tell me that she wouldn’t allow the return. She, of course, had let her sales person to deal with it. Nothing personal toward sales consultants. They are mostly nice and trying to help. We can all make mistakes…
The store is mostly filthy and often out of stock the items I buy anyway. I guess not a big loss… I wish I could get all my supplies at the Salon Centric across the street. It is so much nicer there.
Btw. For those who don’t know. You can get most of the stuff that this place carriers online instead, lower prices including free shipping. I should have done the research earlier… I hope this helps :)

I found the new beauty supply store for me! After moving here from FL I experienced some terrible customer service and poor selection at other beauty supply shops here in California, this was definitely more of what I was looking for! Friendly staff, showed me there board where they post job listings etc. since I had informed them I just moved here. Prices were about average!

Can’t say that the staff was friendly or helpful. The selection is fine. I wish they had more items on clearance.
The fact that it is for professionals only is good: prices are reasonable and the store is not too crowded.
This location is the most convenient for me. So, I would definitely come back.

I’ve stopped at a few different locations and this one is by far my favorite. Not all locations carry the same things, but this one always has what I am looking for. They are a «professionals only» store which I love. You go into other beauty supply stores and they are packed with people trying to get «professional» products and cut out the professionals. The staff here is always friendly and helpfull as well.