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Katurday
June 18th, 2008, 04:33 PM
Yesterday, I stopped by Sally's Beauty Supply with a friend because I was celebrating an exam going well and...

Well basicly, the girls who worked there were rather rude to us.
Apart from the fact that they didn't greet us or anything (but greeted the next pair of people coming in) I was appaled at how snooty they were about service.
While browsing the shampoos and conditioners they had, I politely asked the lady if they had any silicone free conditioners.
She said she understood what I meant because she worked in a salon, and was looking through conditioners and pointed one out to me.
When I told her that that one had silicones in it (heavy ones, too) she asked me if I was "allergic or something".
I said they just weren't the best thing for my hair, and she got rather pushy about "just buying it and trying it out".
I told her I'm not too interested in spending (a lot of) money on something I knew didn't work for me.

I continued browsing and noticed two henna glossers which looked identical except that one was white and the other red.
I asked her if the red one deposited any kind of color because otherwise it was identical, and she said "No color, the dying henna is in the back (not actual henna - poorly disguised dye)"
I said ok, thanks, and then she went on a rant about how I wouldn't want to use henna because she works in a salon and no salon touches henna'd hair.
I told her I knew this and liked henna nonetheless, and she continued ranting on how you are "stuck with one colour" and how "you can never really change it" and how "red is a nice color but it gets boring".
Naturally, I told her that I like the red shine my hair gets, henna is flexible once combined with indigo colourwise, it does no damage, it does not fade and I don't need to get it re-dyed once it fades every month like I would with all other dyes.
She walked away angry, and I felt rather put off by her pushy service.

It sure seems to me that this world is very long hair unfriendly to me. Do you think she was allowed to be so pushy, or am I reading too much into it? Should I shop in another Sally's to find the cone free conditioner? I am just really confused.

Chromis
June 18th, 2008, 04:38 PM
I'd shop somewhere else. She sounds like she'd be rude to anyone who didn't take her word as gospel long or short.

squiggyflop
June 18th, 2008, 04:50 PM
at least she speaks english.. i tried to ask the people in my local sally's store and all i got was blank stares at first.. then those people called a girl from the back to help and she didnt understand english well either.. i couldnt figure out what they were trying to tell me and they couldnt figure out what i was asking.. i asked if they had deep treatments.. they brought me over to the waxing section and handed me those little muslin strips then they tried handing me a comb.. i was really upset that not one person who was working could speak english.. they got so frustrated and i got so frustrated.. finally a woman who was shopping pointed me in the right direction and the sales people went back to jabbering away in what i think was spanish but they had a strange accent.. completely different from the mexican spanish im used to hearing yet they used several words that i recognised as spanish..

vidgrl007
June 18th, 2008, 04:50 PM
The same thing happens to me.I dont know if its just bad service or I just catch ppl on a bad day.

Islandgrrl
June 18th, 2008, 04:52 PM
I don't know that she was long hair unfriendly, probably just flat out unfriendly and probably shouldn't be working in a customer service related field.

On the other hand, I was in Sally's just over the weekend and actually had a great experience. I had my hair up with a Ficcare, and the sales person who was helping me find what I needed asked me, "Is that a Ficcare??? Where did you get it?"

Riot Crrl
June 18th, 2008, 04:59 PM
She said she understood what I meant because she worked in a salon

LOL, most of the time isn't working in a salon the universal symbol for "I have no idea which products contain silicones or why anyone wouldn't want them in their hair"?

BlndeInDisguise
June 18th, 2008, 05:11 PM
Wow, what crummy service.

Katurday: Your hair is gorgeous, btw! It's so shiny!!!

Euphony
June 18th, 2008, 05:17 PM
It sounds like (after seeing your hair picture) that you have something that she would strive for but doesn't know how to achieve. Obviously your hair is in really good condition by using things she wouldn't recommend. It probably irritates her that your hair is so pretty.

hahaha side note a bit off topic - this reminds me of when I was 19 and thin, my measurements were 38x24x38 and I needed a bra. Stupidly I went to Sears and asked the saleswoman if they had 34D sized bras. She sneered (I'm serious, she actually sneered) while looking at my chest and saying sarcastically "we don't carry bras that big". I so wanted to slap that sneer off of her face.

HairColoredHair
June 18th, 2008, 05:36 PM
My Sally's rather stinks for service as well...

No 'hello', they follow me around and watch me (I'm 23 and dressed in BUISNESS clothes! For crying out loud!), and they sneer whenever I come up to buy something small.

Pheh.

wintersun99
June 18th, 2008, 05:45 PM
...............

squiggyflop
June 18th, 2008, 05:46 PM
It sounds like (after seeing your hair picture) that you have something that she would strive for but doesn't know how to achieve. Obviously your hair is in really good condition by using things she wouldn't recommend. It probably irritates her that your hair is so pretty.

hahaha side note a bit off topic - this reminds me of when I was 19 and thin, my measurements were 38x24x38 and I needed a bra. Stupidly I went to Sears and asked the saleswoman if they had 34D sized bras. She sneered (I'm serious, she actually sneered) while looking at my chest and saying sarcastically "we don't carry bras that big". I so wanted to slap that sneer off of her face.
i agree she is just jealous of such beautiful hair..

on your side note.. wow she sneered at you.. i would have complained.. i went into sears and asked about 34D bras and they were very friendly..

chloeishere
June 18th, 2008, 05:47 PM
I'm afraid my Sally's is rather a mixed bag, as well. I generally tell them I don't need help, and wander around to see if I can find anything. They do sometimes watch me to make sure I'm not stealing, which I don't particularly appreciate. But I'm almost always the only person in the store, so maybe they are just bored.

The one time I asked for help, the woman had no idea what I was talking about (it was a hair clip that was only available in Sally's stores). I asked her if she could look up the item number (which at the store I work at is easy to do, and you can also look it up to see if any other store in the district carries it), and she said that was no help. So basically, the information on the website was completely useless.
My main wonder was if they really couldn't look it up, or find out if any other stores in the region carry it... or if she simply didn't know how/ didn't want to.

That said, I generally don't really need help (I know what I want, and am happy to peruse ingredient lists on my own), and Sally's does have a lot of stuff I can't find anywhere else.

ETA: I can't believe they were so rude to you at Sears, Euphony! It's weird too, because 34D is not even an usual size. I doubt it was unusual back then, either!

Euphony
June 18th, 2008, 05:51 PM
<snork> back then! Geeeeeez

and ummm yeah...it was a bit unusual 'back then', it was super hard for me to find bras then. No one carried over a C cup. I had to get bras at Nordstroms that cost $60 (BACK THEN!). I wear a 44DD now and have no problems finding bras, weird huh?

misstwist
June 18th, 2008, 05:51 PM
There's nothing to be confused about, Katurday. It was just lousy service. I'm sure it felt personal, but it probably wasn't.

Which, really, was the problem. Good, personal, retail service is hard to come by these days. Few who serve in retail seem at all interested in being helpful, or even human.

Chalk it up to rudeness and consider yourself lucky that you don't possess such a sour disposition.

Magicknthenight
June 18th, 2008, 05:55 PM
I'm sorry that happened to you i suggest trying another?
I mean you could try to talk to her about it but if that doesn't seem like it would help their are plently of other salons that are willing to atleast try to help. The last time i went to a Sallys in a walmart i was looking for a leave in condictioner. I had heard good things about redkin and saw a blue bottle of leave in condictioner. i decided to try it. The lady was doing some other peoples hair but i didnt mind because at first i was just browsing. Then i went to pay for it and of corse my nana had to comment. She looked at it and said "your hair is not in distress" (because the bottle was anti-snap leave-in treatment for distressed hair) and im like...well i have alot of split ends. But thats all i said i didnt wanna get into how i wanted to keep my ends moisterized because she would of been like :disgust: . And after i said that about the split ends the girl just kind of snickered and then gave me this look like i was over-reacting! I am allowed to over-react when it comes to split ends!!!!!!!:mad: (but i really wasnt!)
It was 15 dollars...i was like :doh: expensive!
At a shopping place we have around here called Zona Rosa their are two hair stores. One is avalon and they are extremely expensive but someday i wanna go there for a trim and maybe a petacure...you should see their machines for your feet..:p
And then the other is beauty express. I went in to ask how much a trim is and she said 12 dollars and i said ok so i started telling her and she said oh its 12 dollars for a bang trim and it was like 20-30 for an all over trim. i was like :flamed:
why so much to cut in a straight line and it only takes like 5 minutes. So i continued to look but didnt get my hair trimmed that day. I wonder why the lady helping you didnt know about some of that stuff. Dont they learn about that in beauty school? I've tried explaining harsh ingredients to people and they just look at me like :disgust: waaaa?
But i am always up for explaning it to people :o maybe someone will find it useful someday! But you could always find a different place for hair stuff and get much better service! Best wishes!:cheese:

Cinnamon Hair
June 18th, 2008, 06:44 PM
While the sales girl was pushy, it sounds like you asked her things that most people (even those who work in salons) don't know or care to understand. The things you learn about hair care at LHC are not taught in beauty school. I wouldn't dream of asking a Sally's employee about silicone free products or types of henna. It's outside their realm of knowledge/expertise.

DreamingLong
June 18th, 2008, 06:45 PM
Yeah she probally works in a salon, answering phones.

katiana
June 18th, 2008, 06:58 PM
I think that was pretty rude of her..we have a store and if I do not know something I usually apologize and say that we will try our hardest to find out..and I try to keep my opinions to myself most of the time :) ( they are my opinions and the customer might not feel that way ) unless I have some facts to show..but I agree with the fact that it is hard to come by good customer service these days...the Sallys that is here in town is small and students work there ( nothing against students! )

purplebubba
June 18th, 2008, 07:01 PM
There are about 6 ingredients or technical names that were mentioned when I was in school.
Sodium Hydroxide aka Lye (Ingredient in Relaxers)
Ammonium Thioglycolate (Ingredient in Perm solution)

Sodium Hypochlorite aka Bleach
Hydrogen Peroxide (developer for color dyes)

Quarternary Ammonium Compounds aka Quats (The blue fluid for soaking combs and brushes)

7&#37; Alcohol aka Rubbing or Isopropyl (used for sanitizing hands and metal tools)

I do not recall any mention of specific ingredients in any shampoo or conditioners. Basically one is for washing and the other is for conditioning. The bottles have directions.

The things you learn in a beauty school are meant for one thing overall. To give you the requirements to pass the State Board Exam. All the other things are things you get to learn on your own. The board wants you to be able to perform chemical services and to follow procedures. Beauty school is a place to do those prcoedures over and over again to practise them. In my school you didn't learn how to mix colors. You learned how to put the right amount of dye and peroxide together and how to correctly apply it and time it and keep an eye on it.

Procedures. Not science. The science is left to the product companies and those who learn on their own.

Katurday
June 18th, 2008, 07:16 PM
First: Thank you for all who gave me a compliment on my hair- I envy all of yours more than you know.

I do realise that ingridients are not common knowledge to all people, but I did ask her if she knew what I meant. I would have been happy if she said "I'm sorry, I don't know" because it isn't common knowledge. However, she acted like she knew exactly what I was talking about and how its like an everyday question with her. I asked her after I was through browsing most of the contitioners ingridients, just in case I missed one.

Customer service really isn't what it once was, and that is very sad. My dad said that he would be happier with a klutzy yet friendly waitress or server instead of a stern one that wasn't klutzy. I now agree with him.

purplebubba
June 18th, 2008, 07:19 PM
First: Thank you for all who gave me a compliment on my hair- I envy all of yours more than you know.

I do realise that ingridients are not common knowledge to all people, but I did ask her if she knew what I meant. I would have been happy if she said "I'm sorry, I don't know" because it isn't common knowledge. However, she acted like she knew exactly what I was talking about and how its like an everyday question with her. I asked her after I was through browsing most of the contitioners ingridients, just in case I missed one.

Customer service really isn't what it once was, and that is very sad. My dad said that he would be happier with a klutzy yet friendly waitress or server instead of a stern one that wasn't klutzy. I now agree with him.

I that case you need look no further than my new signature motto "Hair Experts Have Much To Learn"

Riot Crrl
June 18th, 2008, 07:24 PM
One of the last times I was at Sally's they acted like I was crazy asking where the protein filler was, lol. I swear, it is a real thing, and they did have it.

LadyMoon11
June 18th, 2008, 07:48 PM
At Sally's I hardly ever ask for help unless it is to find something very specific.
Not to be mean or generalize too much, but most of the time the employees there are NOT actually stylists yet they really think they are or would like to be, therefore they get rather excited to "help" you understand the wide world of cosmetica and hair chemicaldom. I have actually only had one encounter there with a stylist, and she was a customer. Not that I listened to her, either... :oops:
I have asked anything or told them what I was looking for, I got a lot of information that I really did NOT need or they tried to change my mind.:lala:
I think as Cinnamon Hair said, most people really do not understand the LHC concerns, such as using 'cones and the difference between BAQ henna vs. other "henna". Henna especially is very misunderstood by most people.
Sorry you had a negative experience. She may have just started to feel uncomfortable and got snarky because she felt insufficient.

SweetPea88
June 18th, 2008, 08:19 PM
I wish I had a more positive Sally experience to share but I can't say good things either. Every Sally's that I've been to has pretty much been the same--unqualified staff that just sneer and hover around you.

Curlsgirl
June 18th, 2008, 08:26 PM
I am sorry that happened. I have never had bad service or experienced rudeness that I can remember at Sally's. But I usually only ask them about haircolor or something. I KNOW no one really knows anything about silicones. Come to think of it I may have asked someone there early on when joining here and gotten bad advice. I think I may have even posted about it. Anyway, there are rude, unhappy people everywhere. :HUGS:

mommy2one05
June 18th, 2008, 08:56 PM
This is funny that this thread is on here tonight because alot of people on here really like Sally's , so today I was an hour away and went to one for the first time. I was not impressed at all. The people were not friendly and I also got the looks. Their selection of hair accessories was not a good selection...it showed more online. I will not go out of my way to find another Sally's. But this is just my experience.

kwaniesiam
June 18th, 2008, 09:48 PM
There are about 5 Sally's relatively near to me, but the farther away it seems the better the service. The closet one is 5 minutes down the road, and the girls working there don't have a clue about what I'm asking, sneer at me, and follow me around expecting me to start cramming little trivial things into my pockets when they aren't looking :rant: Most of the time they ask me if I need help with hair extensions, since that is what they seem to have the most knowledge about. :rolleyes:

I actually asked if they were hiring once because it was so close and the place really could use some POLITE staff, but said you had to be 18 and have some sort of salon knowledge. Not to sound pretentious, but I'm willing to bet 4 inches of my hair that I know twice as much about hair as most of the workers there now...

Missie
June 18th, 2008, 10:01 PM
maybe she was a little defensive because if she didn't make a sale she would be penalized and under pressure from her employer?

Speedbump
June 18th, 2008, 10:04 PM
Sally's is a bad place to find cone-free anything. :lol: You would do better to do research on products online, and then find another retailer that carries those products and know what you want before you even go into the store. If you can't tell online if your local (insert business name) carries the thing you want, then make some calls. Afternoon, I have found, is often the "slow" time for local shops, because it's after the lunch hour and before the rush hour. Often the clerks actually have time to help you then.

Missie
June 18th, 2008, 10:11 PM
Speedbump, I adore that kitty of yours

Riot Crrl
June 18th, 2008, 10:17 PM
Sally's is a bad place to find cone-free anything.

I humbly disagree! It is the purveyor of my favorite Biotera gel, and next I've got my eye on the generic Biolage Conditioning Balm. Both are cone-free. It is a great place to get cone-free stuff if you don't mind reading labels and/or know what to look for.

purplebubba
June 18th, 2008, 10:25 PM
I just want to say that I personally have not had any bad experiences at any Sally's or other Beauty Supply stores I went to. And I have had many visits at many different ones.

There was one visit a few years back when I was checking out and the clerk asked me if I wanted to try one of the sample conditioner packs and I wondered to myself why she was suggesting it. But she wasn't rude or pushy with it. It was just my own thoughts wondering if she thought I "needed it" or if she was just offering a product. I did post about it somewhere but I couldn't find it when I searched earlier.

There was a time when I thought I'd never buy anything from a Sally. But I did in fact buy quite a few items.
I bought a bunch of Denman brushes for me and for swapping. I bought items for cosmetology school. I bought my last pair of shears there.

I'm glad that I had decent experiences because it wasn't easy for me to go into those stores.

chloeishere
June 18th, 2008, 11:44 PM
<snork> back then! Geeeeeez

and ummm yeah...it was a bit unusual 'back then', it was super hard for me to find bras then. No one carried over a C cup. I had to get bras at Nordstroms that cost $60 (BACK THEN!). I wear a 44DD now and have no problems finding bras, weird huh?


Sorry! :o I didn't mean to imply anything bad. I just looked at the ages, and saw that experience was not recent. It blows my mind! I personally still hate Sears, because that's where my mom brought me as a young teen (with large bazongas) to get "fitted" for bras. It's not big deal now (though I know what size I am now) but at the time, it was the stuff of nightmares!
I still have trouble finding bras in stores, but it's because I'm an unusual size (as in, a somewhat disproportionate combination of cup size and band size). Moving on!


To be fair, I work retail, and I do the best I can (within the strictures of the system) to provide good customer service. I wonder if they get no training at Sally's (actually, there wasn't much at my job either... it's all experience), or the pay is especially poor, so it doesn't attract motivated people? It certainly seems boring-- the store near me is almost always empty.

freznow
June 18th, 2008, 11:59 PM
Well, while that's not outside of the realm of 'normal' these days, it is just plain awful.

In today's world, where you can buy anything and everything over the internet for a good price, what you're paying for in a store is essentially not the product, but the service. If you are buying something at a store instead of online, yes you save on shipping, but it is generally more expensive even then. It's a wonder more stores aren't going out of business... But in the end, it's about service and the ability to see a product with your own eyes before buying it. If the store doesn't offer friendly, knowledgeable service, then what you're paying for isn't worth it.

And sadly, these day's, it isn't worth it. "Online is cheaper AND I don't have to deal with those salespeople? JOY!" - that shouldn't be the case. Salespeople should be friendly, that's their job!

Nicole.Amina
June 19th, 2008, 01:32 AM
I've had horrible service at Sally's also.

I wanted to get rid of my highlights and I asked the sales associate what I should get. I told her I wanted to dye over my highlights. I didn't need to strip the color since I was going darker, not lighter. Needless to say, she sold me something to strip the color. (Partly my fault, since I didn't read the box properly.) When I went to return it, the manager gave me the nastiest attitude about it. She snapped, "Do you have a licence? Because we only sell this to salons" (or whatever nonsense she said). To which I matched her attitude with, "Well one of your sales associate sold it to me and it's not what I wanted." Got my money back though :D

Then yesterday I went in looking for a hairnet. First off, there was no one at the register so I had to walk around the store looking for someone to help me. When I did find them the two ladies were holding a conversation. One of them looked right at me, and went back to her conversation. I was in a good mood and didn't want to upset myself so I waited until they paused and asked where the hairnets were. So the younger of the two showed me where they were and handed me a mesh rayon skull cap. Clearly not a hairnet, not even close to a hairnet.

The one good thing I can say about the store is that they order a case of the gel I use for me since they don't carry it in store anymore. If they weren't the only beauty supply store near me that is open to the public I wouldn't even consider stepping foot inside.

Nicole.Amina
June 19th, 2008, 01:42 AM
...went back to jabbering away in what i think was spanish but they had a strange accent.. completely different from the mexican spanish im used to hearing yet they used several words that i recognised as spanish..
Off topic: Portugese maybe?


It is a great place to get cone-free stuff if you don't mind reading labels and/or know what to look for.
I have the best service when I know exactly what I want and don't have to deal with the employees.


It certainly seems boring-- the store near me is almost always empty.
When they used to have my gel in stock, I was almost always the only person there. I went to one of the stores in Florida and it was just as empty as the one by me.

ZaBasDa
June 19th, 2008, 01:53 AM
It might be because I'm a teenager, but the Sally's closest to me is awful. The people are rude, unhelpful, and breathe right down my neck. Their suggestions to me always end with I need to go to a salon and I need to be blonde.

A Sally's that is about an hour away has nicer staff. They don't really know more, but they are much more polite. I guess it's just a hit or miss thing.

heidihug
June 19th, 2008, 08:17 AM
The Sally's near me is staffed by either younger women with hair that is several different colors, or older women with short permed/frosted hair. Last time I was there I was looking for a Denman brush, and one of the older ladies knew right where the one is that they carry. But, alas, it was Denman's cheapest, smallest brush, and not at all what I was looking for.

A few minutes later I asked one of the young women a question about some of the deep conditioners for damaged hair, and she gave me a funny look. I had my hair up as per usual, and my bun is rather puny for how long my hair is. I thought that she thought I did not need any type of rescue treatment, so I explained that I have classic length hair and like to treat the ends with care. She just looked at me like I had a horn growing out of my forehead. I am pretty sure she had no idea what classic length hair is. Or why I would want to treat the ends with care.

I do like to stop in there once in a while and check out their stuff, but I know that I have to know what I am looking for as the staff helpfulness really is a hit or miss kind of thing.

One hair-related place I do get great service, though, is Claire's or Icing. The girls/women who work there always get excited when I come in, they like to see my updos and what I can do with my hair. They are always eager to show me the latest arrivals, too, they know I know how to use sticks and forks, unlike most of their customers.

Sana
June 19th, 2008, 08:21 AM
Oh I thought it was just a problem with the Sally's near my place. There a couple of ladies....gothic dressed(& I imaginged they would be really cool LOL) & they keep shadowing you all the time & when you want to check out they are chatting & keep you waiting forever. Also they make faces when all I want to buy is a shower cap or a clip. I have decided I will no longer go there.

Magdalene
June 19th, 2008, 09:00 AM
The Sallys closest to me is usually pretty good, depending on who's working that day (better luck with the older ladies). They didn't know what a seam-free comb was, but were very helpful with finding temporary colorants to dye a Kanekelon wig. (Yay, fake hair!) I would never dream of going there to find natural products, I go to the health food store.

I had a really BAD experience at the beauty supply store that is closest to my house- they suddenly with zero warning decided to become professional only after years of being open to the public (similar to sallys). This was a nasty suprise when I needed wig clips twenty minutes before a dress rehearsal.

missy60
June 19th, 2008, 10:02 AM
The Sally's I go to has had the same women working there since I started going. Some days they are more helpful then other days. I have asked for their help a few times, but I have come to realize that they really dont know alot about hair. I just tell them I dont need their help now when they ask.

Delenn
June 19th, 2008, 11:50 AM
I haven't been to a Sally's in years. I'm noticing a common trend of the people following customers around the store, wonder if that's an across the board policy?

Buddaphlyy
June 19th, 2008, 11:54 AM
When it comes to customer service at Sally's, YMMV. It really depends on the store location, the sales associate and the time of day. I've had good experiences and some not so good experiences. I still like Sally's though, they have a lot of products that I use that are exclusive to their store.