Lauren I.
Yelp
Do you ever wonder how some businesses can afford to pay the rent in Seattle? This is one store that perplexes me.
1. The sales staff are incredibly rude, every time I go in. Last time--I mean the most recent time AND my last time EVER--I popped in to take a closer look at the shoes I saw in the window. I greeted the sales person, walked back to the shoes, looked at them, decided against them, and made my way to the front of the store. I said, "thanks!" to the man behind the counter, who replied, "Uh...you really didn't spend very much time in here." Huh?
Another time, I was with a friend who was purchasing a gift and when he asked for a gift receipt, he was treated to a diatribe on how Nordstrom's return policy is ruining small local business because it changes customer expectations. I didn't mentioned to her that it's not just Nordstrom's return policy that keeps me shopping there, but Nordstrom's kind, accommodating, friendly sales staff. Unlike (cough cough) Burnt Sugar.
2. This store isn't very special. It carries a mix of overpriced gifty things. It has a very late-90s-early-aughts vibe--too much glitter, too little style. There's nothing in here worth WANTING, let alone spending a fortune on. The aesthetic is just...lacking.
3. It's down the street from several great local shops. I can't imagine how it stays in business when the alternatives--on the same block or within just a few--are so superior.
So. Is it a front for an underground glitter smuggling business? Or what?