Sima B.
Yelp
I had been eyeing Sézane for a while on Instagram and was excited to finally go to the store when I visited Paris.
Did I purchase some cute clothes? Yes. But my experience was terrible. The feel of the store is a lot like Anthropologie in terms of decorations and types of clothes. They also have some home goods and accessories, but I didn't get any time to check those out. When I arrived, I was shocked to find a line to get into the store. But apparently this is a thing at some high end or popular stores in Paris so I let it go. Once I got in, I was incredibly overwhelmed. It felt like a mad rush to find clothes and find someone to help you get the item in your size and then head into a long line to try them on. They have some clothes on display, but only in a few sizes, which translates to maybe 3 of the same item. In order to get your size (unless you are lucky and find your size on display) you have to get someone to help you, and that's where the backlog starts. Be prepared to wait to get someone's attention and then when you do, you better hope that person is good at their job. I got a terrible employee; he was completely zoned out like he was high. When I asked him for some items he only came back with some and I had to remind him a few times to get all the items I asked for, which means I had to wait longer. On top of all of that frustration, I realized that they don't have all their items (I'm not talking about sizes here) on the floor. It turns out there are items in the back that they don't display, you just have to know to ask them for it. I realized this when I saw another woman holding a dress I didn't see on display. That's when I jumped on my phone and went on their website to find other items I might want to try on. And you guessed it! He kept still forgetting items. What a pain! I finally made it to the line to try on clothes and they were closing in 20 min. They let me try on the clothes I had in my hand, but not in any other sizes, even if you're in the dressing room. I tried to explain to the dressing room attendant that I was visiting and wouldn't have any other time to come back to the store, but all she said was "sorry we are closed." I really wanted to tell her that I would have had time if the employees knew what the hell they were doing and didn't take so long to get me my items, but alas, I let it be. When I finally got in the line to purchase items, the lady who rung me up knew I was visiting from the US (as I asked is there were stores in CA, which there are not) and she didn't tell me anything about getting the tax refund receipt. What a punk! It was our first big purchase in Paris, and ever internationally, and we knew nothing about it, so we didn't know to ask. So I never got my refund.
Sure I could have come to the store with more time of mine for them to waste, but I was visiting and had a packed itinerary, so it would have been an unreasonable expectation.
Great clothes, but the business is run by people with a poor work ethic and snobby attitudes.
