S K.
Yelp
I wouldn't ordinarily take the time to review a place as ubiquitous as Nordstrom, but after a few strange experiences there, I felt compelled. Of course this review will be limited in terms of its usefulness since each experience is going to depend in large part on one's expectations and the interaction w/ the sale associate.
I used to think Nordstrom was top-notch. I really admired their commitment to customer satisfaction (even when I used to work there as a sales associate many, many moons ago). I had heard stories of how accommodating Nordstrom was -- taking a tire back from a customer though they don't even sell tires -- stories that made Nordstrom seem unreasonably dedicated to customer service.
While I think they offer a great selection of merchandise (especially women's shoes) and have really beefed up their women's beauty/make-up department, I feel that their customer service has dropped a few notches.
During my last visit, I had 2 aims: exchange a pair of (defective) Ugg boots and buy a wallet as a present. One of my boots was not very comfortable as the heel became warped and a piece of it bent into my back heel (so perhaps this should be a yelp about Ugg and how shoddy and overpriced their products are for the quality). When I explained the situation and showed the sales associate my shoe, she went on to explain that my boots were "one season boots" and not designed to last more than a season. This was news to me. For a pair of seemingly sturdy suede boots (Ugg's ultra classic) costing around $200, they were only intended to last one season? She somewhat reluctantly agreed to do the exchange and, in general, I felt like SHE felt she was doing me a big favor by exchanging out my shoe. Yes, they were worn and not brand spanking new. But as the wool wore down in the shoe, the issue w/ the heel became more apparent.
I move to the small leather goods department to find a wallet that I saw online. I see several sales associates chatting amongst themselves. Nobody acknowledges me or the fact that I am clearly standing at the wallets counter, hoping for some assistance. I see them see me. Finally someone comes over. I explain that I was interested in seeing a wallet that I had seen online and ask to see a clutch w/ the same pattern I'm interested in since the wallet with that pattern isn't in the store. She hands me the clutch and while I am checking it out, she just leaves w/ no explanation. A few minutes pass and she returns and pseudo-apologizes by saying that she didn't really leave us, but by that point, another more helpful sales associate has come over. The original sales associate makes some comment about how great a clutch it is, which seemed pointless since I had no interest in the clutch itself -- only in a different wallet w/ the same pattern, which I had already stated.
I decide to get the wallet sight unseen. The second sales associate places an order for the wallet from another store. I wait a few days before following up as I have not received an email confirmation as promised. I wait another few days and at this point, a week has gone by. I've been charged for the wallet and I still have no idea what is going on with the order. Keep in mind that this was intended as a gift and is now late. I follow up with Nordstrom online and it seems that they need time to investigate what is going on. The product is paid for and yet nobody seems to know where it is. What kind of business is this?
Of course, I can't generalize about all Nordstroms, all sales associates there, or even this Nordstrom in particular. In general, Nordstrom's reputation and service in my eyes has diminished and I no longer have all the fuzzy warm feelings that I used to have about shopping there.