George C.
Google
I don’t usually write reviews, but this experience really stuck with me — and I feel like people should know what it’s actually like to shop here.
We were new to the brand and the store, genuinely excited to visit. The doorman was super polite and told us it was a busy day with limited staff. That was fine — we appreciated the heads-up. But once we got inside, things started to go downhill.
No one greeted us or explained anything, so after waiting a bit, we asked a white female staff member where the men’s section was. She kindly said it was upstairs, so we started walking up slowly. Then, out of nowhere, an older Black male staff member came down the stairs yelling, “Go back down! You can’t come up here! We don’t have enough people!” as if we were doing something wrong, like children. We froze — completely confused and embarrassed.
A couple of minutes later, we saw the same man happily escorting three white female customers upstairs, smiling, hugging them, and complimenting their outfits. The contrast in how he treated them versus us was shocking.
We stood there awkwardly until a younger Black male staff member approached and asked, “What are you looking for?” His tone was cold and dismissive. When we explained what happened, he brushed it off: “There was no attitude. We just don’t have enough staff.” No apology, no empathy — just impatience.
When we finally went upstairs, it wasn’t chaotic at all. Just a small, quiet room with about 10 respectful customers. It’s hard to see why they acted like we wanted to raid the store. The same staff helped us find a few items, but the energy was cold and awkward. Honestly, I’ve had warmer experiences at Target.
Here’s what stood out to me:
- If you’re new, you’re treated like you don’t belong.
- The staff seem frustrated by the crowd and take it out on customers.
- There’s a clear difference in how people are treated depending on who you are (familiarity, race, the way you dress… could be anything).
- The products are beautiful, but the service completely ruins the experience.
In short: I love The Row’s design and products, but the in-store experience was awful. Do yourself a favor if you still want to buy— shop online. It’s not worth the stress.
Note: I only mentioned the racial and age attributes of people to differentiate who was involved, and why it’s hard not to think there’s racial bias involved.
