Stores with the Best/Worst Service

[Guest Fade to Black]

Decided to make this thread sort of as a general poll, also just to get some comments/warnings about which stores are cool and which are shitty (if the latter, my personal principle is i don't care how dope the merchandise is, if they're tryin to make me feel like shit they're not earning my money).

Some of my favorites:

- Yohji Yamamoto Aoyama, Tokyo: Love this store, probably one of my favorite boutiques in the world, it's also the designer flagship with the best and most friendly customer service I've been to anywhere in the world. I usually mesh quite well with Yohji shops (though I find the NYC boutique has staff that act pretty cold), but the people here are very friendly and helpful. I was even allowed to smoke in store while shopping! Not to mention, a girl who works there is arguably the most beautiful girl i've ever seen in Japan (if anyone's been there, i'm talking about the short-haired lady who looks kind of mixed...)

- Y's Hong Kong: Not to keep mentioning Yohji, but I thought this should get a special mention since they're always friendly and give me old receipts whenever I need to park in Lee Gardens...heh keep that on the low.

- Dior Homme Beverly Hills: Just went there for the first time yesterday, I haven't been to all the stores on that strip but I'm willing to bet this is the friendliest store on Rodeo Drive. No attitude at all, very helpful and I felt more at ease here than in the NY and HK flagships.

- Barneys New York: All the Barneys I've been to have always been friendly, probably my favorite department store. Bergdorf's gives me a feeling of upper crust snobby, Saks always seems like it's kind of a mess, but I think Barneys has a pretty chill vibe.

Worst Service:

- Maxfield, LA: Damn...I was really disappointed with my experience here. I can't deny that it's arguably the multi-brand boutique with the best buy in the U.S., but when I went in there I was not only totally ignored, but got some subtle yet suspicious and somewhat discriminating glares from the staff, as if they thought I wasn't good enough to shop there. Even the security doorman stared coolly as I walked out...I'm not expecting these people to fawn over me like I'm a golden god, but at least some courteous "thank yous" and "welcome, ask us if you need any help" would be expected in today's retail world. Odd considering I walked in there completely decked out in Yamamoto...guess it's because I'm not a regular or something. Either way, not going back.

[poly800rock]

lad musician in tokyo gave me the most snooty attitude when i was there..

BAPE in NYC is pretty bad, not that i ever plan on buying shit there

but probably the worst store in the planet is

BBC/Ice Cream shop in harajuku. again, not that i had planned on buying anything at this store, but these guys just don't realize that they look like clowns...

hinoya in ueno is amongst the best, amazing jeans, and amazing service

pure blue japan because the girl that worked there was a cutie

stel's in boston, both the woman and the guy that work here are awesome, i wore a beat up pair of APC's in there last summer and she was yelling at the other worker that he had washed his too early. really friendly staff

famous friends is also up there even though i haven't been there in almost 2 years now. I was in Neimen Marcus today and saw a pair of Nudies slim jims for $225. I got nostalgic for when Famous Friends was the only Nudies distributer in the USA and they were $165 for reg ralf dry selvedge

blue in greene is awesome service as well, i get nervous walking in there cuz they blatantly sell kryptonite

proper in long beach, they're really fucking nice for being a sneaker store

Mita in Ueno is also really good service

[Guest Fade to Black]

- Also add Busy Works Shop NYC to the worst service list...i've never been much of a Bape head, bought a few tees back in the day and a pair of sneakers that i worn out in 2 years of consistent everyday wear...but when I went in to take a look, the attitude in the room was so thick I could cut it with a knife. Damn, I realize your shit's heating up in the States right now, but dudes need to chill with all that mean mugging...strip the prices and exclusive image away and it's just another streetwear store that sells regular ass cotton t-shirts and hoodies. The atmosphere here is comparable to some high-powered jewelry stores on fifth ave.

[poly800rock]

i was just editing it to add that, ha

[watchman]

Best:

Goods in Seattle

Slammin Kicks in London: Great guys, very helpful and chill to talk with.

Denim Bar: A lot of people hate on this place because they are distracted by the x-box or something, but every time i go i have a good time just hanging out with the employees and talking about denim. They don't care whether or not i'm buying that day, they always let me try stuff on and show me the latest stock.

Worst:

Every department store i've been to honestly. I do not think i have ever had good service in a department store. I don't know if it's just the fact that i usually go during sales so people are stressed, but it's strange.

[jo3 b]

add supreme to the best of... you can always count on their great attitudes and helpful service

[Guest Fade to Black]

BBC/Ice Cream shop in harajuku. again, not that i had planned on buying anything at this store, but these guys just don't realize that they look like clowns...

Did not go there even though I thought about it just to take a look at the store's design...but i imagine it would be something like Bape except with (unintentionally) funnier dressed staff. I took a look at the prices for BBC/Ice Cream in Japan, the stuff doesn't seem so pricey over there....what is starting to get on my nerves is the media hyping this shit out of proportion, mostly in the western world...publications from i-d to Complex (this one's expected) are blowing Pharrell's head up to the point where i'm sure it could be its own planet by now...i thought pharrell rocking bape at first wasn't so bad since his mismatched way of carrying the clothes seemed interesting enough, but this in-your-face marketing of BBC/IC is getting annoying, especially with a generation of youngsters hopping on the bandwagon now.

[Crillz]

I'm a big fan of Opening Ceremony here in NYC, the girls that work there are super nice and helpful, and make nice smalltalk while ringing you up. Busy Work Shop NYC has actually varied from best to worst, depending on when I've come in, sometimes the staffers are super nice and will talk for like half an hour with you about whatever, and others seem to think they're demigods who don't need your business etc. etc. Alife has some pretty shitty service though, it seems like everything people say about Supreme NYC that isn't true about Supreme NYC applies there (rude etc.)! Oh, and aNYthing is rad because I have a giant schoolboy crush on one of the female staffers...

[soultek]

Maxfields: I got the same vibe the first time I went in there, no one asked for help and this guy was kinda 'following' me around the store almost like he was waiting for me to leave while making sure I didn't fuck anything up from afar. The second time I went in there I confronted him and he was super cool after that, he even calls me when new stuff comes in even though I never bought anything.

Barneys (Bev. Hills): I've had terrible service at the CO OP level, but really great service in the dress wear dept.

Best:

45rpm

Earnest Sewn NYC

South Willard LA

VICE LA/NYC (R.I.P.)

Steven Alan NYC

Worst:

Barney's COOP LA

Hit & Miss:

Douglas Fir LA

[poly800rock]

^^^^^what did you say when you confronted him?

Did not go there even though I thought about it just to take a look at the store's design...but i imagine it would be something like Bape except with (unintentionally) funnier dressed staff. I took a look at the prices for BBC/Ice Cream in Japan, the stuff doesn't seem so pricey over there....what is starting to get on my nerves is the media hyping this shit out of proportion, mostly in the western world...publications from i-d to Complex (this one's expected) are blowing Pharrell's head up to the point where i'm sure it could be its own planet by now...i thought pharrell rocking bape at first wasn't so bad since his mismatched way of carrying the clothes seemed interesting enough, but this in-your-face marketing of BBC/IC is getting annoying, especially with a generation of youngsters hopping on the bandwagon now.

i just wanted to see what it was all about on a designl level. but they're so fucking rude.

[sean_]

add supreme to the best of... you can always count on their great attitudes and helpful service

lolol thyere really not that bad tho, at least in ny, iven ever been to supreme la.

best

goodfoot/ransom in toronto are awesome.* staff are helpful and in general chilled out people and the product is top notch beyond that

daves quality meat - awesome staff, last time i was there dave rolled up on his skateboard, introduced himself to me and my friends, told me the story behind one of the shirts i was buying (pig all over print - its the satriali's meat logo from the sopranos, lol) and then showed us some book about something.* the other people in the store were real chillin too.

anything - awesome ridiculous collection of stuff in there, staff is helpful and they gave me a free button and a pack of anything lower east side all over print matches haha

worst

busyworkshop ny. hands down. the too cool for everything vibe was so incredibly apparent, from the employee decked out head to toe (literally) in bape gear posted up outside the store smoking a cigarette to the absolutely lame racks of 10 tshirts and shit

i cant really think of anything else right now

[Guest Fade to Black]

oh yeah, 45 RPM NYC is cool as fuck. As I mentioned a while ago, there's this one girl there that seems a bit snotty, but otherwise, great people. On the other hand, when I went to R by 45 rpm in Shibuya, Tokyo, the sales people seemed kind of indifferent. Understandable, though - it was sale time and a complete madhouse in there. The Hong Kong family in front of me was buying so many damn t-shirts that I finally had to speak up and tell the sales to ring me up first as I couldn't wait any longer for just one pair of jeans!

[Crillz]

busyworkshop ny.* hands down.* the too cool for everything vibe was so incredibly apparent, from the employee decked out head to toe (literally) in bape gear posted up outside the store smoking a cigarette to the absolutely lame racks of 10 tshirts and shit

*

I'm pretty certain they require you to dress fully in BAPE when you work there. No joke.

[Guest Fade to Black]

^^^^^what did you say when you confronted him?

i just wanted to see what it was all about on a designl level. but they're so fucking rude.

haha if a confrontation clears the air up then it looks like I need to be more aggressive...but man, i figure that i'm there to be served whether i buy a leather jacket, a damn t-shirt, or nothing at all; i'm not the one who has to bow to them. If i gotta put so much effort in then why are they even getting paid to serve customers there?

I'm guessing he said something like, 'Man why you all up in my shit?!?!' hehe.

If they were rude at BBC, you should have started spittin in front of him: 'life is but a dream/all i have in this world are my ice creams'...

[sunny]

Best

Denim Bar. Haven't physically been there (don't quite know where it is), but they're super nice on the phone and the free shipping is great.

Worst

Louis Vuitton Bloor St Toronto. The damn security guard follows my ass as soon as I enter. He got a bit distracted once, so I quickly went upstairs and he came running after me. There are a few things that I would like to purchase there, but I'm not giving my money to such a store. Have to hold off until I go to the States again (this week! w00t.)

[nimo112]

- Dior Homme Beverly Hills: Just went there for the first time yesterday, I haven't been to all the stores on that strip but I'm willing to bet this is the friendliest store on Rodeo Drive. No attitude at all, very helpful and I felt more at ease here than in the NY and HK flagships.

Worst Service:

- Maxfield, LA: Damn...I was really disappointed with my experience here. I can't deny that it's arguably the multi-brand boutique with the best buy in the U.S., but when I went in there I was not only totally ignored, but got some subtle yet suspicious and somewhat discriminating glares from the staff, as if they thought I wasn't good enough to shop there. Even the security doorman stared coolly as I walked out...I'm not expecting these people to fawn over me like I'm a golden god, but at least some courteous "thank yous" and "welcome, ask us if you need any help" would be expected in today's retail world. Odd considering I walked in there completely decked out in Yamamoto...guess it's because I'm not a regular or something. Either way, not going back.

I agree with you on Dior BH. Jupiter and Sean are really nice and helpful. It doesn't seem like they pressure you to buy anything you don't want like a lot of other stores do.

Maxfields has the shittiest service ever. When you walk in it seems that they think you're going to steal something or fuck shit up.

Barney's BH sucks on the top floor but the COOP people were nice to me.

[Guest Fade to Black]

Worst

Louis Vuitton Bloor St Toronto. The damn security guard follows my ass as soon as I enter. He got a bit distracted once, so I quickly went upstairs and he came running after me. There are a few things that I would like to purchase there, but I'm not giving my money to such a store. Have to hold off until I go to the States again (this week! w00t.)

Bloor St. in general has pretty arrogant salespeople I find. It's even worse in Toronto than it is in New York these days...

[onemancult]

I'm a big fan of Opening Ceremony here in NYC, the girls that work there are super nice and helpful, and make nice smalltalk while ringing you up. Busy Work Shop NYC has actually varied from best to worst, depending on when I've come in, sometimes the staffers are super nice and will talk for like half an hour with you about whatever, and others seem to think they're demigods who don't need your business etc. etc. Alife has some pretty shitty service though, it seems like everything people say about Supreme NYC that isn't true about Supreme NYC applies there (rude etc.)! Oh, and aNYthing is rad because I have a giant schoolboy crush on one of the female staffers...

I agree with you on Opening Ceremony, and have never set foot in El Bape-o.

However, I have to disagree with you on Alife 100%. They've never treated me anything but great in both ARC and Alife. Same for Supreme- except the one time one dude there was checking out my girlfriend, but hey. Same goes for aNYthing. I think having the right attitude and being respectful counts for a lot... it's not like you'll get blatantly eyeballed like you would if you weren't the right 'fit' for, say, Saks.

[darkanimal]

Are the staff at BWS Japanese? Just wondering, eventho I have no plans in setting foot here. The key to getting a good service is to enter a store with a smile ! If they are receptive then I chat with them, look around, even if I don't buy anything I ask for a business card/number, they would usually ask for your name. They sometimes have bad days, moments, and they just forget how a customer should be treated. So if you start the pleasant attitude, they will join you. Well if it's a cute s.a. , I tell her to join me for a smoke outside the shop, if the store is not busy. I've done it a couple of times.

[djrajio]

I'm a big fan of Opening Ceremony here in NYC, the girls that work there are super nice and helpful, and make nice smalltalk while ringing you up.

NYC - good service:

The Asian girls at Opening Ceremony are super nice. Also loved the service at Cloak; I talk to the guy working there about vintage stores in London and general the vibe is very nice. Famous Friends is dope. I think I spent ungodly hours there talking about fashion/jeans w/ Richard there.

Tokyo - bad service

Lad Musician - Daikanyama + Harajuku stores

I agree with the poster before. Always has a snooty vibe to it; especially the girls that work there. Never understood why they never smile...

Dior Homme - Harajuku / Omotesando

This store is always filled with brand whore broke asses trying to get a piece of Dior homme and will settle for a small bracelet/wallet/etc... yet I come in willing to drop 2,000 on a suit and couldn't get the time of day from the staff. Really snooty and unfriendly.

Ann Demeulemeester - Omotesdando

Not so much the staff but the layout of the store. For some reason, Ann D. thought it would be brilliant to purposely have the store door purposely closed/half open confuse shoppers that they aren't welcome there. Also, all the suits are completely covered in dust bags so you can't even see what the items are. The men's area is one small rack and lack luster pieces. Really disappointed.

[Guest Fade to Black]

I think having the right attitude and being respectful counts for a lot... it's not like you'll get blatantly eyeballed like you would if you weren't the right 'fit' for, say, Saks.

I am much more intimidated walking into a well known streetwear store than I am walking into a department store such as Barneys or Saks...i've noticed with the latter, there hasn't seem to be any fit issues because there's a whole smorgasbord of brands and styles being represented in the merchandise so there isn't really the image of a typical customer...whereas if i walk into say, Supreme or Undftd or something like that, I'd probably be really insecure and not stay long because i'm not wearing any of the latest kicks or tees and don't want to get discriminated for not fitting the mold of their usual customer. At least that's just my perspective, it could be wrong...

[jo3 b]

supreme never did nothin' to me.

never denied me a product, never treated me bad, nothin. but i've seen em do it to others.

i guess they judge upon entering, so whatever.

[arthur]

best:

seven new york: i never really buy anything here, but it's cool to look around. they're really helpful and talk to you about the designers/brands. it's nice to have a store like this where i don't get attitude considering how young i look (and am).

worst:

marc jacobs on mercer: i went here once to ask where they stocked mj vans, and as i'm walking the woman at the counter started laughing at me. on top of that, she treated me like i didn't speak english and was 5.

[onemancult]

I think at the end of the day, no matter how I've been dressed, whether completely decked out in streetwear or completely spruced up in higher-end items, I've always received more of an icy glare from department stores than from, say, Supreme.

It might have absolutely everything to do with ethnicity, on the other hand...

[minya]

Best:

Nomad, Toronto: everyone associated with this store is infinitely cool and infinitely friendly. Every time I stop by Nomad, I end up spending 3 hours chatting with Zeb or one of the staff. Simply the nicest, most welcoming store I've ever been in.

Saks Mens Store, San Francisco: although I was sort of intimidated by the older Italian men decked out in Kiton and Borrelli on the lower floors, I was very impressed by the friendly, unassuming service on the top "sportswear" floor. Scott, in particular, is very nice. No pressure at all.

Recon/Nort, San Francisco: again, similar to Nomad; everyone at this store is laid back, super-friendly, and happy to answer questions. Great place to try shoes.

Worst:

Huf, San Francisco: Layers and layers of attitude. Not my style.

83 Bloor, Toronto: Ugh. Snotty size-0 girls and Eurotrashy dudes wearing Versace suits and D&G sneakers. Not impressed.

[Get Smart]

Best:

Paul Smith LA....even tho I have a particular salsesperson that I deal with that calls me when new items of interest have arrived, everyone there is always really nice and says hello & goodbye/thanks

Fred Segal on melrose: The middle aged black guy has given me exceptional service on multiple visits spanning almost 10 years now

Ralph Lauren stores have always given great service and the right level of attention.

most dept stores:esp Bloomingdales Bev Center, Barneys, Sak, Neimans on wilshire

Worst:

the "streetwear" stores on LaBrea (stussy, union, undefeated, volcom etc)....probably because I don't look like a wigger and my shirt is always tucked into my pants. I feel like they're looking at me like I have a 3rd eye growing out my forehead and the overall service is icy at best. I guess they know I'm buying a gift and not shopping for myself.

for the most part have never experience horrible service at a clothier

[xcoldricex]

lift and lift ecru (tokyo)

this is the fashion i am most interested in. they are stockists of labels like carpe diem, lmaltieri, linea, carol christian poell, label under construction, rick owens, ann demeulemeester, anne valerie hash, alexander mcqueen, martin margelia, mihara yasuhiro, kris van assche, jas mb, guidi, faliero sarti, john galliano, etc. not only are they stocked well, they present each line in an environment enhancing the effect of the clothing. as they say on their website they strive to convey the designers' concepts, ideas, and message through their presentation. the workers are extremely informative- they can tell you all the special procedures used to make the product - the materials, treatments, etc. they'll even tell you about the designer's concept behind each piece so you can appreciate them even more. a very inspiring place. all the service people seem to speak extremely good english (which is totally not expected, but is a nice bonus). not to mention- the women workers in the stores are really hot...

i wish i lived closer to this store and i wish had a lot more money to spend there. oh and you would expect a place like this to be pretentious, but they are quite the opposite. i walked in the first time with a pair of jeans, a dirty tshirt, and a trucker hat- looking like the opposite of their target consumer. yet two workers answered all the questions i had and presented different things to me for the hour i was in there. there was absolutely no pressure to buy anything either. in fact, i went in and tried on the same coat about 5 times and did not end up buying it- most stores would probably put up some sort of fuss or give you dirty looks. unfortunately, i did not end up buying anything from the store- though i will make every effort to buy pieces from them before any other place.

-they also provide duty free shopping if you're a foreigner... when you're buying stuff like this, that's a good chunk of money.

any 45rpm store in japan

ESPECIALLY shibuya, tokyo and minami senba, osaka - those are my people. they called and printed out maps for me for pure blue japan, they special ordered quite a few things, put things on hold and hemmed them up for me so i could come in and out, directed me to good restaurants, etc. and the kicker is, only one person could speak english - all the rest tried their best to talk to me or even used yahoo translator to get something across that they couldn't. doesn't get much better than that!

i know we have a lot of LA people on the board. is there no one that likes avant garde brands? i really need someone to check out Maxfields for me and hook me up despite the attitude!!

[xcoldricex]

Tokyo - bad service

Lad Musician - Daikanyama + Harajuku stores

I agree with the poster before. Always has a snooty vibe to it; especially the girls that work there. Never understood why they never smile...

Ann Demeulemeester - Omotesdando

Not so much the staff but the layout of the store. For some reason, Ann D. thought it would be brilliant to purposely have the store door purposely closed/half open confuse shoppers that they aren't welcome there. Also, all the suits are completely covered in dust bags so you can't even see what the items are. The men's area is one small rack and lack luster pieces. Really disappointed.

cosign. as for ann dem, i was trying to figure out how to get in there until on of the SA's had to come over and open the door to me. then i was like wtf, where is everything?

speaking of hard to find doors- where the fuck is the undercover store? i could never find it based on the superfuture map. it's supposedly hiding behind yamamoto but there was no way of getting back there?

[herpsky]

BWS NY: the staff aren't japanese. i'm not really looking for good service there anyway...

supreme LA: Surprisingly good. Although the dude working at the store was on the phone for most of the time I was in the store, he was nice enough to check for sizes and let me use the fitting room. Real dope.

supreme NY: when i bought just one or two items, i thought they were pretty cold. but when i went there and dropped like 300 bucks (and charged to my AMEX), they were pretty nice. the dude was like "hey, these stickers are on me." and gave me like 10 box logo stickers. i noticed the most customers there pay by CASH, especially those kids decked out in ridiculous hypebeast items e.g. bape jeans and dunk SB chocolate. they don't like cash paying customers, especially when the store is packed. another good way to getting good service here is to greet the guys when you enter the store. kids who don't say anything when they enter the store get crappy service (from observation).

as for marc jacobs in soho (the one by BWS), i couldn't really tell the difference between customers and the staff. why? the dudes working at the store were posting up outside wearing bapestas and bape shirts.... I was like where the fuck am I?

anything gangstore: i couldn't really tell who was working and who wasn't. there's a whole lot of people just hanging out in the store. a-ron is a super-nice guy...

undefeated santa monica and la brea: decent service

stussy SF: really laid back and good staff.

nort/recon SF: the dudes upstairs are cool. the white dude downstairs seems like he's high but he's really nice.

huf SF (sutter and hayes): the service has always been amazing.

most of the stores in haight except FTC had really good service

id say maxfields bleu (the outlet one) and fred segal santa monica had really crappy service. the big fred segal was pretty dope.

saint alfred: nice guys. one dude gave me his e-mail address and told me to email him if i see something i like on the kicks/hi mailing list and need to get it shipped.

[Get Smart]

he was nice enough to check for sizes and let me use the fitting room. Real dope.

isnt that doing his job, at a very very minimum? the phrase "let me use the fitting room" just sounds odd, as if he were doing *you* a favor