Beauty

[TY]

My daughter and I were at the Nordstrom flagship store in downtown Vancouver, B.C. on Sunday afternoon and we went to browse the sales shoes and the beauty department looking for Boxing week bargains. Nope. we were surprised that none of the limited edition Christmas makeup palettes were on sale. For example the Clinique Cool Down Color Pop cheek palette was full price...but why? There were at least 10 palettes sitting on the display at Nordstrom. Meanwhile both Hudson's Bay and Shoppers Drug Mart put these on clearance on Boxing Day (December 26). I guess Nordstrom will just end up returning their unsold holiday makeup to their vendors where it will likely end up at outlet stores. I also checked the american Nordstrom website which is in U.S. dollars and they didn't even have any Clinique Cool down palettes on their website at all. There is a disconnect with the inventory that's in the store and what is showing up on Nordstrom site. But why?

And as I said in another post, Nordstrom removed their shopping app from the Canadian app store. I wondered why but then I decided to look at the Nordstrom Rack app which is still available in the Canadian app store and the app reviews are terrible with all sorts of problems from ordering, international shipping, lost orders, inaccurate orders, sending out used items as new, lengthy returns, and poor customer service.

I then looked at review sites like Trust Pilot and Yelp and there are a lot of complaints on Trust Pilot about the same issues about the regular Nordstrom website. Maybe I should be surprised since Nordstrom was always known for their customer service but I think that has gone downhill. After looking at the reviews there's no way I would purchase from Nordstrom's website whatsoever.

My daughter and I ended up not buying anything from Nordstrom's store. We looked at the shoes but the racks were a mess and the sizing was all over the place. She ended up buying sale athletic shoes from a brand's website instead. I bought no makeup from Nordstrom. In the more than 3 years that Nordstrom has been open in Vancouver, I have never bought clothes or makeup from their bricks and mortar store. My only 4 purchases from Nordstrom in the last 2 years has been from the Las Vegas Nordstrom store in the Fashion Show mall - a fashion necklace on sale, a pair of Vince Camuto shooties on sale, a Sigma makeup brush and brush cleanser set on sale, and a Lipstick Queen Jean Queen lipstick.

[Foxxee]

Nordstrom has been suffering from profit loss for some time.  

What you describe are symptoms of quite a few retailers with brick and mortar stores. 

I recently ordered two items from Nordstrom online.  Didn't receive their email confirmations.  Called CS.  The gal was very professional, had my orders and said they were on their way.  Emailed the confirmations and tracking numbers again.  Didn't receive them.  They were the first times that happened.

Funny thing, I did receive their CS surveys, so they had my correct email address.  

But, hey, at least Nordstrom is interested in knowing how their customers viewed their transactions. 

[software]

I rarely see Clinique items "on sale" at any department store.

There are some mark downs here on QVC

Nordstrom has an outlet store, maybe that's where their sales are.

I've always loved Nordies, they always had a rack of deep discounts

I shop the outlet often.

[kaydee50]

Nordstrom's is across the street from me.  I have never bought anything there and rarely even browse the store.  Nordstrom's Rack, a 10 minute walk, is a mess, with stuff jammed in everywhere.  Never check out their website.  Better places for me to shop.

[Abrowneyegirl]

I do order from the website and I can say I have never had a problem.  I can not say if I received email confirmation or tracking numbers - I do not care, as long as the order is delivered. 

They have the best sales so I do enjoy shopping there, mostly online as it is easier and faster for me.

As PP said Nord Rack is awful!!!!! Just a dump.  They used to have real clearance center with GREAT deals from Nordstrom now it is just junk made to sell at the RACK.

[ECBG]

Many times I have seen a B & M store and their web site treated as seperate stores.

Sales at one location aren't reflected at the other location and there are no price matches.

[LCR]

The week after Christmas is not a good time to judge ANY store.  They are all a mess with after-Christmas sales, inventory reduction sales, tired and stressed employees, etc.,  not to mention all the crazy crowds out.

[SahmIam]

This comes from those I know who have worked (some have retired) at Nordstrom for 20 years plus as well as my discussions with Nordstrom corporate (for issues relating specifically to the LACK of customer service):

*There was a MAJOR change at the top level when the next "generation" took over from their elders.

*The desire to make Nordstrom "relevant" meant clearing out the "old ways" and making everything modern. This involved:

1) Removal of the piano at all stores

2) The renovation of the Cafe's from a restaurant like menu and atmosphere to more of a cafeteria in both ways.

3) The removal of the Customer Service Department from all stores to using 1 or 2 kiosks in the store and having "roving Customer Relations Officers" in the stores. This proved to be a mess and now you have to deal with SA's for everything. That has proven to be a mess if you have issues with your charges, returns, Nordie Notes, etc. as they are not trained to deal with those matters.

4) The change of Nordi Notes and tiers.

5)The HEAVY use of YouTube "influencers" to sell the Nordstrom products. 

6) The push to remove older employees from working the floor. This situation was experienced by those I know who were in their late 40's, 50's and 60's and dealt with issues that were discriminatory. A few sued and settled out of court. Look around; you RARELY see anyone "older". 

7) The worst decision was the move from counters in their cosmetic department to walls. All products are showcased vertically making it extremely difficult to look at anything. There is no place to sit and converse and try the products. No one I know from my store likes it. It makes shoplifting MUCH easier. Summary: it's was sheer stupidity to do it. FYI: the cosmetic company, not Nordstrom, makes the call to put the items on sale and Estee Lauder doesn't do sales 99.9% of the time.

IMHO, Nordstrom alienated a large portion of their customer base. In my area, they stripped the stores of the brands that made them unique to all other stores. Couple that with the LACK of customer service and it's like going into a Macy's.....why bother? My store is kept alive by two departments: cosmetics and shoes (mens and womens). Otherwise, there is nothing worth purchasing anymore. You have to go to their big stores in Tysons or Towson to get the "good stuff". That's a nightmare so online is where people go. Why would anyone put up with all of the above? Who needs  the stress? This began before online became a major issue, btw, so I see Nordstrom as causing their own issues; no sympathy for them.

[Katcat1]

Personally, I have never had an issue with Nordstrom or Nordstrom Rack.  Nordstrom has excellent customer service -- always very professional yet friendly.  It is probably best to shop elsewhere if you are not happy with store and their sales.

[Shanus]

---

@Katcat1 wrote:

Personally, I have never had an issue with Nordstrom or Nordstrom Rack.  Nordstrom has excellent customer service -- always very professional yet friendly.  It is probably best to shop elsewhere if you are not happy with store and their sales.

---

@Katcat1   I'm rather shocked. I've never had an issue at my store, online or in the Tyson's store for many years when visiting my kids there. My cafe was recently renovated and is definitely not a cafeteria...it's a "sit down after ordering" Bistro. Wait people bring your order, refill drinks, etc. Menus change regularly and it's our favorite place to eat in the mall...that's the only "sit down & be served" place or it's the food court. Yuck!