This store stocks interesting stuff: the jewelry (for the most part) is, of course, not real gems or metal, but they're fun and pretty well priced. Nice selection of scarves, boots, handbags, etc. In general, a fine place to spend 20 minutes shopping for accessories, if only to make a wishlist or get ideas.
So why do I give this place two stars? The people who work here. Point blank: They're rude. They have attitudes. I've been into this store about five times since I moved to the Upper West Side (it's literally less than 100 feet from where I live), and every single time they've been rude to me. Sometimes it's overt, sometimes it's subtle, but it's always happened.
The most recent occasion was the worst, and it's what actually pushed me to write my first Google review ever.
I walked into the store and was the only customer in there. The cashier was some ways away from me working at the register, so the fact she didn't look up to greet me was fine. (I know in some stores they'd look up and smile at you anyway, but that's not really what went wrong.)
As I walked up to examine something on the wall, she walked toward me. Both of us wouldn't fit on this narrow pathway, so I moved to the side to let her by. She avoided eye contact with me, smirked, and said nothing as she passed. Again, it's just the two of us in the store, and she is inches from me. It was weird and deliberate.
I brushed it off--because, like I said, I've been there before, and believe it or not that wasn't even terribly unusual behavior for them. But about two minutes later, the cashier was again on the far side of store ... when a different customer came in. The cashier moved to the front of the store where I and this second customer both were, but now she spoke to the customer and said, "Hello, welcome!"
And here's the part where I say this second customer was white, and I am not. And this is extremely odd, given the cashier is not white either. But--it's an observation.
Later ... I go up to the front to pay finally, and I'm standing behind another customer who is having a full-on conversation with the cashier. This person leaves, and the cashier immediately goes deadly silent when it's my turn. No "hello." No smile. No eye contact. (I'm not faulting her for not launching into some fake Piggly Wiggly spiel, like, "Did you find everything you need? Nice weather, isn't it? Got any fun weekend plans?" I don't need banter or a conversation. I'm talking about common courtesy.)
It finally got so awkward I looked at her and said, "Hi," very plainly. It probably came out a little weak since I was embarrassed (weird, I know) and shocked at how uncomfortable she was making everything. Her response? "Hi." Again, zero eye contact. AND an attitude. It's really hard to describe how passive aggressive it all felt, but trust me: She acted like someone who disliked me on a personal level, which is just the strangest thing to have to type, but it's true. And it isn't the first time they've made me feel that way!
Look, I know how a story like this sounds in writing: like I'm an Upper West Side ice queen who needs things "A Certain Way" when I'm shopping, like I'm making something out of nothing, like I'm being way too sensitive. All I can say is I'm not any of those things. In general, even if people offend me, I'm not moved to say anything about it. Like I said, this is my very first Google review. But also like I said, this has just been a recurring pattern with the staff of this particular Laila Rowe, and on this occasion I just got fed up with it. Working a register in a retail store is a service job, and it requires people skills and common courtesy.
If I could say one thing to the staff: You are not above the people who walk in to buy something, so don't act like you are. Grow up, and be friendly.
For the record, the name of the woman who serviced me was Cheryl. They don't wear name tags, so you'll only see on the receipt.
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