Ulta Beauty in St Louis Park, MN

The salon staff are horrible ! Rylie was rude and not knowledgeable about hair coloring or products . Tries to blame clients for her lack of skills... especially rude to disabled clients and not compassionate at all. The manager is just as bad too!

Staff were helpful and knowledgeable of product. Many staff on the floor willing to help. Parking lot is a traffic jam, they share it with other popular stores. Product goes fast in this location. The weekends are peak times.

Usual selection. Ulta is a toy store of midrange cosmetics. CO-VID19 makes color testing an antsy process, but Ulta provides sample and sanitation tools to keep the process safe for everyone. Now for the reason I'm choosing to review: First, Gretchen is charming and knowledgeable. In general, I hate being approached by salespeople/beauty specialists - I know what I'm doing, I know what I'm looking for, I've done my research on current products, don't try to upsell me, I'm not commission, thanks. The fact that a Sephora beauty specialist once tried to sell me a Trump-orange bottle of Yves St Lauren foundation in San Francisco only validated my distrust of beauty specialists that much further. While I was trying shades of foundation after my skin endlessly soaked up the sun at a recent Harley Davidson ambassadorship, however, I kept catching bits of conversation between an older client and a beauty specialist who clearly knew what she was doing - it took no more than three tries for Gretchen to find the lady's perfect lip shade. We shared laughs as they chatted and played with makeup. After the lady left, happy with her new tidy lip kit, Gretchen returned offering assistance, and I wasn't annoyed. I didn't need her help, but I enjoy the company of knowledgeable individuals simply enjoying their time. After over a year of not once touching foundation, it's amusing getting back into the swing of things. With CO-VID19 still a reality, attempting to adequately try shades while maintaining safety precautions makes for a tangle of a process and rather amusing sample applications alongside the jawline. Gretchen shared my perspective on the shades I tried, we chatted a bit, the usual customer/salesperson exchange. The main thing about this was the fact that I knew Gretchen actually knew what she was doing, so while I didn't need her help, I didn't mind her being in my space as I considered my new need for a deeper shade of CC cream. Well, my need for CC cream at all again, for that matter. I head to the front, and the receipt for the CC cream I'd purchased that was exactly one shade off and had entirely forgotten about was of course expired. I figured I'll give the untouched cream still sealed in its box away if it can't be returned, but Adeline didn't just return the product for me, she adjusted the price of my purchase down to match my refund price without even mentioning it. How's that for service?

I went to return a flat iron I purchased online. At the counter, I was told I could only return for 'Ulta merch' (in-store credit). The chip in my bank card had gone bad and I had been issued a new one, so they couldn't 'tell if it was me or someone else returning the product'. Really?! I have a rewards card, complete with name, address and the date of my purchase (2 weeks ago). The same product I was returning. Yet, I couldn't return the product in store, only through customer service. No cash back option, only 'in-store merch'. I called customer service. 12+ minutes later, they came back to say my options were 'in-store credit' or I could request a check; 'stores don't have the tools to do a return to a different card'. I don't shop at Ulta enough to spend $130 in a year, so I want my money back. That took another 6+ minutes. Then I was told I could do a check request, taking 7-21 days. Fine, check request is what I want. When the agent returned to the line, I asked, 'what do I do with this device, I don't want it!?' Oh, wait, then he informed me I would have to return the device on my own dime, they won't issue a return label. WTF?! I told him fine, I'll return it. Whoever from corporate decided this policy is good is an idiot! You risk damage through return of an item via shipping instead of in-store, as well as the cost of printing checks. In-store return for the same name via a little verification would have been easier, or return for cash. I won't even shop here again for any higher priced items. It wasn't my fault my bank card had a bad chip and I got a new one. This is one of the dumbest policies I've seen lately. And you just lost a customer.

I don't think I'll be returning to Ulta in Woodbury. Each time I go, I never get approached or asked if I need help. I don't know if it's because of my age (I'm 53) or why, but every time, I have to go find someone to help me. I literally will walk by employees, clearly looking for something, and no one asks me if I need help. I think they cater to a younger crowd quite honestly. I've been there to purchase gifts, look for products for myself... but I'm done.