I was in the store for thirty minutes. I noticed an employee at the front of the store for five minutes when I first entered. She was then called to the register. No one was at the front of the store and customers were coming in and going out during this time. I felt the risk of customer theft was very high during this period of time.

The exterior of the store was in great condition. The sign on the side walk outside of the store was set in a prominent position and was easily noticed from the parking lot. It stated that the store was running a 25% off sale for the holiday weekend. The windows on the outside were water stained and needed to be cleaned. The signage was properly displayed in the windows.

As I entered the store, I quickly noted how busy it was. Many customers were noticed browsing. The store's merchandise was in good condition except for various displays here and there. Tables of sweaters had several misplaced items directly in front of the store's entrance. As I walked through the store I noticed several displays that were in need of straightening. Several items on displays fell on the floor and were just left there. The pictures I was able to take in the store were of the shoe area and in the purse section. Both areas had items on the floor in disorder. This was all the way in the back corner of the store. Dressing rooms were not staffed, and no one escorted patrons to them. Customers were free to go in and out without supervision.

When I first arrived, I noticed an employee in the front of the store pricing and placing new merchandise on a table. She was a young woman in her late teens, about 5'5” tall, brown hair with blonde streaks. I would later find out her name was Sam. She did not wear a name tag. The other employee I noticed was the only one ringing up customers. Her customer line was very long and it was clear she felt frustrated. She finally called Sam for help when the line reached the middle of the store. Sam left what she was doing to help her. This was the last time an employee was stationed at the front of the store. During my visit I noticed two other employees come out from in back. One employee wore a name tag; however, she had it pinned on the front of her jeans near her pocket. She was seen for a very short amount of time adding merchandise to the floor. Another employee came out to talk with the two employees at the register and then disappeared in back, never to be seen again.

Throughout my visit I was never greeted in any way by an employee. The only interaction I had with anyone was at the register. The employees working the register only paid attention to what they were doing there. No one glanced out to the floor to see if anyone needed help or to supervise the floor in any way. This particular store is very deep. There is no way employees can pay close attention to the front of the store from the back registers. The security threat was very evident as customers could easily pick up an item at the front of the store and walk out without being noticed. The same holds true for the fitting rooms. Since there was no supervision there, a customer could easily pocket something without anyone knowing.

Once it was my turn at the register, I placed my item on the counter and placed a $20.00 bill next to it. Sam (I learned her name when the other employee called her for help at the register) began the transaction by asking for my phone number. I gave her this information and then she asked for the birth date of the child I was buying for. I indicated I was not certain of this information as I was purchasing this as a gift. She then continued to ring up my purchase in silence. She told me the total, and took my $20.00 bill. She provided me with the correct change. She wished me a good day, but did not thank me or invite me to return. I was not offered a gift receipt for my purchase. I did notice a lot of promotional material on the birthday party options; however, the employee never mentioned it to me or any of the other customers I witnessed checking out.

Overall I would not be inclined to visit this store again. I feel as though it was not staffed adequately to receive help on the floor, especially since it was a holiday weekend sale. The two employees I saw that came in and out of the back really needed to help customers on the floor rather than stock merchandise. The atmosphere of the store was good and the clothes were very cute. I would hesitate to visit again, however, because of the lack of customer service shown here.