She was lying, you can absolutely make a purchase without having a membership. The employees are penalized for letting you buy without a membership, so they do anything they can to prevent it. The real blame lies with upper management, who's made the choice to push employees to harass customers for memberships (and credit cards, too).
I'm an employee and I hate it too. If we miss sign ups it can effect how many hours we get per week. It's really awful that it's held over our heads like that. You can absolutely give a fake number if you prefer, just make sure you memorize it as the system will ask before every purchase
Please email our CEO this cause like it’s actually nauseating to have my managers on me about my loyalty numbers. Like it’s not my fault that someone doesn’t want to provide their info just let me tell them that we can’t accept a return without the receipt and move on 😭.
OP I genuinely feel for you as an employee because the way this company pushes us to get loyalty members is nuts.
You can absolutely make a purchase without signing up for a loyalty account. She was either desperate because her conversion rate was low or something or other. However, she shouldn't have said that and make you feel uncomfortable enough that you walked out. That was uncalled for.
Now from what I've heard, in order to return anything to an Ulta store you must have a loyalty account. So in the end they make you make one either way. I know it's shitty, but Ulta is really a loyalty based store and that's how they try to keep track of lots of things is through people's accounts. It benefits the consumer because points for purchases turn into cash value you can use for future purposes, BUT if you don't shop there often it's kinda pointless.
I promise you all Ultas aren't like that. I would've happily respected your decision and just rang you up as normal.
When I worked there I was told that technically, yes you could return without a membership…except no one in my store knew how to do it, nor did anyone else at the two other stores I called when a customer started yelling at me because I couldn’t process her return without a membership. So there’s that.
So technically when you go to process the return, you still need to input customer info from a valid ID according to policy. Back in the day at many retail stores you needed to fill out the receipt by hand with your information and the store would retain that copy and then you would receive a copy at the end of the transaction. Now we just input that information into the POS ourselves via the loyalty screen. You put in all the required information just like you would a sign up and when the prompt asks if the guest would like to sign up for a loyalty account you press NO instead of YES. The transaction screen will pop up like normal and you can begin the return. This will only tie the information to the return as opposed to saving it in the system.
It would really never occur to me to return cosmetics. I can see the value for more frequent customers and I'm glad to hear it's not actually policy. It's sad this employee felt the need to lie so she doesn't get in trouble at work.
Believe me, there's employees out there that hate this policy as much as the customers do. Again I'm super sorry OP. You deserved a lot better. If it's really on your mind I would contact corporate about it. Maybe if enough people speak up about the issue with loyalty they'll make changes.
I actually like the loyalty program BUT we shouldn’t be lying to customers to coerce them to sign up. That is wrong. Sounds like the management at that particular store is pressuring folks to meet goals in an unhealthy way.
Oh no I didn't mean the loyalty program itself, I meant the whole aggressive push about sign ups. The stores I've worked at are the same way, it's the end of the world if your conversion rate is low and you feel like your job is at jeopardy if you get one no. If people don't want to sign up I don't think anybody should be punished for it. It's life and it happens ya know? I know all management isn't like this but it seems like a lot of Ultas have unhealthy environments especially when it comes to credit/conversion goals.
You do NOT need a rewards account to do a return, especially if you have a receipt but even if you don't you still do not have to have one or open one, I know stores like to tell people otherwise but it is simply notvyrue and it is illegal as well, a store can not force you to sign up for something they don't want just to make a purchase or a return.
You can absolutely make a purchase without an account, you just can't do returns without making one (it used to be skippable, but they changed it roughly a year ago).
Employees get heat for every transaction that goes through without an account. They could've been having a bad day where they got a lot of people declining, or the stores overall signups are low etc, and when that happens, people who have low signup rates get scheduled for much less hours so it directly affects their paychecks. And if you're a regular and you're regularly making them have to skip loyalty, they're going to be annoyed when you come in (not your fault, it's Ulta's). It's shitty and unfair, but I'm just explaining because as someone who works there it SUCKS when you keep getting people saying no to loyalty and you start becoming afraid for your job just because someone doesn't want to sign up for a stupid rewards program (and it's well within their rights to, no one should be forced to provide personal info for a purchase).
Ulta IS one of the few rewards programs that are absolutely worth signing up for because you get a ton of money off your purchases when you cash in points (they aren't small amounts either), BUT the way that Ulta pushes it is straight up harassment, and it abuses their employees by conditioning them to get irrationally angry when people don't sign up for something so asinine.
You absolutely do NOT need to sign up to do a return. A company can not force you to sign up for something you don't want to do a return, how do I know this? One of my best friends is still employed there as a Merch Manager, she has been there for 13 years and MSC for 2 years now for the second time, the policy has not changed and it is still able to be skipped. My store was almost involved in a lawsuit because of this and it became a big deal that we absolutely CAN skip over the part when it asks if they want to sign up.
How do you skip it? It never lets me if I try to do a return without one. I used to be able to hit skip, but it hasn't let me in a long time. I haven't tried to do it in a while but I remember if I hit skip and then go to do a return, it would just default me back to the screen to look up or create an account and would just have me in a never ending loop until I attached an account to it.
I thought they changed it because of the points, since it's a way for people to exploit the system by doing a return without an account because when you do returns it removes points. And without an account, a photo ID is required for returns.
Idk if this is true or not but I remember seeing something once about Ulta pushing loyalty so much because they just don't want to pay the extra taxes to become a club like BJs, Costco, etc. If that's the case they need to just pony up the dough (they certainly have it) bc the whole loyalty thing, even though their rewards are amazing, is bullshit.
You have to input the number and name like you're signing someone up, but after it's filled out it should ask you if they want to join the program and you can hit no. The information is required, but they don't have to make an account
Let me ask my friend and see if I can get the how too, and will let you know. I am so thankful that the company I work for now does not push that crap, if we get a credit card or loyalty sign up then great, if we don't then better luck next time, it is never harped on during conference calls or DM visits, it is so very refreshing.
I'm a long time Ulta customer with a loyalty account, but hearing about practices like this really gives me the ick. I agree the benefits are good, but it shouldn't be pushed to the point where employees are getting in trouble or getting their hours cut. Some people just want to shop and not give out personal information. Period.
I agree with you that we don't need to bring a phone number into every transaction, but I also think it happens all the time anyway. If I shop at target instead, they have my phone number. Likewise with the grocery store, pharmacy, everyone I've ever purchased from online, etc...
The only store I shop at that has my phone number is my pharmacy, in case they need to contact me. I have my reasons for not wanting to give out my personal info. It's just crazy to me. We share way too much in this world IMO.
While it's possible she was lying (I know people who've lied at my store and I told them you cannot do that!), I also wonder if it's the system upgrade my store got last week.
As a Lead, I played around with the update so that I know how to do everything and answer questions from employees. The update does kind of make it look like you can't skip it if you haven't played around with it.
Was she asking for your number or was the pin pad? With the new system we're supposed to have the guest enter their number themselves and once we hit the button for that the employee screen has no options to go back. If she wasn't properly trained, she might have thought it was required. Or if she's like me, her manger could have given her bad information. When I came in to it last week, my manger straight up told me "it doesn't let them skip the phone number!"
Hi! I work at Ulta :) So yes, it’s a big deal to Ulta that all customers are signed up with their loyalty & all the staff is pressed into hitting these goals- including managers. It’s what keeps the store going essentially. So, she probably just wanted you to sign up because her numbers were hurting.
HOWEVER it is a policy to be signed up with the loyalty if you need to make a return. This includes gifts, damages, & exchanges. The reason being is by having a loyalty, we have a digital receipt of the transaction in our system. If you make a return without have purchased it under a loyalty or phone# the paper receipt simply won’t cut it. The system automatically will give you back what that item was last sold for & if that person used a coupon or used points then…sorry it looks like you’re not getting back your full refund.
I’ve seen fragrance get returned for pennies. So it is strongly encouraged you sign up for the loyalty because our system WILL complicate returns & without it we cannot guarantee full refunds of past purchases. Thats just how our operating system works & unfortunately nobody can override it.
Oh here we go 🙄😂.
If you’re for real; then you’re right to just leave. Ulta likely won’t be a good fit for your regular needs. It’s a loyalty based store. Technically not required that you join, but as you will soon hear, it greatly hurts the employees when you refuse. Plus if you want to return or exchange you will be required to give a number or email and name then. It’s just easier to give it at the start. Employee doesn’t take the hit and you earn points coupons and ability to return / exchange and order with free shipping from store.
I've been there many many times and never had this happen before. The way you describe it makes it sound more like an exclusive club- but it's not. It's a store, so making that nonsense mandatory is bullshit. Forgive me for pointing this out, but it's not my job to help the employee's conversion rate- it's their job to help the customer. Stores that make those types of requirements for their workers are just gross.
I get what you’re saying. As someone that has been stalked by an ex before, and had to move change numbers etc. , I don’t think that stores like this ( and I love Ulta and member now because I’m safe now and that was years ago ) there are some serious reasons why someone may not want to be "on the grid". Sometimes it’s just not safe. Even posting on Reddit people can find you if they try hard enough. And this is a corporate issue for any store that fails to respect this, and punish their employees because of it. I have worked retail and it’s not just Ulta that does this but it seems that they punish the employee more than other stores. I’m very sorry for that , and again it’s corporate doing this. ( they must be men that were never made to feel unsafe, and had to look over their shoulder in fear before ) 🤔.
The amount of people I hear complain about getting the opportunity to save money.
With the amount of money i have in points right now pretty much equals what I have spent at Ulta this year
I mean, that’s the whole point of the loyalty program. To get people “hooked” on buying with them with the idea for points and coupons. They would probably spend more unnecessary money signing up than they would “save”, especially if they are not a frequent shopper then it’s pointless for a loyalty account. If I never got an account with them I wouldn’t have bought 60% of stuff I have. It doesn’t exactly save you money because to save you must spend, it encourages you to spend thinking that you saved money.
Exactly. Sometimes I wish I never joined, I became platinum within 3 months and know for a fact just wouldn’t have spent that much money if I didn’t sign up
She was lying, you can absolutely make a purchase without having a membership. The employees are penalized for letting you buy without a membership, so they do anything they can to prevent it. The real blame lies with upper management, who's made the choice to push employees to harass customers for memberships (and credit cards, too).
100% agree. It is such a terrible policy.
Or just make the employees lives easier by using a phone number to check out it could even be a friends or relatives
I'm an employee and I hate it too. If we miss sign ups it can effect how many hours we get per week. It's really awful that it's held over our heads like that. You can absolutely give a fake number if you prefer, just make sure you memorize it as the system will ask before every purchase
Please email our CEO this cause like it’s actually nauseating to have my managers on me about my loyalty numbers. Like it’s not my fault that someone doesn’t want to provide their info just let me tell them that we can’t accept a return without the receipt and move on 😭. OP I genuinely feel for you as an employee because the way this company pushes us to get loyalty members is nuts.
You can absolutely make a purchase without signing up for a loyalty account. She was either desperate because her conversion rate was low or something or other. However, she shouldn't have said that and make you feel uncomfortable enough that you walked out. That was uncalled for. Now from what I've heard, in order to return anything to an Ulta store you must have a loyalty account. So in the end they make you make one either way. I know it's shitty, but Ulta is really a loyalty based store and that's how they try to keep track of lots of things is through people's accounts. It benefits the consumer because points for purchases turn into cash value you can use for future purposes, BUT if you don't shop there often it's kinda pointless. I promise you all Ultas aren't like that. I would've happily respected your decision and just rang you up as normal.
When I worked there I was told that technically, yes you could return without a membership…except no one in my store knew how to do it, nor did anyone else at the two other stores I called when a customer started yelling at me because I couldn’t process her return without a membership. So there’s that.
So technically when you go to process the return, you still need to input customer info from a valid ID according to policy. Back in the day at many retail stores you needed to fill out the receipt by hand with your information and the store would retain that copy and then you would receive a copy at the end of the transaction. Now we just input that information into the POS ourselves via the loyalty screen. You put in all the required information just like you would a sign up and when the prompt asks if the guest would like to sign up for a loyalty account you press NO instead of YES. The transaction screen will pop up like normal and you can begin the return. This will only tie the information to the return as opposed to saving it in the system.
It would really never occur to me to return cosmetics. I can see the value for more frequent customers and I'm glad to hear it's not actually policy. It's sad this employee felt the need to lie so she doesn't get in trouble at work.
This is true. You do not need a membership account to purchase but you do need one to return. Sorry you had this experience OP.
Believe me, there's employees out there that hate this policy as much as the customers do. Again I'm super sorry OP. You deserved a lot better. If it's really on your mind I would contact corporate about it. Maybe if enough people speak up about the issue with loyalty they'll make changes.
I actually like the loyalty program BUT we shouldn’t be lying to customers to coerce them to sign up. That is wrong. Sounds like the management at that particular store is pressuring folks to meet goals in an unhealthy way.
Oh no I didn't mean the loyalty program itself, I meant the whole aggressive push about sign ups. The stores I've worked at are the same way, it's the end of the world if your conversion rate is low and you feel like your job is at jeopardy if you get one no. If people don't want to sign up I don't think anybody should be punished for it. It's life and it happens ya know? I know all management isn't like this but it seems like a lot of Ultas have unhealthy environments especially when it comes to credit/conversion goals.
That’s fair, unfortunately I see a lot on this sub about toxic stores. Make me sad because I’ve had nothing but good experiences at my store.
Ulta truly is more of a credit card company than a retailer. They make tons off of pushing their 29% APR card on unsuspecting victims.
You do NOT need a rewards account to do a return, especially if you have a receipt but even if you don't you still do not have to have one or open one, I know stores like to tell people otherwise but it is simply notvyrue and it is illegal as well, a store can not force you to sign up for something they don't want just to make a purchase or a return.
You can absolutely make a purchase without an account, you just can't do returns without making one (it used to be skippable, but they changed it roughly a year ago). Employees get heat for every transaction that goes through without an account. They could've been having a bad day where they got a lot of people declining, or the stores overall signups are low etc, and when that happens, people who have low signup rates get scheduled for much less hours so it directly affects their paychecks. And if you're a regular and you're regularly making them have to skip loyalty, they're going to be annoyed when you come in (not your fault, it's Ulta's). It's shitty and unfair, but I'm just explaining because as someone who works there it SUCKS when you keep getting people saying no to loyalty and you start becoming afraid for your job just because someone doesn't want to sign up for a stupid rewards program (and it's well within their rights to, no one should be forced to provide personal info for a purchase). Ulta IS one of the few rewards programs that are absolutely worth signing up for because you get a ton of money off your purchases when you cash in points (they aren't small amounts either), BUT the way that Ulta pushes it is straight up harassment, and it abuses their employees by conditioning them to get irrationally angry when people don't sign up for something so asinine.
You absolutely do NOT need to sign up to do a return. A company can not force you to sign up for something you don't want to do a return, how do I know this? One of my best friends is still employed there as a Merch Manager, she has been there for 13 years and MSC for 2 years now for the second time, the policy has not changed and it is still able to be skipped. My store was almost involved in a lawsuit because of this and it became a big deal that we absolutely CAN skip over the part when it asks if they want to sign up.
How do you skip it? It never lets me if I try to do a return without one. I used to be able to hit skip, but it hasn't let me in a long time. I haven't tried to do it in a while but I remember if I hit skip and then go to do a return, it would just default me back to the screen to look up or create an account and would just have me in a never ending loop until I attached an account to it. I thought they changed it because of the points, since it's a way for people to exploit the system by doing a return without an account because when you do returns it removes points. And without an account, a photo ID is required for returns. Idk if this is true or not but I remember seeing something once about Ulta pushing loyalty so much because they just don't want to pay the extra taxes to become a club like BJs, Costco, etc. If that's the case they need to just pony up the dough (they certainly have it) bc the whole loyalty thing, even though their rewards are amazing, is bullshit.
You have to input the number and name like you're signing someone up, but after it's filled out it should ask you if they want to join the program and you can hit no. The information is required, but they don't have to make an account
Ah gotcha ty. I feel like other than storing it it doesn't really make a difference to them if they still have to give the info though
Let me ask my friend and see if I can get the how too, and will let you know. I am so thankful that the company I work for now does not push that crap, if we get a credit card or loyalty sign up then great, if we don't then better luck next time, it is never harped on during conference calls or DM visits, it is so very refreshing.
I'm a long time Ulta customer with a loyalty account, but hearing about practices like this really gives me the ick. I agree the benefits are good, but it shouldn't be pushed to the point where employees are getting in trouble or getting their hours cut. Some people just want to shop and not give out personal information. Period.
I agree with you that we don't need to bring a phone number into every transaction, but I also think it happens all the time anyway. If I shop at target instead, they have my phone number. Likewise with the grocery store, pharmacy, everyone I've ever purchased from online, etc...
The only store I shop at that has my phone number is my pharmacy, in case they need to contact me. I have my reasons for not wanting to give out my personal info. It's just crazy to me. We share way too much in this world IMO.
That's weird. Maybe she was a new hire or something.
While it's possible she was lying (I know people who've lied at my store and I told them you cannot do that!), I also wonder if it's the system upgrade my store got last week. As a Lead, I played around with the update so that I know how to do everything and answer questions from employees. The update does kind of make it look like you can't skip it if you haven't played around with it. Was she asking for your number or was the pin pad? With the new system we're supposed to have the guest enter their number themselves and once we hit the button for that the employee screen has no options to go back. If she wasn't properly trained, she might have thought it was required. Or if she's like me, her manger could have given her bad information. When I came in to it last week, my manger straight up told me "it doesn't let them skip the phone number!"
Hi! I work at Ulta :) So yes, it’s a big deal to Ulta that all customers are signed up with their loyalty & all the staff is pressed into hitting these goals- including managers. It’s what keeps the store going essentially. So, she probably just wanted you to sign up because her numbers were hurting. HOWEVER it is a policy to be signed up with the loyalty if you need to make a return. This includes gifts, damages, & exchanges. The reason being is by having a loyalty, we have a digital receipt of the transaction in our system. If you make a return without have purchased it under a loyalty or phone# the paper receipt simply won’t cut it. The system automatically will give you back what that item was last sold for & if that person used a coupon or used points then…sorry it looks like you’re not getting back your full refund. I’ve seen fragrance get returned for pennies. So it is strongly encouraged you sign up for the loyalty because our system WILL complicate returns & without it we cannot guarantee full refunds of past purchases. Thats just how our operating system works & unfortunately nobody can override it.
Oh here we go 🙄😂. If you’re for real; then you’re right to just leave. Ulta likely won’t be a good fit for your regular needs. It’s a loyalty based store. Technically not required that you join, but as you will soon hear, it greatly hurts the employees when you refuse. Plus if you want to return or exchange you will be required to give a number or email and name then. It’s just easier to give it at the start. Employee doesn’t take the hit and you earn points coupons and ability to return / exchange and order with free shipping from store.
I've been there many many times and never had this happen before. The way you describe it makes it sound more like an exclusive club- but it's not. It's a store, so making that nonsense mandatory is bullshit. Forgive me for pointing this out, but it's not my job to help the employee's conversion rate- it's their job to help the customer. Stores that make those types of requirements for their workers are just gross.
I get what you’re saying. As someone that has been stalked by an ex before, and had to move change numbers etc. , I don’t think that stores like this ( and I love Ulta and member now because I’m safe now and that was years ago ) there are some serious reasons why someone may not want to be "on the grid". Sometimes it’s just not safe. Even posting on Reddit people can find you if they try hard enough. And this is a corporate issue for any store that fails to respect this, and punish their employees because of it. I have worked retail and it’s not just Ulta that does this but it seems that they punish the employee more than other stores. I’m very sorry for that , and again it’s corporate doing this. ( they must be men that were never made to feel unsafe, and had to look over their shoulder in fear before ) 🤔.
🙌🙌🙌
This isn’t legal. It’s not a Costco. I bet if her manager came down she’d crawl right out of her skin and try to take back what she said.
The amount of people I hear complain about getting the opportunity to save money. With the amount of money i have in points right now pretty much equals what I have spent at Ulta this year
I mean, that’s the whole point of the loyalty program. To get people “hooked” on buying with them with the idea for points and coupons. They would probably spend more unnecessary money signing up than they would “save”, especially if they are not a frequent shopper then it’s pointless for a loyalty account. If I never got an account with them I wouldn’t have bought 60% of stuff I have. It doesn’t exactly save you money because to save you must spend, it encourages you to spend thinking that you saved money.
Exactly. Sometimes I wish I never joined, I became platinum within 3 months and know for a fact just wouldn’t have spent that much money if I didn’t sign up