I was so excited to visit this Apothecary in East Village. (I will NOT name them because I don't feel they should get any business. #sorrynotsorry) I had been pining to go for months, so the anticipation had me bubbly as a school girl on my way there. Unfortunately, the very second I stepped inside I immediately felt out of place.
The only Black couple in a tiny shop filled with white customers.
I tried to ignore the foreboding feeling in the pit of my stomach, the little niggling voice in the back of my mind that's telling me to flee. I force myself to browse the selection of items, because I did come here for a reason, and I'm also hoping maybe one of these jolly white hippie women will come and swoop down and douse all my fears.
Nope. No such luck.
Me and my man are right back out the door in less than 3 minutes, because the vibe was just incredibly off putting for me. I didn't get greeted when I walked through the door. No one told me they would be with me in a moment when they finished helping their current customer. I left with a sour taste in my mouth and weary feelings in my heart.
Customer service is super huge for me. Especially when I know that your smudge sticks and floral essences are grossly overpriced because your clientele are yuppies in yoga pants. I would have gladly paid street price for a warm, inviting experience. Fuck that. Never again. I will continue to order all of herbal needs online from the small community of people that I have grown to love their products.
All was not lost with the day, as you can see. We had an amazing lunch at Shake Shack before venturing to this debacle. The customer service experience there was phenomenal! Cashless system and I ordered my food on a screen without feeling rushed! The burger was amazing and the chicken nuggets were soo juicy! Also I really loved my blood orange ginger lemonade. Super sweet with just the perfect zing of ginger.
I'm glad the experience happened. It makes me appreciate my online apothecaries more now. I just wanted the street experience. I wanted to be in the same physical and mental space, but I feel like brick and mortar places are a dying breed for me.
The only Black couple in a tiny shop filled with white customers.
I tried to ignore the foreboding feeling in the pit of my stomach, the little niggling voice in the back of my mind that's telling me to flee. I force myself to browse the selection of items, because I did come here for a reason, and I'm also hoping maybe one of these jolly white hippie women will come and swoop down and douse all my fears.
Nope. No such luck.
Me and my man are right back out the door in less than 3 minutes, because the vibe was just incredibly off putting for me. I didn't get greeted when I walked through the door. No one told me they would be with me in a moment when they finished helping their current customer. I left with a sour taste in my mouth and weary feelings in my heart.
Customer service is super huge for me. Especially when I know that your smudge sticks and floral essences are grossly overpriced because your clientele are yuppies in yoga pants. I would have gladly paid street price for a warm, inviting experience. Fuck that. Never again. I will continue to order all of herbal needs online from the small community of people that I have grown to love their products.
All was not lost with the day, as you can see. We had an amazing lunch at Shake Shack before venturing to this debacle. The customer service experience there was phenomenal! Cashless system and I ordered my food on a screen without feeling rushed! The burger was amazing and the chicken nuggets were soo juicy! Also I really loved my blood orange ginger lemonade. Super sweet with just the perfect zing of ginger.
I'm glad the experience happened. It makes me appreciate my online apothecaries more now. I just wanted the street experience. I wanted to be in the same physical and mental space, but I feel like brick and mortar places are a dying breed for me.
Side note: I grew up in predominantly white neighborhoods my entire life. Majority of my good friends are white so I'm used to being the only Black friend around. I would hate to say that in this day and age race is not an issue, but it is, and to say otherwise is just being naive or turning a blind eye to a serious issue.X🍉, Jae