JS
Jana Salehi
Feb 19, 2026
My family and I had a very disturbing and disappointing experience at the Sunglass Hut location in South Coast Plaza in Irvine. What makes this even more upsetting is that my family and I have made countless purchases from Sunglass Hut over the years, and it is extremely disappointing to see how we were treated during this visit. We went in so my mom could browse and try on frames she was considering for prescription glasses. We were approached by a sales representative named Kathy, who initially asked if we needed help. We politely told her we were just browsing and that my mom was still deciding. Just a couple minutes later, she approached us again and asked the same question. We again politely said we were okay and that my mom was simply indecisive and still looking. She came up a third time and continued to pressure my mom while she was actively trying on frames. My mom told her she was still deciding, but Kathy then took the frames directly out of my mom’s hand and said, “Let me put that back for you,” even though my mom was in the middle of trying them on. She then came over to me and took the frames out of my hand without me saying anything and said, “Let me put these back for you.” This was extremely odd, uncomfortable, and inappropriate. We were clearly trying on the frames, yet she was physically removing them from our hands without our permission. It made us feel unwelcome and disrespected. As people of color, this interaction felt especially troubling and made us question whether we were being treated differently. After this disturbing interaction, we decided to leave the store because I told my sister that I felt very uncomfortable being there. My sister, however, went back inside to calmly ask the employee for her name. The employee said her name was Kathy, but then suddenly began yelling at my sister at the top of her lungs, saying, “What is wrong with you?” This was shocking, aggressive, and completely unprofessional behavior. We entered the store as respectful, loyal customers who have supported this company for years and were genuinely interested in making another purchase. Instead, we were treated in a way that made us feel uncomfortable, disrespected, and unwelcome. This experience was unacceptable, and I hope Sunglass Hut management takes this seriously and ensures that customers are treated with professionalism, respect, and basic courtesy.