AR
Aaron Reyes
Aug 20, 2026
Upon walking into the store, I was never greeted or acknowledged, despite being the only customer there. When I was finally addressed by the manager, Charissa F., her tone was immediately rude, dismissive, and made me feel unwelcome.
I came in to return two pairs of sunglasses purchased approximately one week earlier, one for me and one for my wife. Both had only been worn at the time of purchase and had remained in their cases since.
Charissa inspected the first pair and immediately claimed they were “extremely dirty,” which was surprising considering they had been stored in their case. She spent several minutes cleaning them before claiming there was a small scratch. I repeatedly asked her to show me exactly where it was. Although she pointed to the area, I genuinely could not see the scratch she was referring to.
With the second pair, her approach felt even more accusatory. She repeatedly asked me, “Can I ask where you have gone with these glasses?” She again cleaned and heavily scrutinized them before claiming there was an issue with the frame. Ultimately, she refused to accept either pair for return.
What happened next is what made this experience especially concerning.
Immediately afterward, I went to the neighboring Sunglass Hut with the EXACT SAME two pairs. The manager there was friendly, welcoming, professional, and respectful. He inspected both pairs using essentially the same process. He found no scratch, defect, or legitimate reason to reject them and issued me a FULL REFUND without hesitation.
The contrast was unbelievable.
I have never experienced such an unnecessarily hostile and dismissive interaction with a store manager. Instead of a normal return, I felt as though I was being interrogated and treated like I had done something dishonest.
Given the drastic difference in how I was treated, I also have to question whether racial discrimination played a role. I cannot claim to know what was in Charissa’s mind, but her dismissive attitude, accusatory questioning, excessive scrutiny, and refusal of both returns, followed immediately by another manager inspecting the exact same merchandise and accepting it without issue, left me feeling that I may have been treated differently because of my race.
If discrimination was not a factor, I would genuinely like to understand what justified such drastically different treatment under nearly identical circumstances.
I hope management takes this seriously, reviews any available surveillance footage, and speaks privately with the employees who work alongside Charissa about whether customers and employees are consistently treated with professionalism and respect.
This was not simply a disagreement about a return. It was the manner in which I was treated throughout the entire interaction. I left feeling humiliated, belittled, and discriminated against. The fact that the neighboring Sunglass Hut accepted the exact same sunglasses and provided a full refund only reinforced how unjustified the original treatment felt.
Customers should never have to wonder whether they are being judged or treated differently because of who they are. I sincerely hope this incident is investigated.