Hudson Belk

DISORGANIZED! Clearance clothing and regular priced on same racks, no attempt to organize by size! Ironically I stood in a long and slow line to pay for the one shirt I found in the mess… the lady before me had an extensive return and the clerk stopped on each garment to hang it up carefully on the rack behind her! Yes — with at least 4 other people waiting for service! I believe that could have waited until the line was taken care of — no it was not a busy day — Tuesday morning early. Super inappropriate organization at the register but none on the racks!

Belk is really a hit or miss kind of company. The one in the Triangle Mall in Raleigh has a more organized store than most, but lacks customer service. The one in the Crabtree Mall gives very good customer service and has a great selection. The Belk in Garner has a very messy store and extremely poor customer service. The employees look miserable. I lived in that area for around 2 ½ years and maybe had TWO employees the whole time that didn’t rub me the wrong way. I was only a patron of this store because it was so close to my home. I finally gave up at the messy store, even messier fitting rooms, and very poor customer service. If you go to this location a week before Christmas, you might run into some helpful seasonal help. Any other time of the year you might as well drive 15 miles and head to Triangle Towne Center.

Ran out of my favorite foundation (Clinique) and decided to visit this Belk location instead of driving to the mall and dealing with the weekend crowds. I headed straight to the Clinique counter and waited a few minutes before being approached by a Clinique associate. I immediately felt like I was keeping her from something much more important than my little makeup purchase. Although, she matched my skin color perfectly on the first try, her demeanor was extremely off-​putting. Every question I asked was answered in a condescending tone that made me feel silly for even asking such a question. A large part of the reason I pay more for department store makeup is so that I can ask an «expert» my skin care questions (and also get the right shade the first time). Once I purchased my makeup (one good thing about the associate’s lackluster personality is that she didn’t try to upsell me anything), I decided to browse the rest of the store. I’ve never visited this location before and it definitely feels small compared to the Belk’s at the malls– the clothing racks seem a little cramped and I think I would’ve had a hard time navigating a stroller through them. I walked through pretty much every area of the store and past at least 2 associates but was never acknowledged to by anyone. Also, when I tried on a shirt, the dressing room was pretty littered with clothes. Surprising considering the associates seemed to have nothing to do besides wander around aimlessly ignoring the customers. Next time I think I’ll just go to the mall.

This is the Hudson Belk to shop when you don’t want to be bothered with the crowds of the mall. It’s located in a shopping center with plenty of parking. The store is well stocked despite the smaller footprint. The staff is friendly even though the store seems understaffed at times. The clothing selection is comparable to Kohls.