The Vitamin Shoppe

I have come to this store for years, and spend thousands of dollars a year. Tonight I was faced with the perfect storm of dumb looks and poor customer service.
I come in to buy two items, I cannot find either, so I ask. I ask about the first, which I had just bought with a girlfriend on May 30^th, and get a dumb look. Never heard of it. She then asks me what is in the product, to which I am not sure of the chemical composition, but she disappears and I continue to look. She then asks if I want a basket, to which I say no, but she brings one regardless. I drop ½ of my items getting them into the basket (I hit the sale table, to which any vitamin shoppe is very good).
I continue, and then the manager asks what I am looking for. I had found a photo on the Internet, and he then tells me that they have never carried it (I bought a bottle exactly 1 month prior). He asks, ‘did you buy this years ago?’ I let him know that I bought it a month ago.
So I finally go to the counter with my (unwanted) basket and empty it all out. The manager is there, going on and on about how he doesn’t know about that product. I ask, ‘can I just pay?’ He goes on and on. I ask again if I can pay… I am begging to hand him my money while he goes on and in. I ask a third time if I can just pay, and he finally starts to actually check me out. Then, he stops, and starts going again. I give up and walk out.
Thankfully, there other vitamin shoppes in the Orlando area, because I can go to them and hand them my money instead, since obviously this location has an aversion to accepting money.
I will post a photo of me holding the bottle that I bought there, along with a second bottle with a girlfriend, as proof.

I like coming here when the occasionally overeager employees let me take my time and read through the various products’ labeling. Mail-​order has better pricing on larger sizes, I can find specialty items like a fish oil I buy more easily and of course you don’t get pestered at home. :)
PS: Sign up for their loyalty program, I usually save money with it as most of my purchases exceed $ 50 due to buying in larger quantities.

The employees here and very knowledgeable and even answered some of my tough questions about the specific different between a couple elements in a supplement. It’s one of the smaller stores, but they usually have everything I’m looking for.

I had a good experience here recently while on a quest to locate an elusive nutritional supplement that I was having trouble tracking down. Google Shopping said that the Vitamin Shoppe had it, so I gave them a call. The phone was answered by a friendly young lady who knew off the bat that they carried the capsules, but wasn’t sure if they had the juice version that I was looking for.
Stop right there. There are three places this type of interaction can go:
1) The employee shrugs her shoulders and says «I dunno» and the conversation is over. I get this a lot at places. Bad employee! Bad!
2) The employee doesn’t know, but can’t admit his/​her ignorance and tries to mock you for asking the question. You leave empty handed. This has happened before too, mostly when dealing with guys. Bad employee! No cookie for you either.
3) The employee either knows, or doesn’t know and admits it, AND OFFERS TO FIND OUT FOR YOU. Yes, this is how it should be done.
…and this is exactly what happened. She scoured the shelves for it, found it for me, and asked if she wanted me to hold some at the desk for me to pick up. They had plenty, and this wasn’t necessary, but it was better for me to just grab it at the desk than to have to walk into the store and search for it or ask where it is. Double win. She even read me the expiration date on the bottle when I asked. When I got there a few minutes later, my bottles were waiting for me with my name on them.
This was my first time ever doing business with Vitamin Shoppe, and since first impressions are important, I’m giving them a thumbs up. I’m only giving three stars because I can’t speak of their selection, prices, or anything else, but my interaction with this one employee and the fact that they had my obscure juice mean that I’ll be getting it there from now on. Great customer service is uncommon these days, and I’m glad I got some here.

If you like variety in your supplement store, you’ll enjoy wandering around the vastness of Uptown Altamonte’s Vitamin Shoppe. However, if you enjoy knowledgeable employees willing to step out from behind the counter to assist you, you’d best go elsewhere.
Just to preface, I do manage a GNC but in no way does that influence my slight negativity towards this store. For you see, above all else I care about customer service and this store is truly lacking. I actually frequent this shoppe as it is right next to my gym. And in the over 20 or so times I have been there only once did an employee come out from behind the counter to offer assistance. The rest just deemed their «can I help you find something» regurgitated line shouted from behind the counter as sufficient customer service.
So, I will recap. If you like variety and already have a firm handle on which supplement products are for you then this is the perfect, customer-​service free store for you.
If you prefer a store that actually pays attention to you and is willing to assist you, I’d go elsewhere.