The products are really nice here and the presentation is well done however the only reasons why I am giving it one star are 1. Prices are way more expensive then what they are suppose to be 2. Customer service is a joke. Might as well don’t hire them. The products sold are way more expensive then what you can get from other places and online. I bought bioderma sensibio for 24 at their place and got«10%» off because I had a v.i.p card but in the end you can get the same thing online for 15. 2. Customer service is really bad. I usually go in and out and just buy the acne patches;however one time I went in and they had none in stock so I wanted to ask the girl if they are going to order more and have more in stock. But she was busy helping this lady-which is FINE but I stood there for 10 minutes and she didn’t bother saying«ill be right with you» or anything. She glanced over once in awhile but thats all. So I got impatient and just asked she said to leave a name and phone number and they will call me when it comes in stock. I asked how long it will take and she said around two weeks-which is reasonable. *three weeks later* i decided to call them and asking, assuming they might have forgotten. The first lady picked up and didn’t understand what I was saying which is ok then the second lady picked up the phone and I asked if they have it. She checked and said«nope». Then I asked when will they put it back in stock«around 2 weeks to a month»…a month? I was just told it was suppose to be in stock a week ago and you are telling me a month? And she said«yep». Then I asked«Is there any other place I can find this product?» Her response: «nope».. . Thanks for the help. I felt like I was talking to a machine.
Pammie K.
Place rating: 2 San Francisco, CA
I actually haven’t written a review yet on Unilocal,but felt compelled to do so because the service is absolutely terrible here. Plus the prices are doubled or higher than what they’re actually worth.(Understanding that there are import fees, but at least prices that are sensible?) This place is specifically geared to selling Japanese beauty goods, but runned by Chinese/Taiwanese(don’t know for sure which) that don’t have product knowledge of the brands they’re selling. I don’t see how it makes sense to sell something if the staff can’t explain the product and don’t know the products by name unless you point at it. Also taking in consideration on how they’re only targeting Chinese customers by writing the promotions only in Chinese.(in a Japanese beauty store) This place is really cool to check out brands and testers, but doesn’t look like it will stand long with how they’re running things… Hope things improve in the long run. :/
Danya K.
Place rating: 5 San Bernardino, CA
Love here~~~~~! So many cute and new beauty stuffs! I finally fund out the facial mask which I want for a long time! And the lady in this store is really nice! Will come often!
Ann C.
Place rating: 1 Echo Lake, CA
Good things are they do have many things which are hard to find. I do love their products. What I hate about this store is their bad service. I was there with a friend waiting for a few minutes when there was no one in line. There were 3 sales associate chatting behind the counter but wouldn’t ring us up. I asked, can you ring us up right now cause we are ready. Then two of them left, one girl finally ring me up but gave a super angry face. When she scam the item, she holds one in hand and then put it back really hard on the table.(excuse me?! What is that?)
Jes B.
Place rating: 4 Mountain View, CA
Im a longtime user of Japanese products and so i know what i’m looking for when i come here. but word to the wise, i dont think anyone who works here is Japanese, and I have a hunch they cannot read Japanese. I myself am Japanese and am VERY familiar with most of these products from being a beauty junky who spends all her toilet time reading about random products from Japan and Korea. So I rarely ask for help. Its nothing against anyone there, theyre all very nice, and very friendly girls who work there. but my little weird story: I asked about a sunscreen powder and was looking for something specific that they ended up not having… so the girl suggested something else. i asked if the sunscreen was physical or chemical(i cannot use chemical sunscreen) and she thought for a while and then replied«chemical» . Im glad i looked it up and found it was PHYSICAL. she was dead wrong and just guessed. but at least i could find an equivalent product, which i did end up happy with. theres been other products they just took wild guesses or made up what they do. not just to me, but ive overheard in the store. its retail. do what you gotta do… but just to other buyers, do your homework or have phone ready to google. theyre not always reliable sources for information. Pricing is marked up, but thats how a lot of retail is versus amazon. not just at this business. some stuff they carry are a pain to get via rakuten or ebay, so ill pay a little more for it put in my hands to take home right at the moment. Another think i love is that most products have available testers. I love to touch stuff … and its a nice perk if you want to try something new or test colors of bb cream, since not all of us are that weird grey that a lot of bb creams come in. Its cool its open till 9 too. im glad its here.
Tiffany L.
Place rating: 3 Cupertino, CA
A great place to get the staples, but only if you’re in a rush. The prices are crazy inflated, so I won’t be regularly spending money here. But, I *would* recommend this store if you hate(for one reason or another) shopping online. There is a very, very good selection of products, so if you’re looking for a specific Japanese cosmetic in particular, you can probably find it here. Service-wise, they were attentive(asking me if I needed help with anything), but didn’t press. I feel what’s most useful in making a decision on what to buy is looking up reviews online and trying the testers.
Steven B.
Place rating: 3 Hayward, CA
We passed by this store when getting some drinks at Ten Ren and decided to stop by. As a makeup artist I was pretty excited to see an abundance of Japanese brand cosmetics in one area. Granted I looked at some of the pricing and thought to myself that it’s priced higher than what I can find on Amazon but this eliminates the element of surprise when ordering something blind online. The convenience of having testers and different variations makes the experience enjoyable and a little educational if you’re into beauty. The customer service is nonexistent, the workers all stay the register and talk amongst each other unless you bother them with a question. There is a minimum amount to use credit cards, I believe its $ 15 or $ 20 which seems to be easily obtainable with the pricing. I found a liquid eyebrow pen from the brand Canmake I wanted to try and I walked away with $ 10 less in my pocket but a satisfied customer knowing I chose the right shade & no buyers remorse if I bought the wrong one online.
Jennie C.
Place rating: 5 San Francisco, CA
Love the customer service. They do not have all the items that Arcadia has, but I found most on my agenda. The lady gave me a 10 percent off. Good deal.
Leah E.
Place rating: 4 Campbell, CA
They have a pretty good selection of Japanese beauty products and goods, and the price is quite reasonable; at least cheaper than buying online. I like coming here after eating at the plaza and I always end up buying something lol.
Xu C.
Place rating: 3 West San Jose, San Jose, CA
It’s a cute shop and there is a variety popular Asian products, but, too expensive. The Kao eye masks is $ 14 on amazon, and $ 26 here. OMG
Mina L.
Place rating: 3 South Bay, CA
Store is super cute and convenient for those who don’t like buying Asian skincare and cosmetics online like me. I was thrilled to see a takashima has popped up. They have a wide array of products such as face sheet masks, skincare, makeup, cute gifts and even carrying some Korean cosmetic and skincare brands. The girls that were there were helpful when I asked for their opinions but I could tell weren’t as knowledgeable as let’s say a SA at a Sephora. I would say that if you’re unfamiliar with some brands such as Canmake, dolly wink and other popular Japanese brands do some research online before coming in.
Kenji Y.
Place rating: 2 Cupertino, CA
Very beautifully lit up cosmetics, beauty supplies and other random japanese goods store. They sell anything like Totoro dolls, car freshners, makeup removers, many many many other beauty related items imported from Japan. Expect to pay double what they are worth in Japan (240 Yen items are being sold at $ 4) – This is what I hated – I was waiting in line for a while(5 mins?) but the cashier was chatting with the customer which is ok. Then another sales associate came over and decided to ring up another customer ahead of me probably because she was buying something a lot more expensive. They must work on commission? I don’t know, but I didn’t want to wait around another 5 mins possibly for another customer to be put in front of me again so I walked. I also saw another customer asking a worker to grab a totoro doll for her and the worker replied«you can get it yourself.»