I kinda like this store and yet I find it kinda frustrating. Not because I find the staff unfriendly or rude... kinda the opposite. I think the staff is quite nice here BUT they're trying to be helpful and they can't because they just dont know a different brand. I think the management of the associates is the issue.
So this Sephora can be utterly crazy on a weekend. I dont even bother stepping into here during holidays. I think you can manage the parking lot better than inside here. The store is packed with tons of brands... more than most places around GTA. You have some of the more exclusive brands you don't see elsewhere. I spotted Serge Lutens and Pat McGrath... those are brands I see online normally. Never in a store. So if you're looking for the super exclusive items... this probably would be your spot.
As for the cleanliness... it was a bit chaotic but I have to appreciate the 20 or so associates walking around and helping keeping things somewhat organized. I mean you can't help if a tester becomes an exploding grenade of hot pink on the shelves but I think the associates try to keep things more on the tidy side.
About the staff, they're friendly. No one was doing the mean girl act thankfully but I have to wonder how they're trained. When I had a question about a particular brand, I kinda got the bambi in the head lights look. They were not sure how to answer and they had to grab another person to help answer the question. This happened more than a few times. It seems like some girls are just dedicated to one brand only so if they are trying to help someone from another section... nope that isn't going to happen. I can understand if you have 2 people per brand available but that's not reality. I would have hoped Sephora trained up their staff to manage more than one brand especially if just 2 feet away.
One thing that I liked a lot was the staff was willing to make foundation or skincare samples for you to take home. Everyone knows the store lighting is just terrible... and no one really looks good or can figure out if s shade works. They just pour some of the tester and it's usually more than enough for a few days to try. I've saved myself a lot of money doing this. You think you look like Beyonce in the store but when you get to the parking lot and see the real shade... you're looking more like a reject from Flavour of Love. Hot mess... no thanks.
Anyhow, I think this place isnt as bad as older reviews. It's improved a lot especially their product offering. It's a bit of a wonderland in there BUT do realize the staff (as helpful as they try to be) may not be able to answer all your questions.