Makeup counter pet peeves

[Esperanza]

omg lol. i went to the chanel store in hk airport too. all of the girls (in diff shops too) were way to busy and doing there own stuff to even notice.

 

[kissablekae]

MA's who insist on "trying" a couple of different shades on you, even when you've told them which one you are. Especially annoying when you tell them you came to the exact same counter to be colour checked But then you get that little happy feeling when they admit you were right (and the annoyance of having orange makeup smudge off of your face)

sometimes im not sure of my exact color but i know the general range. they pick colors that are too dark then we have to gradually try lighter and lighter. they could have just listened to me!

 

[jjbunny79]

Went up to Chanel Stall in the HK airport and the chick was too busy putting on her own makeup she didn't notice the bunch of us there

^ wow thats news (they usually love to rip off tourist instead )

and for the mac stuff, yea, i got match like NC25 at the beginning (i am like a nc15 or nc/w 20) i told them it look dead wrong under sunlight, and no one listen to me >.<

 

[kissablekae]

^ so they wont let you return it?
i read something recently that you should try it closer to jaw(lighter/est part of face) rather than having them test it on your cheek because of blushers in the way making you look pinker/warmer/bronzy etc whatever your wearing. this is especially important if you like to wear full foundation, no worries about going home and having demarcation lines!

 

[jennifer~]

Being ambushed or being ignored are both terrible; either it seems I can't get anyone's attention or suddenly I have $500 worth of products thrust into my hands...

 

[columbine]

Usually I get very friendly service at the make-up counters, but I find it very annoying that when I don't have make-up on and I'm wearing somewhat more "casual" clothing I get really cold looks from the sales persons at the higher-end make-up counters like Chanel or YSL and then they totally ignore me. The fact that I don't look like a millionaire doesn't mean I'm not going to buy something.

 

[Carly.S]

I find it very annoying that when I don't have make-up on and I'm wearing somewhat more "casual" clothing I get really cold looks from the sales persons at the higher-end make-up counters like Chanel or YSL and then they totally ignore me. The fact that I don't look like a millionaire doesn't mean I'm not going to buy something.

This makes me very angry, clearly when I earn more than them!!!

 

[eli5e]

^Very true. Just because I choose to wear a little bit of mascara and concealer and wear casual jeans or sweatpants they tend to not acknowledge me. It happened a few times to me, but sometimes I don't mind because I don't get pushy salespeople trying to recommend everything to me, and I can browse in peace.

My pet peeve is when associates recommend the wrong shade of foundation for my skin (maybe because I wear bronzing powder). When I try out my foundation the next day, my face looks orange as opposed to my neck. This happened to me twice, and I had to go back and exchange it.

 

[sojou]

^

I get this at the Chanel counters usually, I hate the way they look you up and down it is so damn rude, I wear casual clothing/minimal makeup when I go shopping, don't they realise its practical?!

Not to be snobby (I work p/t in retail myself) but I can't help thinking get over yourself, it's only retail you are not Coco Chanel herself!

.

 

[RandomGlitter]

Being ambushed or being ignored are both terrible; either it seems I can't get anyone's attention or suddenly I have $500 worth of products thrust into my hands...

AGREED!

 

[RandomGlitter]

This makes me very angry, clearly when I earn more than them!!!

Hmmmm.... you'd actually be surprised what some of them earn, I'll just say that

But it's the worst when they treat you like sh*t because you aren't perfectly coiffed!

 

[Carly.S]

Hmmmm.... you'd actually be surprised what some of them earn, I'll just say that

But it's the worst when they treat you like sh*t because you aren't perfectly coiffed!

Do they get a basic wage as well as commision?

 

[golightly89]

Lol this thread is amusing because I work at a cosmetics counter.
I experienced all this before I started my job so I am careful not to make all these mistakes! I actually prefer when people come to me not wearing any makeup 1. because I don't have to take it off 2. because when I put the foundation on they are bound to buy it because they will look so good (instead of comparing it to the other foundation they already have).
Some of the girls think that they are extremely classy & important because they work at a makeup counter, which is ridiculous. Also I cannot understand why people have been ignored, it is their job to serve you & by ignoring you they are just losing sales.
At the same time, please understand that we are not always given the training we need (I was hired by a cosmetics company & worked on counter for 2 months before I was given any training whatsoever), so if our product knowledge is low that is not always our fault! Also, it is part of our job description to greet every customer & ask them an open-ended question. We often get mystery shoppers coming in & scoring us based on our service so we have to be consistent, even if we can assume from your behaviour that you just want to browse.
With regards to samples, we only have a limited amount that we can give out. Generally there are rules governing which customers can have them based on how much they spend & what they buy (depending on the company). If you want samples I would suggest doing your research before you go to find out which products you are interested in. Say to the SA 'I have heard really great things about *products* & would really like to try them, however I have very sensitive skin & I would like to try them before I buy'. This way she knows that you are actually interested in purchasing the products & are not just trying to scam free samples. It is important that you have an area of interest rather than just coming up to the counter and asking 'do you have any samples' - this is our pet hate as 99% of the time we never see these customers again! Let the SA make you up a client file & do a consultation (if she asks) and ask for her name (if she is nice) so that when/if you do come back to purchase, it can go toward her sales & commision. It is best to be upfront, rather than her spending a lot of time consulting wth you, thinking that you will purchase at the end, and then being disappointed. Please remember that we are under a lot of pressure to reach our targets. We have a low basic wage & high commision so it is important that we make our budgets & it can be frustrating when we spend a lot of time with someone to no avail, not because the products aren't right but because they didn't intend on buying anything in the first place.
Also remember that we love loyal customers, so if you have really good service, get the SA's name & try to come back when she is working. Loyal, repeat customers always get the top service (and the most samples)

 

[princess sparkle]

I hate it when they ignore me! (I'm 18, and I look like 15..)
or when they look at me as if I might steal something

 

[jjbunny79]

^ so they wont let you return it?
i read something recently that you should try it closer to jaw(lighter/est part of face) rather than having them test it on your cheek because of blushers in the way making you look pinker/warmer/bronzy etc whatever your wearing. this is especially important if you like to wear full foundation, no worries about going home and having demarcation lines!

no, once it look dirty under the sun, I would never buy it.

 

[LetThemEatCake]

No one should ever be ignored. Regardless of minimal makeup, clothing, how your hair is done, what accessories you have with you, because not always do the people who have the most money get all dressed up to go purchase makeup/skincare, they want to be comfortable and casual too! So recently I went into Nordstrom and the Tom Ford counter, I was wearing a Brown University sweatshirt, shorts, and old ratty Converses, but the guy was really nice, so no one should assume that because of one's attire they have no money or intention to spend.

 

[fashionjunkiexx]

i sometimes find that mac girls can be pretty rude, i went the other day to buy a new blusher and i was just browsing, looking at the colours and this girl glared at me and said "what do you want?!" in a really rude voice. I was so shocked at how bad mannered she was, i thought sales people were meant to be polite. It completely deterred me from buying anything.

 

[Esperanza]

omg thats so rude! yeah the mac chicks r real biatches!! they think they are soo hot and soo cool. i swear if any of them ever say anything rude to me im going to turn around n tell them to take the poll outta their a$$!

 

[kissablekae]

i went to MAC today and the girls didnt know anything. i swear you could ask the simplest question about their most popular products and they would be completely stumped or they would say contradicting things. i feel like they are saying anything to sell and im like no thx and get the hale away from my face.

 

[fashionjunkiexx]

thats another thing i was asking about the bronzers and she just didnt have a clue