RUDE SA @ clinique at macy's

[penelope tree]

Last Sunday I was at Nordstrom and was looking at make-up from NARS but got an SA from Laura Mercier instead. My boyfriend bought me a primer from NARS. It should not matter but I buy my own make-up, sometimes he will offer though. So he took out his Nordstrom card and paid. I told him I can get it but he told me not to worry about it. Right after she took his card she says "I wish I had a boyfriend to buy me make-up" I didn't say anything back to her. Maybe she wasn't trying to be mean but I took that the wrong way.

Sounds like an innocent comment - unless she had been off with you before. If she was friendly she was probably trying to make hyim feel good about offering!

 

[Brown Eye]

the stores where i constantly experienced bad service/attitude is Macy's and Neiman Marcus. Just recently i was looking at something at BB counter, Macy's and asked SA a question, who then acted as if she was doing me a big favor by answering it. That's why i NEVER shop for m/u there. I was also very dissapointed by Neiman Marcus service who act in the simular manner, like they just can't wait to get rid of you.
Also, lot of SA's there can barely speak English. They tend to hire SA to cater to their Japanese, Chinese and Korean clientele however, since this is still America, i'm of a firm belief that SA should speak English well if they want to work there. Just recently tried to buy lipgloss from Chanel and SA couldn't even understand what i was asking. I asked another one and she didn't speak English either! BTW, i was born and raised in Ukraine and didn't speak any English when i came to US but i had to learn. Rant over

Hi Cobalt71,
for how long have you been in the US now? A friend of mine is also originally from the Ukraine

 

[Brown Eye]

Sounds like an innocent comment - unless she had been off with you before. If she was friendly she was probably trying to make hyim feel good about offering!

I agree 100%. She was probably just trying to make some "conversation". Of course it depends on her tone, but if she was smiling or sth like that it was probably innocent.

 

[cobalt71]

Hi Cobalt71,
for how long have you been in the US now? A friend of mine is also originally from the Ukraine

oh, i lived in US since 1989 so quite a long time

 

[blah956]

This is a really old thread, but I seem to have this problem at the MAC counter I go to. It is the only one close to me, but every time I go, I get ignored. I don't understand it. The last time there were 5 girls working. I browsed the products, moving around quite a bit, for close to 15 minutes and nobody even acknowledged me - instead they were all busy dealing with 2 other customers who didn't even end up purchasing anything. Sometimes the SAs seem more interested in applying their own makeup or talking to each other than helping customers. I go in there dressed decently and wearing makeup, so I don't think they're judging me on appearance (at least I hope not). I can understand being busy with another client but at least a "Hello, I'm busy with another customer but someone will be with you shortly" would be more than sufficient. The last time I bought something the girl acted like it was a major inconvenience to go pull the product from the back. I'm there to spend money on their products - I shouldn't have to pull teeth to do it!

I get this 'tude *every single time* I go to the MAC counter and I don't understand it. I think I'm just going to start buying it all online or driving the extra 15 miles to another store.

In bold - i seem to get this 3 out of 5 times whenever I visit a MAC counter!! I get it that there are customers who just want to try stuff and never buy but they act like I am bugging them if I want to try something before I buy or if they don't have a certain item on display.

I really like this one particular guy @ the Dillards in Northpark. He is really nice. Used to work at Neiman Marcus for shu. He is honest too which is hard to find with make up artists.

I have the opposite problem at the MAC counter I go to - the SA's constantly keep asking you if you need help and sometimes follow you around. It's nice to get noticed but also annoying.

I recently bought a pressed powder that could be used for just touch ups/powder foundation. The SA I purchased it from was nice. I came in again a month later and I could have been helped by a couple other SAs but I waited for her. I told her I wanted a sample of a foundation that is really pricey. I have bought a couple items from the brand before so I knew it wasn't cheap. Her attitude changed. She made a big deal about giving me a sample and was telling me that the woman who is usually in charge of the brand never gives out samples because the products are expensive. I felt that was a lie. How are women supposed to test new products out? I just stood there and didn't say anything. Almost like I was waiting for her to give me a sample. Then she said "Didn't you buy the pressed powder compact last month? is that not working for you?" I said it does work I just wanted to try this foundation. She just gave me a funny look. She gave me a sample finally - very small sample - I was only able to use it on half of my cheek.

I didn't know that it was a crime to check out other brands! When I bought the first powder foundation I asked her what she used on her face - she told me she used the powder foundation and that she had it on her face. When I was getting a sample from this pricey brand, I asked if she has ever tried this and again she said she had it on now but I could tell she wasn't being honest. She is the type of SA that will just lie to get you to buy.

After that experience I never went back. This was at Neiman Marcus. I expected better service.

Huge lie. Most brands have empty pots to make samples if the product wanted isn't pre-packaged for a sample. They refuse to do this (unless you point out they CAN make one) for most cause they think people won't come back and buy. I'm sure management probably tells them to not make a lot of samples. I've been told by some SA/MUA that they can't make me any unless they think I am going to buy (which leaves me insulted cause they are assuming I am just asking for freebies for fun).

I stopped going to Macy's for awhile because every time I went I was ignored, even if I had been at the counter for awhile. Now I understand if it's busy, so I try to give more time if that's the case. But what put me off was I saw the MAC counter was so busy that I went to another store and came back after awhile hoping it was less busy. So when I came back one of the MUA's goes, "Oh you're back, I saw you here earlier walking around." And I thought, "So you saw me but didn't ask if I needed anything or atleast tell me you'd be with me shortly."

I also stopped going to Bloomies when I was told by a MUA at the MAC counter, "It would be really silly to own every single color, nobody needs that many." I was so tempted to tell her, "You say that but the counter you work at puts out so many different colors, maybe they don't need to put out that many."

I have to say that my favorite place is my Nordstroms. A SA at the Chanel counter was so nice when I went to try the Chance Eau Tendre and Eau Fraiche and couldn't make up my mind. She made samples without me even asking. The MAC counter there is great too. I bought my first brushes from there and the next time I went the MUA remembered me and asked how they were working out and told me she was impressed that I researched everything I bought. Haha, the best way to keep a customer, butter them up.

I was told something similar but at a different store that sold body products. I was so SHOCKED that the store manager was telling me that I was gonna go into debt buying all these products and that I didn't need so many. Yeah, I like to keep *back stock* of stuff I really love but it was uncalled for. I went back the next day and returned several hundred dollars worth of product. The SA asked why I was returning so much so I told her what her manager said. I then said sarcastically, "I mean, I would hate to file for bankruptcy over bath and beauty products."

Just out of curiosity - usually if your return something which was a gift with purchase, the gift is required for return. I only return one thing and it was an exchange because of this reason.
In regard to samples, I always ask, get them half of the time I ask, no big deal. I truly hate to buy full size product and no liking it. It is easier in the states to return stuff and almost impossible in my native country, so samples are really essential at this point. I never thought people selling samples on ebay...

This isn't necessarily true for several stores. There is a way to bypass returning the free gift but I won't mention it cause I don't want to encourage it...