How do you deal with pushy SA's?
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free skin care · Fri Jul 27, 2007 12:10 pm

Pretty straight forward question. How do you go up to the beauty counters, browse at their products, get the samples you're interested then not buy anything when the SA is hard selling you other stuff?

I do find that most of the time I succumb to the SA's speech about how this "miracle" product can get rid of acne and scars in a week Embarassed

free skin care · Fri Jul 27, 2007 12:33 pm

Tell them your husband will beat you up if you waste your money on cosmetics Laughing

free skin care · Fri Jul 27, 2007 12:59 pm

I find if a SA tells me about a "miracle" product I always tell them I will buy it if they guarantee a full refund if it doesn't perform miracles. Generally they will back off because they know it will not perform as they say!

free skin care · Fri Jul 27, 2007 1:08 pm

Oooo mishie, thats a very good tactic!!! I'm definately gonna try that out when someone hard sells to me Bad Grin

free skin care · Fri Jul 27, 2007 1:31 pm

I like anya's suggestion Laughing

Although the way they try to sell, it makes you wonder if some of them would even care Wink

free skin care · Fri Jul 27, 2007 3:01 pm

Jala wrote:

I like anya's suggestion Laughing

Although the way they try to sell, it makes you wonder if some of them would even care Wink

Maybe they would just see the opportunity to sell a few extra products for covering up the damage? Bad Grin

free skin care · Fri Jul 27, 2007 3:09 pm

I get really sick of being pressured, but I usually just ask for an ingredient list of any given product, and insist there's something I'm allergic/sensitive to (and it's usually the truth if I don't buy something anyway). It's hard for someone to tell you that you don't in fact react badly to a certain ingredient, haha.

Though to warn y'all, I often get in "discussions" with SAs over this because they'll try and insist and insist that their products are all-natural or hypoallergenic or whatever, and will get just as aggressive asking me what ingredients I avoid and why and how SLS really isn't bad, etc. etc. so you get a different kind of aggression, it's just from another direction - but I guess I sort of don't mind it as much as the hard sell stuff.

I find that the gals who work at Lush are always particularly interested in debating how great their products are, and I always wind up telling them I'm sensitive to SLS, petrochemicals, and all the dyes they use. They're always left sort of speechless at the end because I know my stuff, haha. Maybe this is where all the comments about how I should be a lawyer come from! Laughing

That's actually why I like shopping at places like Sephora so much - when it's a venue that carries a bunch of different brands and no employee is specifically supposed to man one counter or other, they're a lot less likely to badger you into something you don't really want or need from Brand X because the chances are that there exists a product that's right for you somewhere else in the store.

I'm SO glad Sephora finally came to the US - back when it was just department stores, the SA issue was so annoying. And I was a lot younger back then, like in my teens still, and I always found that the people at cosmetics counters didn't take me very seriously if I wasn't dressed to the nines and looking mature, which pissed me off because I've always been a serious customer and a big spender, I just didn't always look like it!

free skin care · Fri Jul 27, 2007 3:30 pm

I've decided that I'm happy trying out my makeup at Nordstrom's. There is no pressure, and I know I will not have any probs getting my money back. I had this horrible Shiseido "lifting" foundation that sat in my bathroom for a year. I was still able to exchange it for the Shiseido stick foundation, which I really like!

When I was recently in Atlantic City, I browsed through Lush. I was not impressed with their customer service, nor with their products.

free skin care · Fri Jul 27, 2007 3:44 pm

nadjazz wrote:

When I was recently in Atlantic City, I browsed through Lush. I was not impressed with their customer service, nor with their products.

I feel the same way - Lush has a total of one product that I order regularly, and even then I don't really like it, it's just better than the other crappy alternatives on the market. And I think a lot of their products that sit in big bowls or slabs in the open air are easily contaminated. When I buy my product (a soft, cream deodorant that comes in a big "log" they have to slice), it's always covered in lint/hair, bits of glitter, and smudges of other products. Sort of like in an ice cream parlor when you get a trace of someone else's flavor from a dirty scoop. Embarassed

But I find it a lot less acceptable in a product that you're going to keep for ages - it should be packaged clean so it stays clean! I know they want to seem all "natural" and whatnot, but their stuff is chock full of synthetics anyway, so I don't buy into it.

And they're always pushy and irritating when I go in, and the smells are overpowering. And if you order off the website, their stuff melts. Laughing

Really not my favorite shopping experience, no matter how you look at it!

In fact, nadjazz... I think you just inspired me to start a thread looking for an alternative to my one Lush product that I use. Smile

So thanks!

You're right about Nordstrom, though - they tend to be much better than other dept. stores, and even if you do get pressured into buying something crappy, they are truly fabulous about the return policy. Makes it worth it!

free skin care · Fri Jul 27, 2007 4:19 pm

ginnielizz wrote:

I always found that the people at cosmetics counters didn't take me very seriously if I wasn't dressed to the nines and looking mature, which pissed me off because I've always been a serious customer and a big spender, I just didn't always look like it!

That's sooo true. I never dress that formal. Im always dressing very casual and laid back, usually in my Converse. So when I walk near a high end skincare counter, the girls seem to look down on me as if Im only there to try the things I cant afford Mad

. It might be true that I need to think long and hard about an expensive product but if I seriously WANT a product, I can somehow find the money to buy it.

Im trying to get to learn the product ingredients so I can check the ingredients list without the help of Paula Begeon's (sp?) online dictionary or Google and know my stuff so I dont get caught in the "must-buy-everything-the-SA-tells-me-to" mode!

free skin care · Sat Jul 28, 2007 7:29 pm

The best way to put off a pushy SA is to claim poverty! Laughing

Or, if you actually want to keep them kind of dangling at a distance so they'll be available if you have a question is to claim a lot of allergies and super sensitive skin so they'll understand your necessity to actually KNOW the ingredients in their newest miracle product.

free skin care · Sun Jul 29, 2007 1:44 pm

I usually just let them do their sell. Occasionally I'll look up and smile, but I never engage them. When they're done, I'll just say "thank you" and continue my browsing. They are, after all, just doing their job, and I know what I want to buy or want I don't want to buy. I think they know when they have a mark and when they don't.

You know who's the worst though? Jewelry salespeople. They work on commission. They are very irritating and pushy.

free skin care · Sun Jul 29, 2007 3:17 pm

That's why I usually only shop at Sephora or Nordstrom if I am buying someplace other than EDS. They have an excellent return policy.

free skin care · Sun Jul 29, 2007 3:53 pm

When they ask if I'm looking for anything in particular, I answer that I'm just looking. But if I'm actually interested in a certain product I ask them a lot of questions, ask them to compare it to other brands, or a different product in their line (i think they partly like to show off their knowledge so I just let them get it out of their system). Then when they start pushing a certain product I ask to see the texture. For example, moisturizers or makeup bases. I tell them my concerns (too sticky, smelly, shiny etc) then describe my skin (too oily, very acne prone and sensitive) and explain that most products that i've tried haven't been liked by my skin, and ask if it would be possible to get a sample, and if they'd write down the name of the product on a card for me. Always works!

free skin care · Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:49 am

If they are really trying to sell me a particular product, I tell them that I have a policy of not buying anything new unless I have been able to sample it first. Sometimes they'll give you a sample to take home and sometimes they'll just let you use it at the counter. If they only let you use it at the corner, say you want to see how it makes your skin feel for a few hours and if it is good you'll be back to try it from them.

free skin care · Tue Jul 31, 2007 12:38 am

SnowWhite wrote:

If they are really trying to sell me a particular product, I tell them that I have a policy of not buying anything new unless I have been able to sample it first. Sometimes they'll give you a sample to take home and sometimes they'll just let you use it at the counter. If they only let you use it at the corner, say you want to see how it makes your skin feel for a few hours and if it is good you'll be back to try it from them.

SnowWhite - Is this a 'real' policy? Congratulations for the self-control! I wish I could do that myself Crying or Very sad

!! Personally I try to avoid 'just browsing' at the counters. I would try to gather more info on the particular product I'm interested to buy and get additional info from the SA's, tried out the item at the counter before I buy. Sometimes (QUITE OFTEN, I'd say), I end up buying a few more items Bad Grin

!

free skin care · Sun Aug 05, 2007 5:43 pm

Violetanne - yes, I like that tactic of not engaging them. Why argue or feed into the sales pitch when you know what you want.
And yes, I would buy from Nordstrom or Sephora anyday over "Needless Markup" as DH calls it, who give the 3rd degree anytime a return/exchg is needed. Nice that we have a choice.

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