The Specktra Customer...? MAs perspective.

[DirtyPlum]

Sooo the other day I had my first 'Specktra customer'... and all in all I found her pretty irritating. I know that sounds awful but I found her over the top and a bit show-offy. Ok, so when I say specktra, it could potentially be a different forum ( but i dont really know of any others).

She walked in, looked at the new collections and then rather loudly demanded what she would have.
I thought, wow ok, hello to you too! It was said as though she was almost demanding my assistance and ordering me about.

But anyway I;m not normally phased by ppls behaviour so I went to pick up the products (new collection) and then walked up to her whilst she carried on looking at new collection. I started talking about how nice I thought the lipglosses were and she responded like ''I know'' appearing as though she knew all about which colours were nice and which ones were popular. the things that gave it away to me that she was a mac addict / possible forum contributer was her knowledge of all the product names and then what topped it off was she used the word Haul. OK, i know its an english word, but honestly... that word is not used in the UK!

She then went on to talk about what happens to LE edition products when they dont sell and do they end up in CCOs. I said not the LE stuff but some discontinued stuff does. So then I was subjected to the usual USA vs. UK blurb about how wonderful it is over there. I said have u been to USA? she said ''oh no, but ALL my friends tell me how amazing their ccos are over there'' lol... i thought hmm would they happen to be your forum friends?

Sorry, I just found her a bit diva-ish. I'm all for mac addicts and fans but if youre going to be all arrogant about it and act as though you are the superior customer then nah, not gonna like it.

hmmm... i wonder if she is reading this right now!

have any of u guys come across an enthusiast who is just oozing forum language / similar behaviour. what did u guys think?

 

[florabundance]

LOL.. ''oh no, but ALL my friends tell me how amazing their ccos are over there'', that's so funny, but I feel a bit embarrassed for her aswell

 

[User49]

I haven't met a spektret yet who acted this way but I do get customers like it. I think as a mac ma we just have to try and adapt to each customer and understand why they are acting that way. Sometimes it's just a sign that they want to be left alone to brows. I don't like it when customers are rude and treat you like they know more and you aren't qualified enough for them. But you just have to let it blow off. I mean I've had so many customers that just make you want to say what you really think of them, but at the end of the day, they pay our wages! :0) I'd personally LOVE to meet a specktret at work! My boss would have to tear us apart as I wouldn't be able to shut up! lol. What is it though with people who just 'brag' about everything under the sun? I think it's difficult when you get any customer who doesn't seem to be very tactfull. But like I said, blow it off. xx

 

[aleksis210]

I like how she likes america for our cco's ...lmao

 

[Simply Elegant]

I've never seen a specktrette while I was shopping (or one who acted like that), but sometimes I'll be able to talk about a future collection a bit with an MA that I'm familiar with and we just get excited for it because I probably like it just as much as them. I don't brag about it though.

I don't think you have to be a member of this forum though to act like that because some people just like to think they know everything even if they're not getting it from a good source.

 

[DirtyPlum]

Oh no, I didnt let it bother me at all... not like she ruined my day or anything.

I just dont appreciate the smart-ass kinda attitude. The girl thought she was doing ME a favour by spending £100 when quite frankly, I had another two customers that day who also spent that amount but werent know-it-alls.

If a specktret was to come in, I would love to stop and have a good old chat but not if she is gonna cut me every second to reel off about Hauling, CCOs, and collections that are gonna be released in year 2025 or something!

 

[DirtyPlum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simply Elegant I don't think you have to be a member of this forum though to act like that

Yeah there are others who act like that too for e.g. the MUA customer, the I-work-for-Chanel customer (or any other brand), the I-know-Ive-been-wearing-mac-for-years customer!!

 

[concertina]

....I certainly hope I don't come across that way to my local MAs.

Just yesterday, I was at a newish store counter and was excited that they still had Neo Sci-Fi and all the Tendertones and the MA made a comment 'Wow, you know more than I do!'...I felt so crappy, but at the same time, I wasn't trying to make her feel bad. I was just excited!

I'm certainly not going to 'play dumb' about MAC at my counter, but I don't flaunt my knowledge either. If an MA says 'We have a new collection in October with a designer and awesome orange packaging' and I say 'Oh, the Manish Collection! I'm excited for that, too!', I don't think thats being a diva...perhaps I'm wrong?

 

[TDoll]

Quote:

Originally Posted by concertina ....I certainly hope I don't come across that way to my local MAs. Just yesterday, I was at a newish store counter and was excited that they still had Neo Sci-Fi and all the Tendertones and the MA made a comment 'Wow, you know more than I do!'...I felt so crappy, but at the same time, I wasn't trying to make her feel bad. I was just excited! I'm certainly not going to 'play dumb' about MAC at my counter, but I don't flaunt my knowledge either. If an MA says 'We have a new collection in October with a designer and awesome orange packaging' and I say 'Oh, the Manish Collection! I'm excited for that, too!', I don't think thats being a diva...perhaps I'm wrong?

Yeah, I don't necessarily think it was her product knowledge, but her attitude that made her seem "diva" -ish. I feel like that at counters too. Like I don't want to say too much...lol.
The other day I went to the MAC store with a friend and my friend wanted a new concealer. So I was showing her some different ones because we weren't getting any help. Then a girl came over to help us and my friend told her what she was looking for...like what kind of formula and whatnot. So I totally stepped back to let the MA do her job. She busts out the total opposite of what she asked for in a tone that made her under eye area look ashy. I wanted to reach over and grab a tone that would have neutralized the blue and shady area. Or really just explain this concept to her... But I didn't...I restrained myself. And my friend was trying to be polite and say it didn't look right without being a jerk. But the ma was like, You're NC30 so you have to go NC20 or 30 for your concealer... OOOH LOOORD.
I felt bad saying anything because she was really nice. But I just felt like I knew more than she did which was bad.

 

[glamdoll]

I totally know what you mean, I know Dirty Plum isnt attacking the forum here or anything. She is giving and example of her customer, and I have read on here plenty of times members that write "Omg she didnt know what that was, I knew more than her" well MAs are human too, let me just throw that out there, not everyone knows every single item, and its not a job requirement to memorize things.
I have run into someone like that, but she wasnt too bad.

 

[JustDivine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DirtyPlum She walked in, looked at the new collections and then rather loudly demanded what she would have. I thought, wow ok, hello to you too! It was said as though she was almost demanding my assistance and ordering me about. she said ''oh no, but ALL my friends tell me how amazing their ccos are over there'' lol... i thought hmm would they happen to be your forum friends? Sorry, I just found her a bit diva-ish. I'm all for mac addicts and fans but if youre going to be all arrogant about it and act as though you are the superior customer then nah, not gonna like it.

So what if they were her forum friends? And what would be the point spending time on forums like these if she just wanted to be ignorant of new collections? Yea she could have been a bit more pleasant about it but....people with unpleasant attitudes do go shopping to. Retail means getting over it and putting money in the till. She was hardly abusive or rude to you..........

And I'm not saying the customer is always right, but the customers are the reason you're there. So technically for the purposes of business, the customer (and their money!) is superior! I'm not condoning arrogance, I'm just saying it's a small thing so you have to suck it up. Retail is not a self-serving occupation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by glitternmyveins I haven't met a spektret yet who acted this way but I do get customers like it. I think as a mac ma we just have to try and adapt to each customer and understand why they are acting that way. Sometimes it's just a sign that they want to be left alone to brows. I don't like it when customers are rude and treat you like they know more and you aren't qualified enough for them. But you just have to let it blow off. I mean I've had so many customers that just make you want to say what you really think of them, but at the end of the day, they pay our wages! :0) I'd personally LOVE to meet a specktret at work! My boss would have to tear us apart as I wouldn't be able to shut up! lol. What is it though with people who just 'brag' about everything under the sun? I think it's difficult when you get any customer who doesn't seem to be very tactfull. But like I said, blow it off. xx

What she said

 

[reverieinbflat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by glitternmyveins I don't like it when customers are rude and treat you like they know more and you aren't qualified enough for them. But you just have to let it blow off. I mean I've had so many customers that just make you want to say what you really think of them, but at the end of the day, they pay our wages! {...] I think it's difficult when you get any customer who doesn't seem to be very tactfull. But like I said, blow it off. xx

You have nerves of steal. In all of my years of working customer service, if I encounter a rude or disrespectful person, I will not deal with them. I will send my manager in straight away and help a person that is more willing to be human. God knows if the OP had just left the girl alone to play with the make-up, which is what many of us want to do when we go to MAC, the girl would have found some somewhere to complain about her "horrible customer service."

Most of the girls on this website (and others like youtube, beauty blogs, and livejournal) are sweethearts, but some people are lurking that just want to have a big head, and I imagine that is what this girl does.

 

[SuSana]

I'm not an MA but I witnessed someone acting like this when I was at a counter. I was talking with my MA about a new collection and he was the only one not doing a makeover, this girl walks up and said, "Help me, I already know what I want." He asked if I minded and I said no, when he came back he said that she said I know what I want, I've known about this release for months, blah blah blah. She was so rude, and he was apologizing to me for having to walk away from me, I didn't care though because I wanted to talk to him without having someone waiting on us.

But yeah, I couldn't believe that she just walked up demanding help, how rude.

 

[DirtyPlum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JustDivine So what if they were her forum friends? And what would be the point spending time on forums like these if she just wanted to be ignorant of new collections? Yea she could have been a bit more pleasant about it but....people with unpleasant attitudes do go shopping to. Retail means getting over it and putting money in the till. She was hardly abusive or rude to you.......... And I'm not saying the customer is always right, but the customers are the reason you're there. So technically for the purposes of business, the customer (and their money!) is superior! I'm not condoning arrogance, I'm just saying it's a small thing so you have to suck it up. Retail is not a self-serving occupation.

wow, you've totally misunderstood me! Did I really say she was unpleasant, abusive or rude towards me? or that she should be ignorant of collections?

maybe irritating but not unpleasant!

Nobody is anyones superior and i do not have to suck anything up. I am fully aware of retail and what I have to do. I love my job and have very loyal returning customers. I am just asking other MAs if they have come across diva like customers before who are clearly forum posters.

SuSana says she came across another customer like that... thats what I mean, its difficult for MAs as well as customers.

 

[GreekChick]

The thing with the divas is, at the end of the day, what they say is all "blah blah" and that's it.
Sure, they'll have all the collections memorized and know what will be released 10 years from now, but can they do the same job we do? No, they can't. Because knowing all the collections and owning each and every product does not mean they know how to apply makeup properly.

A person's collection knowledge is in no way equal to the makeup application and ingredients knowledge that I have acquired throughout the years.
Really, the best is proving to those divas that you know more than them. And then they'll just keep coming back to see you because somehow you've managed to become the MUA that can actually inform them.

 

[emeraldjewels]

I was seriously reading this thinking it was me cause I knew I had just bought my CoC haul and said exactly what I wanted but I didn't think I was being rude or anything. Then you said about the CCO's and I was like phew! not me, lol!

Whilst most of the time I have done my research on here and know exactly what I want, I always try to be very curteous and i'll be chatty and I always end up getting something I hadn't planned on buying because it was something the MA said would look great on me or whatever.

At the same time though (this is not really directed at the OP) I don't want to feel like i'm unwelcome in the store because I have a very good knowledge of the products and collections, making some MA's feel inadequate or something. I mean a girl could be brand new or something. I don't do it to make them feel bad, its just because of my love of make up, my hobby as such.

 

[GreekChick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by emeraldjewels I was seriously reading this thinking it was me cause I knew I had just bought my CoC haul and said exactly what I wanted but I didn't think I was being rude or anything. Then you said about the CCO's and I was like phew! not me, lol! Whilst most of the time I have done my research on here and know exactly what I want, I always try to be very curteous and i'll be chatty and I always end up getting something I hadn't planned on buying because it was something the MA said would look great on me or whatever. At the same time though (this is not really directed at the OP) I don't want to feel like i'm unwelcome in the store because I have a very good knowledge of the products and collections, making some MA's feel inadequate or something. I mean a girl could be brand new or something. I don't do it to make them feel bad, its just because of my love of make up, my hobby as such.

You actually fit the profile of an amazing customer, according to your description. It's the customers who think they can do better than the MUAs that are downright annoying.

 

[DirtyPlum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by emeraldjewels I was seriously reading this thinking it was me cause I knew I had just bought my CoC haul and said exactly what I wanted but I didn't think I was being rude or anything. Then you said about the CCO's and I was like phew! not me, lol! At the same time though (this is not really directed at the OP) I don't want to feel like i'm unwelcome in the store because I have a very good knowledge of the products and collections, making some MA's feel inadequate or something. I mean a girl could be brand new or something. I don't do it to make them feel bad, its just because of my love of make up, my hobby as such.

Lol.. aww! Dont get me wrong, I didnt hate her, I found her a lil excitable... and didnt like her cutting me mid-sentence!

I love addict customers... i love ppl who say i have nearly all the lustreglasses... cos then I can say cool, if u like those u'll love these etc. on the same day i had a similar customer and we reminisced abt some of the past xmas collections... its a great buzz meeting a fellow enthusiast... like when u meet a new friend who u really hit it off with!

im sure no MAC MA would have a prob whatsoever with ppl who are knowledgable abt the products at all, dont worry! cos truth is, we were those customers too!

some just need to drop the arrogance!

 

[M.A.C. head.]

The MAs I come across always admire me for my "Specktraness", they're always like "You know your stuff" and they say that I should apply LOL

I do go in there excited as hell but I make sure not to show it to the point where I might come off rude. I just like to talk and share excitement. I've never had a problem with it. Some of the girls have no clue what I'm talking about some times though

So, to them, I look crazy LOL

 

[glamdoll]

Seriously I love an informed customer who knows what they want, but are also opened to suggestions. Someone who will respect you and not treat you as a door matt because they can.

I had the most sincere nicest lady ever yesterday! She knew what she wanted, but she was looking to switch up her look a bit. She told me what she liked and didnt like, but she also was willing to sit down, have me show her some tips, tricks and tried things w/ me. She ended up making a good purchase which was a plus, and left a nice comment card. She made my day so much better and she was in her 50's (not that it matters but I havent met many who will let me try all this stuff on them, yet).

Then I've had customers who come off real strong and try and talk me down, but then I kill em w/ kindness.

I hope you guys don't think Dirty Plum is attacking anyone on here or anything, but in the end its retail and we all know how hard it can be. We need to blow off steam too.

And like Greek Chick said, owning every single product does not equal knowledge, talent or anything.