$50 min purchase vs. Makeup on Demand

[calbear]

Ok - so i've been thinking about this for a minute and erinne mentioned something in another thread that got me to wondering.....she said " i think thats why they reinstated the $50 purchase policy on the weekends, cause all we were doing all weekend long was free makeup."

I was wondering what were the thoughts of other employees concerning this and how has this been working at your location.

My own personal view is that 'makeup on demand' was implemented without considering the different kinds of customer that mac gets per location. I can understand in locations where that customer who gets her makeup done and/or just wants you to show her how to use the makeup, gets up from the chair and buys a few items. BUT in my current location - the prevailing thought is that you can just walk into mac DEMAND your makeup be done, with no appointment, no matter what time of night or staffing issues and then walking away with buying nothing. (whether it be an 'eye demo', lashes or Mon - Thursday - full appointments).

On the surface it seems like good customer service but in reality it ends up being bad all around. The customer that walks in and needs to purchase a few items can't find an artist or doesn't want to wait for someone to get free cause they are all tied up doing eye demos and lashes. Not to mention every artsist is tired almost to the point of crankiness as there is a line forming for the FREE demo as i've so often heard it called. No one is making goal but a ton of makeup is being done and the second you try to breakaway to help someone - the FREE demo gets super annoyed.

I love teaching someone about makeup but it has gotten away from that - no one wants to learn, 'i just want my eyes done' is heard constantly. I really feel like it breeds complaints - tired/ stressed out employees - doing makeup like it's an assembly line - some close to counseling for not making goal and customers taking advantage of the free makeup (kids just in the mall bored/ custies that are demanding an full face of makeup to decide on one eyeshadow...we all know the stories).

I am glad that the $50 min purchase was reinstated for the weekends -i just wish more thought was put into how we are supposed to provide that great customer service that mac so badly wants to see when we are short staffed and ran ragged. (which is another thread ;-)

For the employees, what are your thoughts on this???? Just trying to get a feel for what others think.

 

[erine1881]

Quote:


Originally Posted by ms.marymac
Same here. Now we are just doing it all week.

you guys are lucky! mon-thurs we don't charge. as soon as people hear that, they only make appts. during the week, taking away time for us to do shipment, filling, paperwork, facecharts (which are a weekly requirement that already doesn't get done cause we have to do the other stuff that we don't have time for), etc. then shipment sits in boxes in the stockroom for weeks on end, and nothing is filled. then custies complain cause we don't have their color, or we have to spend 10 minutes downstairs digging thru countless boxes trying to find it on a saturday. we can't win.

it's usually during the week that we don't make plan anyway, so hopefully they will make it a requirement for all appts and walkups, not just fri-sun.

cut and pasted!

 

[erine1881]

hey calbear, even if a custy wants their eyes done, if it's on a fri, sat, or sun, it's with a $50 purchase. it's not just with a full application. if they wan't lashes, fine. no problem. but if they want more than just the liner that comes with it, $50! eyes, cheeks and lips, $50.

today was hell tho, cause every one and their mama was out today to get lashes. our entire walkup list was full of people just wanting lashes. there was an hour wait for them at times. plus we were booked solid with appts., plus the people who were just out shopping like every other saturday.

 

[calbear]

Quote:

Originally Posted by erine1881 hey calbear, even if a custy wants their eyes done, if it's on a fri, sat, or sun, it's with a $50 purchase. it's not just with a full application. if they wan't lashes, fine. no problem. but if they want more than just the liner that comes with it, $50! eyes, cheeks and lips, $50.

WOW! I wish! we have to do 'eye demos' and lashes without purchase. Imagine the line of people demanding 4 colors, brows, concealor, base, liner, and mascara who get up and buy nothing but take up 20 - 30 mins of your time.

 

[erine1881]

Quote:

Originally Posted by calbear WOW! I wish! we have to do 'eye demos' and lashes without purchase. Imagine the line of people demanding 4 colors, brows, concealor, base, liner, and mascara who get up and buy nothing but take up 20 - 30 mins of your time.

yeah, its kinda nice on the weekends. people roll up thinking they're gonna get their makeup done cause they're going to the club and we have to drop everything and make them look gorgeous. then we say, "sure, we can do your makeup. just to let you know it's with a $50 purchase." then their smile fades, and they get all shitty about it. yeah, keep it up. now i really wanna do your makeup. then they say they just want their eyes done. again, "sure, we can do your eyes. just to let you know it's with a $50 purchase." they aren't having that, so they turn around and walk off all pissed, yelling about how it isn't fair that they gotta pay.

 

[ms.marymac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by erine1881 Quote: Originally Posted by ms.marymac Same here. Now we are just doing it all week. you guys are lucky! mon-thurs we don't charge. as soon as people hear that, they only make appts. during the week, taking away time for us to do shipment, filling, paperwork, facecharts (which are a weekly requirement that already doesn't get done cause we have to do the other stuff that we don't have time for), etc. then shipment sits in boxes in the stockroom for weeks on end, and nothing is filled. then custies complain cause we don't have their color, or we have to spend 10 minutes downstairs digging thru countless boxes trying to find it on a saturday. we can't win. it's usually during the week that we don't make plan anyway, so hopefully they will make it a requirement for all appts and walkups, not just fri-sun. cut and pasted!

I posted this in the other thread, but I'll repost it. What I meant was we were also stuck doing free makeovers all weekend, and then they changed the policy, now everybody comes during the week. It completely defeated the purpose of the charge.

Calbear's post=

(where's the bowing smilie?)

Anyway, I completely agree. I am not gonna go into all of my views because this is on the net. A lot of people think of us as the place that does free makeup, and don't even realize that we are there to sell makeup. I am not even kidding.

 

[lara]

Do you guys have pre-pay/pay-in store credit prior to beginning the make-up?

 

[erine1881]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lara Do you guys have pre-pay/pay-in store credit prior to beginning the make-up?

unfortunately we don't at my counter. we just gotta hope that they actually buy at the end. if not, we at least have their name down from the appt. book or walkup list so that in the future we can keep an eye out for them incase they make another appt.

the only possible option we would have is to have them buy a gift card before hand, but even that won't work cause we only take macys gift cards. and since those are accepted anywhere in macys, we aren't guaranteed the purchase from that card. the $50 has to be redeemed in product and bought immediately before or after the appt.

 

[*KT*]

For classes they make customers purchase a giftcard and then "hold it" to buy makeup that day.... couldn't the same be done for applications?

Could you charge up the $50 giftcard, have them pay for it, and then say "I'll just hold this here at the register for you. (leave register and start moving towards chair) So are you interested in trying out some colors from our newest <whatever> collection or did you have something else in mind?"

I think if the "we'll hold onto it" thing was breezed through as if it's policy, you leave the register and direct the customer back to what they really want in the first place (getting you to wave a magic brush) that most people aren't going to say "But can't I hold onto it" and use the card elsewhere in the store.

As a customer, that wouldn't bother me in the least. Of course, I also wouldn't high tail out of there without purchasing the required dollar amount (or more) before leaving.

I don't work for the cosmetics industry, I just deal with sometimes annoying/demanding I'll-pay-later-and-then-never-do sorts of situations at my work a fair amount. So if my idea above wouldn't work, feel free to disregard my intrusion.

 

[KimmyAnn_678]

I work for Macy's (we don't have a MAC at our store though) but when I told everyone at work that some MAC's require $50 purchases, everyone was so jealous. At our Macy's we're not allowed to say that you're required to purchase anything, but they really do like a 2 item purchases, we can only suggest it though.

 

[Ambonee]

The only problem I've noticed with the $50 min purchase is that people will come back the next day and return it anyway because for whatever reasons...and in essence it just messes with your numbers anyway!

I wish there was a stamp we could put on the receipt/CRL's that said "Demo/exchange ONLY!" So people can't get away with this. Like the bride who comes in and buys $300 in make-up just to return it days after her wedding! It's maddening!! I feel like we are a make-up rental store---ew.

 

[weezee]

Speaking as a customer, I don't mind a minimum purchase rule at all. If I am getting a makeover, I'm taking that MA's time away from other customers and doing other things. I mostly like to have my eyes made over cause I'm not good with color combos but I want to learn techniques too.

 

[erine1881]

Quote:

Originally Posted by *KT* For classes they make customers purchase a giftcard and then "hold it" to buy makeup that day.... couldn't the same be done for applications? Could you charge up the $50 giftcard, have them pay for it, and then say "I'll just hold this here at the register for you. (leave register and start moving towards chair) So are you interested in trying out some colors from our newest <whatever> collection or did you have something else in mind?" I think if the "we'll hold onto it" thing was breezed through as if it's policy, you leave the register and direct the customer back to what they really want in the first place (getting you to wave a magic brush) that most people aren't going to say "But can't I hold onto it" and use the card elsewhere in the store. As a customer, that wouldn't bother me in the least. Of course, I also wouldn't high tail out of there without purchasing the required dollar amount (or more) before leaving. I don't work for the cosmetics industry, I just deal with sometimes annoying/demanding I'll-pay-later-and-then-never-do sorts of situations at my work a fair amount. So if my idea above wouldn't work, feel free to disregard my intrusion.

we do that for the classes too. so far we haven't had a problem with people leaving and not paying. but if it does become a problem, then we may have to go to the gift card option.

 

[erine1881]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ambonee The only problem I've noticed with the $50 min purchase is that people will come back the next day and return it anyway because for whatever reasons...and in essence it just messes with your numbers anyway! I wish there was a stamp we could put on the receipt/CRL's that said "Demo/exchange ONLY!" So people can't get away with this. Like the bride who comes in and buys $300 in make-up just to return it days after her wedding! It's maddening!! I feel like we are a make-up rental store---ew.

we get that too. it pisses me off when they do that, but it means that they have to take the time out of their day to come to the mall and return it. if they continue to do that, hopfully it will annoy them enough and they will stop asking to get their makeup done in the first place. and if they don't stop, i just won't give them their receipt, and when they come to return it, they'll just get store credit. i don't have time to deal with immature people that think they can get out of the $50 purchase in then end. i won't put up with it.

 

[amoona]

Ok so we USED to have a stamp on the weekends that would say "NO RETURN/EXCHANGE ONLY - MAKE-UP APPLICTION". Sadly the powers that be took it away from us. So now we still have people who get a full face done buy and then return at another Macy's location or even at our own location haha. NO SHAME!

As far as demos go, we have limited it A LOT! Girls coming in for eye demos get all the same look. Brown highlight, Soft Brown and a paint pot on their lid. Carbon to line the lid and mascara. THAT'S IT! No brows, no conclear, no gloss, no blush. We bust them out in like 5 minutes. If they insist on wanting more we tell them they can make an appointment for another day with a min. purchase of $50. Usually they take a hint and go elsewhere. And we also stop doing eye demos at 8:30. We just started this and so far it's going ok. However some artists are still not following it and of course the person stuck doing the demo isn't them!

I think it needs to go back to $50 min. all week long even for eye demos. Locations like yours and mine get abused all the time and it's not fair. One weekend one of the girls was in so much pain from bending over the chair to do demo after demo after demo that she had to go home early.

 

[MissVivaMac]

yea we have a $50 minimum purchase on weekends and special days as well...

it makes me so mad when people complain about it!!! HELLO! Doing your make up for 45 minutes is a service! I dont go to the nail salon and expect my nails done for free! Just like when you do an eye demo for free and then they ask, "O can I try some of your foundation too?" then they dont buy anything! Next time I get my nails done I am gonna ask can you try that color on all my nails?

MAC wonders why we have hiring freezes all weekend long for FAFI we were doing FREE make up?!?!?!? Since it was a corporate event we couldn't have a minimum purchase and no matter how you word it to a customer all that sticks in their head is the idea "FREE"!


grrrrr....sorry that was my rant haha

 

[COBI]

As a customer, I personally don't have any problem with a minimum purchase for application.

I honestly wouldn't even think of taking someone's time if I wasn't serious about purchasing so it would be a non-issue for me to be told there is minimum $50 purchase. In reality, that's not really a lot of money to spend in the store/counter.

On the other, I am sure you know your regular customers that always spend money, and you don't really sweat showing them an application every now and then because you know they aren't just there to waste your time.

 

[chocolategoddes]

All these customers who abuse the concept of free makeup applications should read a lot of the threads on this forum. Its almost kinda sad.

 

[erine1881]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissVivaMac yea we have a $50 minimum purchase on weekends and special days as well... it makes me so mad when people complain about it!!! HELLO! Doing your make up for 45 minutes is a service! I dont go to the nail salon and expect my nails done for free! Just like when you do an eye demo for free and then they ask, "O can I try some of your foundation too?" then they dont buy anything! Next time I get my nails done I am gonna ask can you try that color on all my nails? MAC wonders why we have hiring freezes all weekend long for FAFI we were doing FREE make up?!?!?!? Since it was a corporate event we couldn't have a minimum purchase and no matter how you word it to a customer all that sticks in their head is the idea "FREE"! grrrrr....sorry that was my rant haha

we charged for fafi! back in september, we got a letter from corporate saying that all makeup done fri-sun and holidays was with a $50 purchase, as well as new launch events. i don't know if that was regional thing, but we charged for fafi.

 

[glamourgirl216]

yea we have a $50 minimum purchase on weekends and special days as well...

it makes me so mad when people complain about it!!! HELLO! Doing your make up for 45 minutes is a service! I dont go to the nail salon and expect my nails done for free! Just like when you do an eye demo for free and then they ask, "O can I try some of your foundation too?" then they dont buy anything! Next time I get my nails done I am gonna ask can you try that color on all my nails?

MAC wonders why we have hiring freezes all weekend long for FAFI we were doing FREE make up?!?!?!? Since it was a corporate event we couldn't have a minimum purchase and no matter how you word it to a customer all that sticks in their head is the idea "FREE"!




yeah tell me about it! those customers even have the audacity to say to us " what do u mean there's a $50 min. purchase?? i come in all the time and i never have to buy anything! and i just want my eyes done! so someone needs to do my makeup!" oh and my favorite... " i don't wear MAC, so i don't want to buy anything. i just want my free eye demo"
can u believe this!!! ???
mean while we're all thinking... yeah u have been here all the time and we did do your makeup, each and every time. and now that we have this commitment to buy policy, you're getting mad? SO UNGRATEFUL!!!
i just can't believe that people think that we're in the wrong? it's a retail cosmetic company!!! we need to sell the makeup, not just do makeup all day long.

things are so bad at my counter that they had to let one artist go in order to cut back hours, since we're not making plan. we were all in shock that they did this and didn't even warn us before hand that they were thinking of doing that. we are all very sad to lose our friend, she was an awesome artist. now we're all scared about our employment at MAC, how do i know if my position is next on the chopping block? it sucks!