Experience at MAC stores...

[burnitdown_x]

So a couple of months ago I went to MAC to get an eyeshadow (I already knew what I wanted) so all I wanted to do was just speak to someone who worked there and see if they had the eyeshadow. For some reason none of the employees ask me if I need help which was totally surprising. I tried to get their attention but it's a little hard and awkward. This MA sees that I'm clearly needing help and he just stands there looking at me in kind of a bitchy manner. So I was like fuck it, I'll just ask him for it. And he helps me out. I completely understand that they don't have to approach me first but damn I stood there for like 15 minutes. Worst of all is that when I was trying to look at the eye shadows this chick would like stand in front of all of them and she'd try them, hover over the mirror, and then hover over the eye shadows over and over.

That MAC was a counter in Macy's in NYC. The next one I went to was at Bloomingdale's it's a few blocks closer to me. Again I already knew what I wanted and a lady approached me and asked if I needed help, and she was so nice, and I was good to go. Wasn't even there for 5 minutes. Then two weeks ago I went to this same MAC counter, and I actually didn't know what I wanted but eventually I settled on a tendertone. I was going to ask the MA there if I could get it but he totally ignored me and went to help his woman with lipstick. Which took forever. So me and my friend left and came back. Then he says "I noticed you guys were waiting forever..." well yeah, then why didn't you just help me out? I would of asked someone else but There were only 3 MA's there, one was applying foundation on someone, one was at the cash register, and he was helping the lady with lipsticks and lipglasses, and blah blah.

Sorry I felt like getting that out, especially when people hover over everything and don't realize that other people would like to browse aswell. Oh, there was also something I've been meaning to ask. I realized that at the counter at Macy's they have shelves w/ packaged eye shadows. Could I just go up there and pick one out? Or do I actually have to ask the MA for it, etc?

I apologize for this being so long guys!

Also, feel free to move this thread if it's in the wrong place.

 

[vivalavogue]

I know what you mean. Most times when I'm over at MAC I feel a bit self-conscious, as to I'm a beginner to makeup and sometimes I guess it might look like I don't know what I'm doing cos I'm doing all these e/s swatches on my hands

 

[noahlowryfan]

they should have acknowledge you when you first appear like with a "Hello!". i would have just left that counter and go to another one. they don't deserve your business.

 

[juxt123]

I have had experiences like that where people hover too..and no you can't really grab the color you want lol that would be cool though

 

[burnitdown_x]

Quote:

Originally Posted by noahlowryfan they should have acknowledge you when you first appear like with a "Hello!". i would have just left that counter and go to another one. they don't deserve your business.

Yeah I realized that both Macy's and Bloomingdale's have a second counter. When I was waiting forever at Bloomingdale's I actually went to their other counter and there was only one lady there and then she like left... so I went back downstairs.

 

[rbella]

My MAC experiences are actually totally the opposite. I think it is because I go to the freestanding store. It is packed to capacity with MA's and customers and I cannot move. I feel like I can't breathe and become claustrophobic. They must sense my impending sense of doom b/c usually within 1-2 minutes I am helped and on my way.

I'm sorry you've had such bad experiences. I hope it gets better.

 

[sofabean]

ugh. this one time, i waited for help for a whole fucking HOUR!!!!!!!!!!!!! they weren't even THAAAAAAAT busy. not like crazy busy. the MA said she would help me after the person she was already helping which took forever (but I was like okay, i'll wait my turn until you're done with her) AND THEN SHE LEFT AND DISAPPEARED IN THE BACK for like......... a really long time. SO THEN I asked another MA to help me and she was already helping someone else so i was waiting for her to be done with that person and LO AND BEHOLD she goes and fucking helps someone else after. SO THEN she FINALLY gets to me and it's been like FOREVERRRRRRRRR and when she's done helping me, the MA that was originally supposed to help me comes back from wherever the hell she was. This was in Macy's in downtown san francisco. It was on the 4th floor (I think) where the junior's section was. They had another MAC booth on the first floor (which I was at before the one on the 4th floor) and I was waiting for a while there too so I decided to go upstairs.

I always get horrible customer service at MAC. Even once at a counter in Nordstrom. The guy MA totally ignored me and walked by me several times so I finally just yelled that I need this, this, and that and then he was super niced to me and tried to show me other things to buy, but i was like NO. THAT'S ALL I WANT!!!

I think next time I'm just gonna go off on them and explain that I have money that I want to spend and that they'd better help me if they want my sale. Lol.

 

[NicksWifey]

I've had that issue in the MAC freestanding store that I usually visit and even the one MAC counter at Macy's I've been to a few times. Usually when I go in and I'm able to snag an MA's attention I'll say "Hi, I have quite a few things to purchase today, would you mind helping me?" They're usually very polite and helpful with me after that. I don't go to the MAC store/counter that often, because it's not that close to me, but when I do, that's what I usually do. Most of the time though, I just shop on their site.

 

[II3rinII]

i think being a bartender for 8 years makes me a good MAC artist cuz i can juggle a few customers at once. if im doing a makeover and someone comes in, i greet them and then ask my client if they mind if i go check on the new customer, then i ask the new one if they need help, if they are just looking i say my name and that im finishing up a makeover and to grab me when they are ready. if they need a quick foundation match i will go back to my client ask if they mind if i match them, if they say its ok, i do the match and check them out, if my client prefers me to finish with them i tell the new customer to have a look around and ill be with them shortly. thats what we are supposed to do. i can usually help several ladies at the same time at the lipsticks, without giving bad customer service. yesterday though i had someone in the chair and so did the other two girls, well we got a little busy and i kept having to step away to help customers, because no one else was, well my lady got a little upset and said she really needed to meet her husband and that i kept leaving her to help other people, i apologized and said it was pretty busy and we have to step away to make sure everyone gets served and she said," well yeah , but youre the only one whos helping anyone who walks in" so i asked one of the other artists to please step away and help me out so i could finish my client. its sad when the customer notices things like that. i finished her and she was very happy, after that i ran a report and saw that i had done 10 transactions opposed to the other girls who did like 4 and 5 a peice. it bothers me when artists have tunnel vision. i doubled my sales in an hour and a half once because the other girl who was working was with a client for the whole time and never stepped away to help the walk ups, i was running around like a crazy person, juggling several customers at once. sorry for the rant, i just got on a tangent there. point being, if you come to my store, youll get taken care of =). im sorry you had a bad experience. sounds like their store needs to solve some cust serv issues.

 

[TDoll]

Sorry you had a bad experience!
My experiences at all the stores and counters I've been to so far have been completely the opposite! To me, MAC artists are the friendliest and always eager to help (sometimes too eager) but they are always professional and sweet.
Just last week, I visited the freestanding store I go to most and they were pretty busy. There was an MA doing a makeover and he was standing right behind me where the eye shadows were. I totally didn't expect him to help me AT ALL because he was with a customer doing her make up. He kept asking me if I was alright and to let him know if I needed any help. When I figured out what all I wanted, he could tell because I stopped looking at stuff and started "lurking". He pulled all my stuff, took time to help me choose between two other products and was really nice.

Don't let the bad experience make you feel uncomfortable going to other counters or stores. Chances are, you encountered a few weirdos who weren't enjoying their job.

 

[erine1881]

juxt123 is right. you can't just go and grab what you want from the wall, or anywhere else for that matter. i had two customers today that were pulling shit from the wall. when i asked if they needed help, one of them asked me where the fluidlines were. when i told her they were in a drawer, she wanted me to show her which drawer they were in. HELL NO!!! its bad enough that she was pulling stuff from the wall-and from the front of the row at that! there's no way i'm gonna let her dig thru the drawers!

 

[burnitdown_x]

Sofabean, that's exactly how it went for me. I kept leaving to do other things, and coming back and it was just ugh, annoying.

NicksWifey, that's actually a good idea, because usually I already know what I want and I'd save so much more time if I just... came out with it.

II3rinII, it's great that you can juggle so many people that once, it's sad that your co-workers can only handle half of that... Unfortunately no one at the counters I've been to can handle more than one person at a time. There was this guy giving a makeover, and he paused a minute to get something, looks dead at me, and goes back to the client. He could of made a sale in like... one second.

TDoll, you are totally right, I probably did encounter a couple of people who weren't doing their job. And yeah, I did let it intimidate me a bit because, I am 15, so they probably look at me like "oh great, she's not going to buy anything"... but I always do. That, and like... I'm paranoid that I'll have to wait to get help for an hour again. I'm going back on Monday, so hopefully I have a better experience.

Quote:

Originally Posted by erine1881 juxt123 is right. you can't just go and grab what you want from the wall, or anywhere else for that matter. i had two customers today that were pulling shit from the wall. when i asked if they needed help, one of them asked me where the fluidlines were. when i told her they were in a drawer, she wanted me to show her which drawer they were in. HELL NO!!! its bad enough that she was pulling stuff from the wall-and from the front of the row at that! there's no way i'm gonna let her dig thru the drawers!

Thanks for clarifying that, because I knew that obv. you need to get help from a MA but then I was confused as to the amount of shelves and I was like "wait a minute... can I just go and get it?". It's crazy that she was trying to get through the drawers lol.

 

[Mizz.Yasmine]

I like browsing on my own more then being helped picking shades. I buy alot online unless its a LE collection.

 

[KikiB]

See when I go to the freestanding, I try and go on a slower day or at a slower time because that way they won't feel as rushed. I have a particular MA or two that I like there and usually I have an idea of what I want, but I also like to get the expert advice, say which perm pigment to get next. At the counter I go to, they all know me and one of the counter managers comes into my store all the time and it's to the point that she brought me my Cool Heat that I had preordered to my store! Working retail though, I understand how it is and it's a lot different for you guys because we don't do makeovers, we may be with other clients but we'll sometimes have 7 or 8 people walk in at once and we try to acknowledge EVERY single client who comes in. At the Nordie's I frequent and the freestanding both though, they try to acknowledge you within 15-30 seconds of coming in which is good-I had to wait 5 minutes at a different counter once.

 

[babyjazy21]

Im sorry for your bad experience.
Honestly i feel that at counters MA's are extremely nice but cant get very quickly to you because there are a lot of customers. At the freestanding stores I've had the best experiences! Not only are the MA's so nice but they also get to help you much more because there arent much customers.

 

[Willa]

I totally understand your point
I ALWAYS get bad customer service at MAC
They act snobish and ignore me...
I don't care anymore, I buy online

They got no reason to act like that in front of me.
Just because I don't wear expensive clothes doesn't mean I wont buy.

 

[HeavenLeiBlu]

If you were at the MAC counter in Macy's Herald Square, I see they haven't changed! that counter has had snobby, unhelpful MA's for about 10 years or more, now.

 

[burnitdown_x]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeavenLeiBlu If you were at the MAC counter in Macy's Herald Square, I see they haven't changed! that counter has had snobby, unhelpful MA's for about 10 years or more, now.

Yesss, that's exactly the place I'm talking about.

And I went to MAC yesterday, at Bloomingdale's and the experience was worse than last time... And one of the MA's got into an arguement with a customer and I was like oh shit...

 

[MACForME]

I've had a few bad experiences. The first one that comes to mind, was at Willowbrook MAC (NJ), the SA/MA kept hounding me, but in a condescending manner .."is THAT it?".. I told her I had a LIST.. after each item was the same thing "is THAT it?".
Before I get into the 2nd bad experience, I must admit that there is a day or so that I just don't "put on a full face".. I go to MAC Short Hills (NJ) and need a few things for a client. I wait forever in an empty store, finally I get help, I needed a few different colors, that definatly were not "my" colors, but I had a client that weekend. Not only did I get treated like an idiot.. (ok, I'm a NW20, and i was getting DARK colors) but the MA was not LISTENING to me. After she pretty much told me I didn't know what I needed and for me to "let her" help me. I told her I'm a MA as it is, I have an appointment this weekend, which is what the colors were for.. She looked at me like I had three heads and said "YOU?, You.. are a makeup artist?" (insert snotty snort).. I told her yes, that my client was also a TV personality (which is very true).. She backed off after I whipped out my Pro card.. which always freakin happens, and I hate that.. Don't treat me different when that card comes out.. Because I do remember..
So, after that, i just decided to not go to Short Hills anymore. Besides, my favorite MA, Mari, is back at Willowbrook.. so, I'm good.. now.

 

[lizziefishie]

I guess I have the opposite problem, I've had like 4 MA's offer to help me when I was browsing for only two or three minutes. Maybe I just look lost and confused? lol

I prefer shopping online, every freestanding store I've been to has always been really crowded. I just feel so rushed and pressured.