I was thinking about this recently after a few poor experiences, and a couple of good ones at the counters. My interests in a brand and its products waver a lot, but a good experience keeps me returning to it and a poor experience can make me boycott a brand. Its just how I roll 🙂
I personally refuse to buy anything from Make Up For Ever locally, because the SAs at Sephora (where its sold) have, on the 2 occasions I’ve been interested to buy anything, been brusque, pushy and on a memorable occasion, refused to allow me to purchase a foundation I wanted, because to them, I should take one 2 shades darker and more yellow. I know, go figure.
On the other hand, I regularly return to a certain Crabtree & Evelyn store to pick up Christmas goodies or any goodies, because the SA there is a lovely lady who is helpful and friendly no matter when I drop in. Its the sale industry, and like it or not, sales assistants are for many of us, the first point of contact with a brand.
Have you experienced a situation where a poor experience with a sales assistant turns you off a particular brand? Or maybe you had a good experience and that keeps your interest in a brand?
I’ve had another poor experience lately with a sales person of a luxury brand I love – Guerlain. I had had dealings with this lady before and have on more than one occasion made purchases from her primarily because the counter is convenient for me, not because she’s the friendliest person in the world. I’d been snubbed before, but the most recent experience was the last straw.
Without going into detail, over a few visits and communications, I got a surly, almost unpleasant treatment and blasé attitude. I was pushed sets I wasn’t interested in, told I could pay for items first with no guarantee when I might able to pick them up, and it just totally rubbed me the wrong way. I don’t expect to be treated like a beggar by anyone much less at a cosmetics counter. Its just makeup! She actually even said she didn’t mind if I didn’t buy anything from her. Very strange but there you go. An SA who didn’t want to sell me anything I wanted to buy.
Normally, I would have been turned off the brand but as its one I’m a fan of, I chose instead to boycott that counter or specifically, that SA and just go to another one. I later went to a different counter, had a very pleasant experience with a different SA who was friendly and helpful, even without knowing what I was about to purchase. I also had a very pleasant encounter with another SA from the same brand. He was friendly, enthusiastic and helpful so clearly, its just that one person. I know her attitude has turned off not just me but others too. A friend goes out of her way to avoid that specific SA, preferring not to buy anything than give her her business.
Last weekend I was at a Chanel counter where the SAs were quite busy, but one of them took the time to sit me down, test the product I was interested in on my skin, offered some tips on how to use it and was helpful but not pushy in suggesting other items I might be interested in. The brand is one I had lost interest in for a while, but her friendly attitude drew me back in just for a little while.
Brands, if you are reading this, I trust you realise that your sales assistants are the front liners of your brand. A poor experience can turn potential customers right off, and a good experience can turn them into lifelong fans. I personally expect more in service from a luxury brand than I do from a mass consumer or regular department store brand. Its true whether it is cosmetics or accessories. When I don’t get it, I choose not to patronise the stores locally, and buy online instead or just choose to omit the brand totally from my collection. There are so many options these days, loyalty is highly subjective.
Have you had a poor experience that turns you off a brand? Or how about a good one that made you a fan of a brand?
Sometimes, I think its pure luck in discovering a counter with friendly staff. Granted, they are all human and are entitled to a bad day now and again, but I think in the service industry, that bad day should be kept to yourself. I’m not a difficult customer most of the time. I just go to the counter, and tell them what I want, and pay for it. Doesn’t get easier than that. Some customers can be horrible, I know. I’ve seen it and its embarrassing. I know what its like being in the service industry and having a bad day; but sometimes, you just have to suck it up and smile and get the job done, no matter how bad your day may be. That, is good service and that, makes people return.
Paris B
I have stopped buying Chanel products for years now and it was mainly due to the SAs especially those at Parkson Pavilion. There was this one time which really put me off, was there buying their whitening products and half way through a few High-so (in Bangkok it means ladies of leisure dress to nine with nothing better to do) walked in tested some of the lipsticks and my SA was too eager to serve them rather than wrap up her sales with me and mind you the products I am about to buy easily cost 10 times more than the lipsticks. Some SAs really have attitude problems.
I actually had a decent experience at Chanel Pavilion the 2 times I was there but I will have to say that Chanel SAs do tend to be among the snootier ones, for sure. I rarely get one who will even smile but whenever in do I always seem to pick up something. Hmm…
Oh, that was actually a huge topic among my friends lately. I agree with you 100%! Often people tell me, I look younger, well, that’s nice but almost every time I go to a specific counter and want to buy something, they tell me: teenagers don’t need a red/vampy lipstick, you are waaaay too young. hm. When I tell them how old I am, they look at me and just go to another customer.
The same happened with skincare: you don’t need that, you have good skin, blah, blah and refused to sell me a cream. hm. The worst thing is when they make you feel stupid. Most of the time I know what I want and I refuse nicely if they keep asking/saying that I ‘should’ (aka pushing) try this or that. I have my favourite stores where I shop, I don’t go to the other ones anymore.
I had very bad experience with Guerlain SA and I just adore this brand. I now have a very lovely and unbelievably nice SA, who really is actually interested in what ‘you’ say and is listening, etc. I have to say, till now, I never had a bad experience with a Dior SA, I am not very in love with this brand (ok, this changes now a bit, they released some awesome products) but I told the SA that and she still was nice, gave me some samples and said: please come back and tell me what you didn’t like, we care about every customer. amazing, I think she loves her job as well (and tbh, sometimes I feel, like some people shouldn’t work at retail).
I could go on and on, lol. Guerlain, if you are listening, I love you but please … a lot of your SA are just rude.
Oh my, Claire, this problem seems quite universal! I can’t believe we are ranting about SAs from the same brands lol! I do try not to tar the brand after a poor experience but I guess we can’t help it especially if its our first experience with it. If I wasn’t familiar with Guerlain already, I might just swear off the brand thanks to the sour puss SA or in another instance, disinterested trainee.
Oh, totally agree with u on the MUFE part! I am a big fan of MUFE cosmetics, especially their foundation. But ever since it’s being sold exclusively only at Sephora, I started to wander to other brands, reason mainly being the attitude of the SA’s and also the lack of perks. Well, I used to always get some free gifts with every purchase, but since it was sold as Sephora – not anymore. And I notice, most of the SAs in Malaysia are not really very experienced – especially those working in a store like Sephora, where alot of other cosmetics brand are sold. I feel that since they’re not dedicated to one brand only, they don’t really take the effort to learn the history/story behind the brand – this their lack of understanding on the brand’s image. And being the end user, I tend to be deterred from purchasing a certain brand when the SA don’t know what they’re talking about. I mean consumers nowadays are so much smarter, most of them did research, read blogs for instance before purchasing. So when SA tell me for instance, how I should take care of my skin, it annoys me. Because every person’s skin is different. And yes, I do know I need to double cleanse if I use makeup. And I also know which shade of foundation I am. Honestly, it annoys me, when I am wanting to try out a new foundation, and when they ask which shade I am, I ask them to try out – they always manage to give me something darker. And the lighting in the shop really isn’t helping as well. Sorry for ranting Paris, but honestly, I really hope SA’s are well trained before they’re ready to be put to work. They really are the first point of contact with a brand. If they’re rude, or sounds too pushy, or worse – not knowing what their brand’s image is all about, I think its a put off.
Oh good, Carol, it’s not just me being sensitive about the MUFE SAs at Sephora! I gotta agree with you. The brands really should invest a little more in training their staff. They are the ones selling it after all, and advertising can only bring awareness not sales. Oh and you get the darker foundation thing too? It’s weird huh? It’s like, whatever happened to wearing foundation that suits MY skintone? Lol
I had lovely service from a Guerlain SA at Pavilion last year. For the life of me, I can’t remember her name but I do remember her face. The next time I went back, I was served by a younger and much snarkier SA. Such a turnoff!
Good customer service is a huge thing for me because it reflects the company’s culture and training. Unfortunately, the quality of customer service for most places is really bad unless you are dressed up or with a group of Datin-types. I remember being ignored at a Lancome counter when my mother and her friends coincidentally turned up. The SA rushed over to fawn over them and tried to brush me off when I walked over. She turned beet red and sullen once she realised that one of them was my mother. We ended up going to another Lancome counter instead.
I usually stick to the Clinique and Chanel counters in Suria Sabah. The customer base is much smaller there so the SAs really make an effort to provide great service.
It must have been funny seeing the reaction when the realization dawned that ou were related to the woman she was trying to impress! The thing about a brand like Lancôme is that there are usually counters in every major department store so really, if they are in a mall, they better buck up because it’s a matter of walking just less than 5 minutes to find another counter who might provide better service!
Very smart of you to write about this issue. However I ignore the bad experiences and good ones make me come back again and again.
I try not to ignore but I do make a conscious effort not to patronize a counter or an SA I’ve had a bad experience with. Why repeat the agony 😉
I totally have to agree with u regarding MUFE at Sephora. I kinda had the same experience you did and ended up with a foundation 2 shades lighter!
However I had a GREAT experience with the Dior counter as their first time customer – friendly, not pushy and generous with samples! Definitely will be returning again soon. (Just so you know, your posts on Dior products have always tempted me to have a go at them and I’m glad I did! Thanks PB!)
Hahaha OMG I can’t believe we have the same MUFE experience! We should just go and swap foundations after that 😀 I’m really happy to know I’ve enabled you into trying something from Dior. They are recently doing some very good stuff! That you and a good experience is great too 🙂
Oh boy…I could write a 20 page essay about this topic if I want to. 😛
Yes, customer service is very VERY important. It has definitely deter me from certain brands and cause me to become loyal to certain brands. I have even boycott a certain department store’s fragrance department just because of the numerous times the SAs were rude and pushy, and basically didn’t care about me as a consumer.
On the note of Chanel. I’ve had numerous wonderful experience with a lady SA from the Gurney counter. That has really cause me to be more interested in their products, and the root cause of me spending my money there. 😀
Haha I think we all could write a thesis on our SA experiences. I now get why you’re such a big Chanel fan! I went to the Gurney counter once a couple of years back and was largely ignored while some Chinese tourists were being served. Then again, they were buying up the counter and I was there just for one lipstick so… 😛
A good SA can sell me the entire counter (and has. I owe much of my lmdb/guerlain/dior purchases to the SAs)
You, my dear could sell me anything from LMDB and now a grey face powder. Wha…?? 😛
I would never boycott a brand because of it’s sales people, as I just don’t think I’d be able to follow through with it! :p
I haven’t yet had a truly bad experience, thankfully. But I have walked away from a MAC store to purchase what I needed from a MAC counter because I was ignored for 5 minutes (even after SAs have walked past and given me eye contact). But that’s about as much as I’ve done. Hopefully, I won’t have any truly horrible experiences; but if I do, I would probably be more likely to complain about the SA or the counter/store than boycott that particular brand or location. That’s the power of social media now — I can quickly take to Twitter and have my feelings and experience known.
I’ve also had plenty of positive experiences; the most memorable of which was this SA named Audrey (see? I even remember her name!) at the Jo Malone counter in Holt Renfrew. She was so lovely and so helpful — I ended up buying a $150 bottle of perfume and pretty much fell in love with a brand I never intended to even check out.
Actually Dani, you’re right. I find it hard to boycott a brand per se but I will boycott the local distribution… and buy overseas or online 😀 I think you’re a lucky one to not have had a bad SA experience, and I love it especially when fragrance SAs are helpful. That is an area I find hard to navigate, and a helpful SA can make the task easier! I still haven’t checked out the sole Jo Malone store here. I have to remedy that soon 😀
Aaahhh… ranting opportunities huh? 🙂 Before I understood more about cosmetics, I was very intimidated by the SAs. Lucky for me, speaking English in this country automatically raises your status to be first class citizen… muahahahaha! <– Tine, wanna move to Thailand for good? :p
If an SA is particularly nasty, I will purposely speak to her (or shim… man there are so many of them here!) in English only and watch her/shim suffer with language struggle… hihihi and best of all, after all that effort she made, I walk away with simply "thank you", smile and walk away pretending I don't understand a thing she has just said. :p
But in general, the service industry here is much better than Malaysia (yay!!). I get a "wai" (thai's way of greeting or saying thanks, bow with palm together) at cashiers whereas I get black faces in KL (not all, but often). You are being addressed as "Khun Puh-ying" = lady (in a very formal very polite manner).
On one occasion I took my MiL to have a makeover at one Bobbi Brown counter that I have never been, the SA (this case it's a shim) even left us her phone number and told us apologetically that she will be moving to a new location so if we would like to have future makeovers with her, please find her in the new place. How nice is that!! To add on top of her niceness, while she was doing my MiL's face, I was fooling around swatching nearly every eye shadow colours available at the counter but she was very patient. HAHAHA
Usually, if an SA is being pushy I just reply with "no thank you, I am using the same from other brand", or "I still have tonnes of these left" and they will back off.
I actually had pretty good service at Nars and Suqqu Bangkok despite the language barrier. Despite the fact the SAs couldn’t speak a word of English nor I Thai, they managed to push me in the direction of a foundation colour that suits me (although the texture didn’t) and products that suited me. I have generally always had good service in Thailand barring some isolated incidences. I think its a cultural thing, sometimes. The Thais are so polite! Sometimes, I think the existence of a language barrier actually helps with service – they don’t bug you LOL!
yes SA’s have a lot to do with how you take up a brand!!! I do like brands with good non-nosy SA’s who won’t follow you around and leave you be.
That, and SAs who don’t make unwarranted comments about your skin when you don’t ask. Hate that too!
Haha, “heaty” topic, we can go on and on and on on this….
PB, I know which Guerlain SA u mention. It’s a pity coz that counter at the Gdn is the only place I’m convenient to get Guerlain, but that SA really is there to push away rather than welcoming customers. It’s funny why she wanted to be a SA in the 1st place since she’s so not enjoying being one. Becoz of PB I wanted to try Guerlain, but becoz of her, I didn’t ( yet, until I can get to other counter ).
And oh, there are SA who would belittle and criticize on everything : your have oily skin, you have large open pores, you have uneven skin tone, you have dark spots… wrinkles, dry dehydrated skin, pimples….. juz to sell you the most incredible serum or cream that can treat every single flaw on your face that she’d mentioned. And if u don’t buy from her, then you are doomed, there’s no cure for your face oredy. Thanks but no thanks to these kind of SA.
And now, an unofficial award for friendly and helpful SAs who had treated me nicely, even if I only go to get sample, in no particular order : Jeannie Chai from Estee Lauder Isetan Gdn / Amy, Sisley MJMV / Xin Yi, LaMer MJMV / Clinique in front of Parkson 1U…
Sigh, you too Bugs? I suggest trying Irene at Isetan KLCC. She was very helpful and friendly. I’m never buying from Isetan Gardens again so long as she’s there 😛 As for SAs who think scare tactics work, I think they probably did … 20 years ago. These days, people aren’t as gullible as before, and really pointing out that I have freckles or pigmentation is not rocket science. I know I have it and if it doesn’t bug me, I don’t see why it should bug anyone else LOL! I think I may have encounted Jeannie from EL before. Sweet girl right?
I definitely agree with you, sa can make or break the purchase. Its not so much of a problem for me now that i do most of my shopping online
Thankful for online shopping, if only to avoid nosy SAs! 😀
Great post! To me the SAs can totally make or break a brand. I never bought anything from Benefit or Bare Minerals because of my experiences. The SAs at both counters were really rude and took that approach of OK insulting me to make me feel needy – told me I looked really old and my skin was horrible. It actually isn’t it’s just a bit dehydrated but even if it was there are other ways to help solve a problem that don’t require insulting a customer.
Oh boy Benefit SAs are very pushy! I usually take a big detour so I don’t have to go near the counter, else they’d be badgering with perfumes or asking to try products. I read once from an ex-Benefit SA that it was their sales tactic and what was taught to them, so really I suppose we shouldn’t blame the SA. Its how they were trained to approach the customer, good or bad!
Service is very important, there is one counter which I will never ever return to which is the Dior counter in Sunway Pyramid!!!!!!!! There is one auntie there, her attitude is the worst I’ve ever seen!!!!! Whenever I go and looks at their products she will just keep looking at me as if I’m gonna steal from her counter and if I ask about the product she would just not answer me!!!! Talking about bad service!!
Ugh! That sounds terrible! I didn’t have marvellous service from Dior Isetan Lot 10 either. The auntie there wasn’t terribly helpful.
definitely. I’m happy to browse on my own but when I get friendly lovely SAs I’m more likely to walk away with something. Most of the time though they either stare at me like I’m a thief or not worth their time or harass me by following me around and it’s like if you can’t be bother being there, then don’t become a salesperson. I’ve worked in retail before and it’s hard work but you need to put on a smile for every customer.
The thing is, I’ve seen how some people behave at cosmetics counters and really, some customers are horrible people. I’ve been told of how testers get stolen, or how almost empty bottles get returned because the product “did not work for them” or even how they come and scoop out samples from the jars and never buy. And then, there’s us the consumers who really want to buy or try something. I guess sometimes the SAs can’t differentiate us. Pity really because then they lose a sale (us) and still have to contend with the awful ones (them) Sigh…
Ugh, I’ve had so many bad experiences. You have to know that in Germany, there is a polite way to address adults, and a casual way to address younger folks (under 18), and despite my being over 20 for a couple of years now, I almost always get addressed like I’m a high school girl, and I find it really rude.
If I swallow it up (thinking, “oh well, you look young”), some SAs can be rather nice, but it still turns me off most of the time.
I boycott The Body Shop because even when I just go in to buy perfume or shampoo, they ALWAYS try to push their acne line on me, which I find extremely rude. (Plus, I can’t use tea tree oil, but of course they won’t believe that.)
Yesterday at Kiehl’s, the SA also tried to tell me that “natural ingredients are better for sensitive skin” – as if people didn’t react to things like lavender oil. Does he know every possible allergy a person can have?
I’ve always been really lucky with SAs in Japan, though. Seriously, they were always soo nice, most of them even remembered my name, university and purchase history. O_o (Then again, they probably don’t get many white girls shopping their shelves empty. xD) That really hurt my wallet! XD
Well the good thing is Kiehl’s is not at all that natural, you can show any one of their product’s ingredients list and blew him/her away 🙂
Aww Julia, you must look so young! 😀 Well, good for self esteem but not so nice when you want to be taken seriously. I get peeved too when people push natural or organic products too much. I have personally reacted to a natural/organic product and I happen to know that it doesn’t work for everyone, or could even be more abrasive or reactive than a chemical based product. I guess they just go on what the company tells them, which isn’t always correct. Sigh… As for service in Japan, I think nothing quite beats them 😀
I will not buy from Chanel Tangs Orchard. Just simply refuse to. I try to avoid Guerlain, Shu Uemura, Dior, Estee Lauder, and Clarins at Tangs too. Preferred counter for Guerlain is at our DFS Galleria Orchard.
I’d rather buy from Chanel boutique at Ion Orchard although it means I get zero discount.
Your post is timely. It reminds me of my Tom Ford experience yesterday. The SA told me “see you again” in a very reassuring way that he sincerely looks forward to my next purchase. Of course I know it’s really the money that they look forward to, but oh well, it does sounds sincere enough that he looks forward to service me as well.
And the NARS counter is nice too. They seem to get it that SG consumers are IT-savvy enough to do all the research before buying. Let us get our way, including testing multiple lipsticks on the lips at your own sweet time, yet at the payment stage, they are still really good. So kindly obliged to my request for a sample of NARS Sheer Glow.
It seems that NARS and Tom Ford both made exceptional effort to hire SAs who really wish to serve. Otherwise, I generally dislike SAs at Tangs Orchard.
I know what you mean about many of the Tangs Orchard beauty staff. There was once i came across a young, male SA from Chanel here though and he impressed me with his product and brand knowledge and he wasn’t pushy to push sales. Eventually, i bought several items even though i could have gotten them from DFS at a discounted rate. Upon purchase, he even came up to me and offered me several samples of items he thought might suit me and that i might like them. That was a really nice, unexpected gesture. However, i couldn’t find him anymore at the next visit. I love to drop by Burberry at Tangs too. There are two SA there. The lady SA is lovely! Knowledgeable and sincere. Even when i did not buy at the first couple occasions, she will sincerely offer me tips to achieve the looks i want. To me, this is having passion for the job, the brand and the products. And i see/respect them as a professional makeup artist instead of a regular SA selling their products.
I’ve only bought 1 item from Tangs Orchard a long time ago – Dr. Hauschka. I was interested in the brand and the SA took the time and trouble to talk me through the different products, plied me with loads of samples even though I didn’t buy anything yet. I ended up buying 1 product that I liked. Recently, when I stroll through Tangs though, I get the once over and maybe they think “tourist” and ignore me. Ah well… its good to know Nars and Tom Ford are nice places to visit. I do plan to check them out the next time I’m in Singapore 😀 (Oh and I love the DFS Galleria! So fun! LOL!)
Oh yes, and that brings me to Dior boutique store under Sephora Ion Orchard. I really love the boutique stores because their service is significantly better than departmental store counters. Dior boutique checks my purchase history, and happily throws in loads of samples/free gifts for me.
As someone who hasn’t quite gotten to a point where luxury items such as high end makeup/clothing/bags are a possibility yet, I haven’t personally had to deal with many annoying SA’s. However, I am absolutely terrified that my first experiences will be terrible when I finally plunge in. I’d rather be ignored than badgered, as it’s really pushy salespeople who would get on my nerves. How does one say NO, especially if a salesperson is nice about it?
I recently went into a Skinfood store (my local mall here in the States just opened one), and the sales associate, who couldn’t have been more than a year or two older than myself, would not stop talking about or introducing me to new products! It was actually nice at first, as I didn’t really know where to start, but after two or three product introductions, it became increasingly awkward. I just wanted to browse, but I ended up being followed around and told to try everything I came near! Would it have been rude for me to just brush her off somehow? She certainly didn’t come off as trying to be pushy, more like over-eager employee, but ultimately, she was making me uncomfortable and I had made it rather clear I was just browsing. Ugh.
As with anything, I think there is a delicate balance to be struck, and quite frankly, salespeople need a lot of training and interpersonal skills in order to really understand how to interact with customers. A company has to invest a lot of time into this, so I can understand, from a fast paced business perspective, how this could be something that falls through the cracks if a company is making a profit either way. I definitely don’t think it’s right, and companies definitely know better. Here’s hoping that everyone can find good sales associates for their needs!
Eeps! I had the same experience at Skinfood here, too Laura! :O I stepped in to browse and the SA was kind to point out a few of their top sellers. I said thank you and that I was browsing and she stepped back. I walked a little further on, stopped to take a look at one item and up she popped to tell me about it. This went on every other step I took and was highly irritating in the end. Ended up getting nothing of course. Too harrassed to shop! LOL! I hope when you do go to a department store counter that your experience will be a good one. I think a lot of the time, it boils down to luck too but that can really make or break the deal 🙂