Frustrations With MAC

[Meryl]

Re: MAC Frustrations

My MAs are very knowledgeable about current launches... that's all I can ask for. As long as they can answer questions about something that's in the store, I'm happy.

I don't expect them to know much about launches far in the future... that's why I come here to Specktra.

 

[rbella]

Re: MAC Frustrations

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacArtist Just my two cents.. I work for MAC and we learn about new launches at our updates. This one is scheduled for early July so how would we know about what is coming up before we've been? Info is being leaked here (not that I mind, I like to see what's coming up too). So, in closing, please don't blame your local MA's if they don't know whats coming up...we just haven't seen the new launches yet! Yeah, and after it launches, if the MA's can't tell you about the products then that's not a good thing lol !!!

I'm not blaming the MA's at all. I blame MAC headquarters. I think the leaks are intentional. I think if they were an "accident" on MAC's part or true "leaks" then it would be nipped in the bud by now. Not that I don't totally love Specktra and Janice for giving us this information. I just feel MAC is doing a disservice to those who truly are "addicted" and "macoholics" by not keeping their own employees informed. All it does is annoy those of us who are in the know when we want to ask a question about an upcoming launch to an MA and they look at you like your a nimrod.

 

[rbella]

Re: MAC Frustrations

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meryl My MAs are very knowledgeable about current launches... that's all I can ask for. As long as they can answer questions about something that's in the store, I'm happy. I don't expect them to know much about launches far in the future... that's why I come here to Specktra.

Again, I'm not pissed at the MA's. And, I LOVE SPECKTRA!! I just feel that as a business owner it makes sense to keep your employees in the loop. I am irritated with MAC headquarters, not MA's, not Specktra. Just MAC corporate.

I probably shouldn't have said anything. I just feel bad for an MA when I know more about their product than they do.

 

[blindpassion]

Re: MAC Frustrations

I understand they learn about products at update and that makes sense
but everytime I mention a collection their like "uh what?"
lol so I love specktra

but my counter has had sonic chic for a week now in the back... thats very early for them. Im getting a sneak peak soon

 

[rbella]

Re: MAC Frustrations

Quote:

Originally Posted by blindpassion I understand they learn about products at update and that makes sense but everytime I mention a collection their like "uh what?" lol so I love specktra but my counter has had sonic chic for a week now in the back... thats very early for them. Im getting a sneak peak soon

Oh hell no!! I'd bust back there and make them give it to me!!!! J/K

 

[CantAffordMAC]

Re: MAC Frustrations

Quote:

Originally Posted by MACpro__* I agree. I hate knowing more than the MA, lol. It makes me look obsessed.

I hate that feeling. LoL I've been going to my store more lately and I will see something that I've been thinking about getting and I'll tell my MA "Can i try on ______" and he'll put it on and I look and say "Oh, I love it, I want one" So it looks like I just go there and buy stuff on impulse. But really I've been looking at it online for a month.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rbella OMG!! That's how I feel. I feel like they think I'm some freak that is so obsessed with MAC....Which I am!!!!!!!!!!!! Today I went to Nordie's MAC counter and met an MA named Kyla. I loved her. She will be my go to from now on. She was so sweet, gave me samples and about 6 of the colour forms brochures!! How nice is that???????? I told her about Specktra. I hope she joins. She is so pretty that I wanted to punch her just so she would have a flaw. J/K.

I told my MA about specktra and he said a lot of people come in there and tell him to go on specktra.net. I was like AGHHHHH foreal??? He said he will try to but I guess when ur an MA it doesnt excite u quite as much, since u know u will have update sooner or later n u get to see the products everyday u work...

He didn't know there was gonna be a price increase though, he says just the mascaras. I told him I knew about every collection frm now til december and we laughed. I hope he doesnt think I'm crazy...I doubt it though

 

[blindpassion]

Re: MAC Frustrations

Quote:

Originally Posted by rbella Oh hell no!! I'd bust back there and make them give it to me!!!! J/K

hahaha I know!!
I was like "AHHHHHHHHHHH SNEAK PEAK!? PLEEEEAAASSSEE"
they all know me really well
haha they know I might faint if I see them though I think theyre looking out for my health!

 

[erine1881]

Re: MAC Frustrations

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacArtist Just my two cents.. I work for MAC and we learn about new launches at our updates. This one is scheduled for early July so how would we know about what is coming up before we've been? Info is being leaked here (not that I mind, I like to see what's coming up too). So, in closing, please don't blame your local MA's if they don't know whats coming up...we just haven't seen the new launches yet! Yeah, and after it launches, if the MA's can't tell you about the products then that's not a good thing lol !!!

EXACTLY!!!

 

[lilrumpkinkb]

Re: MAC Frustrations

i can understand an MA not knowing about collections that don't come out for several months if they dont see the leaked info. but i was at a mac counter 2 days before Cool Heat came out, and i told the MA at the cashier i was excited for cool heat and would be back soon to check it out, and it seemed she had no idea what i was talking about! but she didnt object me coming back to buy more, lol

 

[rbella]

Re: MAC Frustrations

Quote:

Originally Posted by erine1881 EXACTLY!!!

Actually, Erine, I was thinking of you when I wrote this. I thought it would be nice to have a MA who was as well informed as you are. That, oddly enough is what spawned my frustrations. I remember you posting that you hadn't gotten any info about the launches (one of which is coming on July 8) and yet you weren't going to update until July 7. It just doesn't make sense to me. I don't think it is fair to you. Luckily, you come here and find out all this great information thanks to Specktra, but not every (actually most) MA's don't.

Unfortunately, I don't have any MA's around here with your type of knowledge and it is frustrating. I think my problem is that I am looking at it as a lack of communication that is happening between the general public and the customer service. ALL OF WHICH I BLAME ON MAC CORPORATE, NOT MA'S.

Anyway, I mean no disrespect to MAC MA's, especially you Erine. I value your opinion greatly.

 

[anuy]

Re: MAC Frustrations

i used to work at MAC and i think that corporate tries their best to let us know of upcoming collections. there is just sooo much info that for non MAC obsessed MA's they just don't think about the collections coming 3-4 months away from now. also, updates are quarterly so stuff like the holiday collections may not even be in the next update but the one after that. but compared to other lines MAC has way more artist training / updates / launches overall so i can't complain.

that being said, it really isn't MAC's fault when MA's don't know collections that are CURRENTLY out. i went to another counter to pick up something that had run out at the mac store and my counter and the MA had no idea what product i was talking about. i find that unacceptable. but i don't think it's MAC 's fault because i know there was an update on it and maybe the MA just wasn't paying attention. but i don't mind if they don't know about collections that are 2 -3 launches away because it probably slipped their mind and they just need to refresh w/ the update book. i mean there is just so much other stuff in life that ma's have to worry about like bills etc that they shouldn't have to know whether or not a pigment being released 2 months from now is a dupe of a pigment from a collection a year and a half ago.

also, i am a huge specktra fan but i think it's kind of annoying when a custmers tried to come in and tell me how to do my job and wanted to show off how much more she knew about upcoming collections than me. there's a difference between genuine enthusiasm and trying to seem better than the MA and trying to make us feel dumb!

 

[aeroSOUL]

Re: MAC Frustrations

I personally think that specktra has a crystal ball only used for MAC up comming launches...

 

[jaclynashley]

Re: MAC Frustrations

IMO my favorite MA Muffin (Nordstroms at Fashion Show) is really helpful !
Though she knows about Specktra too .

But here in Puerto Rico the employees at MAC are just down right idiotic .
They just nows recieved Neo Sci Fi but they still had Naughty Nauticals .
The only plus side to them being behind was that I got Bell Bottom Blue and Mutiny piggies .
And when I asked them about Cool Heat the woman there looked at me as if I was a lunatic !

 

[LMD84]

Re: MAC Frustrations

it is frustrating when the MAs don't know about up and ocming collections however i know exactly how they feel. with my job i get major nerds and geeks coming in showing off their product knowledge on the latest tv technology and they only do it to make me feel stupid (which iof course i am not). what is most annoying is that of course these nerds are most of the tiem correct with their infomation and it's thanks to leaks to engaget.com and various other electronics websites. half the time customers do know release dates and such before i do. whihc sucks but that's what happens when people leak things. plus we also battle with teh fact everything comes out in japan and the usa first and alot of the time we get different products to them anyways!

but try and lay off the MAs. it's not their fault most of the time!

 

[mizzbeba]

Re: MAC Frustrations

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaclynashley But here in Puerto Rico the employees at MAC are just down right idiotic . They just nows recieved Neo Sci Fi but they still had Naughty Nauticals . The only plus side to them being behind was that I got Bell Bottom Blue and Mutiny piggies . And when I asked them about Cool Heat the woman there looked at me as if I was a lunatic !

So how does the store just receiving Neo Sci Fi make the MAs idiotic? Please keep in mind that MAC in Puerto Rico is fairly new so many of the MAs are just learning about the products seeing as there are only two places to get MAC on the island. Maybe you can talk to them about specktra?

 

[jaclynashley]

Re: MAC Frustrations

Quote:

Originally Posted by mizzbeba So how does the store just receiving Neo Sci Fi make the MAs idiotic? Please keep in mind that MAC in Puerto Rico is fairly new so many of the MAs are just learning about the products seeing as there are only two places to get MAC on the island. Maybe you can talk to them about specktra?

I never said that the fact that they just got Neo Sci-Fi was idiotic .
I thought it was rude that first of all I had really bad customer service and that the woman didn't know about the collection that just came out !
It's not like I was talking about the Chill collection .
All I'm saying is that they should at least know the next collection and possibly have more MA working instead of making me wait for 30 minutes .
And I should have them learn about Specktra .
But for now I'm going to try shopping at the MAC Pro store and see if I recieve the same customer service .

 

[nelyanaphonexia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beauty Mark This isn't to insult anyone here, because I know that there are fabulous people and not so fabulous people, but I noticed that I get much better service at the freestanding stores than a counter in a department store. I thought MAC was supposed to control both the freestanding and counters very closely.

I have had that same exact experience. I love one or two of the MAs at my department store counter, but when I go to the freestanding store or the PRO store in DFW, I seem to get much better service from everyone there. The MA that helped me out in the PRO store was AMAZING!! She literally showed me all her fave products in the whole store and helped me find things that she thought would look good on me and we played with the Chromacakes and paint sticks until our arms were rainbows.

Maybe, its because the customer is different? That is what I would expect.

I know if I was an MA I would probably prefer working at a PRO store more-so than a dept. store counter. Plus, getting to play with Chromacakes would be a blast everyday!

 

[DirtyPlum]

Re: MAC Frustrations

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaclynashley IAnd I should have them learn about Specktra . .

Why do u feel they have to learn about Specktra?

With all due respect to Specktra and Specktrites, I dont think Specktra is the be all and end all of MAC! MAC provide us with the knowledge when they see its necessary and no sooner or later. If there are going to be any changes, they are great at communicating this to the store managers.

Why alot of ppl feel MAs need to know about collections so far in advance, im not sure? How would it benefit customers or MAs exactly? I had a customer come in store in May asking for Big T e/s. I said it was LE and rec'd her similar colours and explained LE. She wanted that exact shade so I then told her abt Cool Heat coming out (in UK) in July and mentioned there will be teals and v v similar shades coming out. She looked at me,like yeah right I'm gonna wait another two months! What more could I do, she wanted it then and there (dont we all??!) ...

As a customer and MA I want to know abt whats hot right now and yeah maybe whats coming in the future but its not the end of the world if I dont know what kinda MU trends I will be wearing in winter. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it...

I agree its wrong that some MAs dont know about current collections or the upcoming ones (i.e. within that quarter) ... but our trainers dont expect us to know all the upcoming collections or know exactly every colour coming out and how dis/similar it is to x, y or z (except for current season, obv).
At Update we are not taken into depth about every colour - yes the information is provided to us but the trainers dont sit there and go through each colour and talk abt them in depth. Neither do we really get that much time to look at every single product (unfortunately). Usually there are abt 20 of us and one tester of each product out. A lot of them have the working names rather than actual ones too so we arent always going to know the exact name until they come in store...

Our Update training days are jam packed with lessons, customer service workshops, videos, tasks etc and as a trend based company we are informed about current trends and associated techniques as a whole, rather than individual colours.

Yes as a MA it is our responsibility to look through our note books and read abt the colours etc and most of us do (I cant speak for everyone) but at the same time we cant be expected to know every single name and its dupe! There are some MAs who are addicts and may know about specktra and all the product names etc but not all.

I have only met one other colleague who has actually heard about Specktra... and if it was such a big deal, the powers that be would tell us to log on every night but they dont... cos we hear it from the horses mouth, as and when we need to. which is enough.

I know this thread it about ppls frustrations but sometimes I think these frustrations need to be cleared so you guys can understand us better and see where we're coming from too... hope u dont mind.

and finally... phew! I really hope you all have better experiences when you next go to MAC.

Love DP
xxx

 

[Paramnesia]

For me i get annoyed with:

-Prices here... omg don't get me started... paying at least double for the some product here is just crazy

-I actually find a lot of MA's are very rude to me, I'm not sure why. It does kind of hurt that i can't have a nice relationship with the MA's here like so many of you here do but that's their loss... i don't buy from people who treat me badly.

-MA's who don't know a thing about up coming collections, even when they've already been released in the US for a couple weeks. I asked about the VAE at the pro store before it was here and the MA snubbed me off.

-When you B2M here you only get the choice of a lipstick which really bugs me because I'm allergic to most lip products so i have a heap of empties sitting around my place just incase oneday i go to the US or Canada.

-Late collection releases, oh that bugs me big time... as far as i know cool heat isn't even up on the MAC Aus website.

Though i still love MAC products, i have no probs with products just some policys and MA's.

 

[Jello89]

I dont expect a MA to know all the upcoming collections especially if they are months and months away. I do get annoyed at the MAs at the counters at the bay. Really piss me off. When I went to pick up a Mineral blush...The MA suggested me love joy. In the lighting in all it looked good. However, with my mediocre skills, I wasnt able to make it look good. WAYYYYYYY to dark, im like NC20. Anyway, I go to exchange it. I wanted to know if dainty was similar to Hipness, I have hipness but coulnt tell if they were similar. I didnt want to blushes that were in the same color family especially if they are close together. So I asked the MA, she seemed to get upset at me for asking that. As if it was the most stupid question in the world. Told me that Hipness was way more orange, and anyways the texture is totally different. I said that I agreed, the texture is totally different, but if they are similar in color,I didnt want it. She then kept repeating way more orange and different texture. Anyways, I jus tbought it and tried it at home. Its not like hipness so fiou. -_- I know this sounds silly but its frustrating when they look at you like you are not worth there time. At the pro store, alway excellent service. Never was I served by the same person, and each time, it was amazing. I think ill stick to the pro store. It could be that the MA was having a bad day and all, but it seems to happen often at the counter at the bay in dt montreal...I guess they do there job however they please. I dont let it piss me off for more than 10 min LOL Just hope next time I go they are a bit nicer!