im A LITTLE upset.

[JediFarfy]

Here's what I think, based on 7 years of retail experience and loooots of female managers.

Your manager has decided she doesn't like you. Maybe she thinks you're prettier than her (which you are, btw

), maybe you made a comment about something and she took it wrong. Maybe you complimented her when she was in a bad mood/pms/etc and she just got angry. Who knows. And you'll never find out.

Everytime you talk to her, she's going to give you the same answers you've gotten. She thinks they'll make you feel better. Hell, you'll keep pushing expensive items, which increases sales, and makes HER look good.

I hate to say it, but with that manager, you'll probably never get that promotion. In retail, it's not about "deserving". The new girl will be paid more, but not as much as you would if you received the position. That's a savings in the eyes of the company.

Retail sucks. I think I'm starting to sound bitter.

JF

 

[Indian Barbie]

Have you thought about informally consulting a lawyer about it? Or talk to someone higher from Ulta human resources...

Or get a job at mac/dior/estee-lauder and laugh at your manager when you hand in your resignation!

 

[burnitdown_x]

I wouldn't go as far as getting a lawyer about this...

From what I've read you seem truly qualified. I agree that you need to have skills in order to sell, but selling is important too. If items aren't being sold then... that's just not good. More sales = great for your manager. But, if she doesn't have a valid reason at all I would definitely talk to someone of higher ranking at ULTA? I don't know what to call that haha. I've seen some of your fotds, and they are just flawless. If your manager can't appreciate it then... I'm sure counters like MAC will :].

 

[deven.marie]

When i asked her what i need to work on she said "just keep continuing to do what you are already doing."

AHH!!!!!

if she doesnt promote me for the holidays i will definitely go somewhere else and throw it in her face. i think JediFarfy is right, lol. My manager seems really fake-nice with me. Like as she's smiling at me shes thinking, "bitch."

I still make more prestige sales than the new girl. She walks up to people and says "hi do you need help finding anything?" and of course the customer is like "no, im just browsing."

and im like, woooow, nice sales technique. i see why you got this position over me. sike.

i dont think i will take it up with headquarters or anything, because i dont really have anything legit to present to them. ill just give it 2 or 3 more months and if nothing comes from it, ill leave.

 

[SunshineOne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by deven.marie thanks so much everyone. so i asked my manager about it today, i walked in and i was like "im not upset or anything (lol) but i just wanted to know the reason behind katie (new girl) being in prestige? i spoke with her and she told me she had no experience with makeup so i was just wondering how that decision was made?" and she was like "well she worked at abercrombie & fitch for 2 years so she had a lot of sales experience, i've seen you making improvements and sales, just continue on the same path and we can possibly place you into prestige." blah. so its like she sees what im doing, but is still like its "POSSIBLE" we can place you in prestige. i dont mind staying a beauty consultant for now, its not like i plan on working at ulta for the rest of my life. it just sucks to know that they're only looking for sales and arent focused on those who actually have skills and experience with makeup. it seems like you have to have those skills to make sales. how can you sell a product if you cant properly demo?? ill hold out for the holidays. im thinking they're gonna be hiring a lot of people as beauty consultants and might bump me up to prestige.

Deven_Marie,

I'm so sorry this is happening to you.

If I were you I would start activating my plan B = move on to a better opporutnity. Keep doing what you doing and exceling at your current job but start searching for a new one. With retail everything is cyclical. The holiday season is right around the corner and IMO the best time to find a good retail cosmetic job. I would target the higher end retailers in your area.

HTH

ETA: I just read your last reply....If you going to make a move do it NOW. Please don't wait until the Holiday season is over because that is the SLOWEST time period in retail.

 

[darkbeauty27]

Oh, I know what you are going through reminds me of! About 4 years ago I worked for Estee Lauder and was getting paid $9 an hour at Dillard's. I even had experience working in retail before from Victoria's Secret and Estee Lauder but they still started me off pretty low, and this was a no commission job. Anyway, this little 18 year old girl right out of high school starts working at the counter and was getting paid $18 an hour! Why? Because she knew the manager...they both used to model together or something. She didn't have any retail or cosmetics experience. Nice how it sometimes works, huh? Made me feel like crap.

(Btw, no offense to 18 year olds in general, but this one had 0 retail or cosmetics experience and was getting paid so much more than other people at the counter).

 

[deven.marie]

You're right SunshineOne, it will be hard to get a job after november/december. so hopefully they will promote me by then and save me the stress of trying to find work somewhere else.

and darkbeauty, i'm only a year older than this girl so i shouldnt be like "yeah she's straight outta high school" since im only a soph. in college, but still i know she has no cosmetics experience, and it seems like she only applied for the job because we were hiring, unlike myself, i was actually interested in being in the field and excited about working with cosmetics.

i just hope things dont get worse, as in, they hire 4 more people into prestige before me!

thanks for the support everyone

 

[burnitdown_x]

Your boss's reply! omg. So dumb. I don't get how she tells you to keep doing what you're doing. In other words, there's basically nothing she needs you to work on. You never know maybe she knows the girl that she put in prestige.

 

[Sass E]

Devin.Marie,
Do you mean that since you started working there 4 people have been hired into prestige when she knows you want that position?

I agree with burnitdown....if you just keep "doing what you're doing" then just keep expecting to be passed over. The other gal (sorry didn't get your name) has another good point. If she just keeps "ignoring" your efforts and hiring others into that position, she has something up her #%* as far as why she won't promote you.

Keep your chin up.. you should put in apps at counters that interest you. Get a feel for what's out there while you still have this job, you never know what opportunities could be available to you.

 

[sherox]

ugh! That's completely unfair I feel mad for you! lol I think you should just do what you're doing there for now and try to find another job! Since you already have that sales experience under your belt AND your make up is amazing I'm pretty sure some other make up counter in a department store would hire you!

 

[FantaZ]

I've been there and the best decision for me was to resign. They made empty promises that never came after a year of working overtime. I gave them the benefit of the doubt but I was fed up after seeing people less qualified, getting a higher pay and doing less work than me.

You're still young and you have talent so I'm sure you won't have a problem looking for something bigger and better. You can wait til the holidays but in the meantime look for something else. Good luck woman!

 

[mae13]

Hmmm. There could be two reasons behind this, and two strategies for dealing with it.

If your manager is a good one, then she's hiring and promoting for the business needs. And for a store like Ulta, where the focus is on sales and not artistry, she's probably looking to put people into positions that will giver her the most bang for her buck. (If you guys do chair time, she's probably not putting the best artists in there, but the ones who are great salespeople, if that makes sense?) In this case, if she's making logical decisions to better serve the business (even though they don't look logical from your end), your best bet is to approach her and ask for a development plan. Tell her your ambitions and have her sit down with you and work out a clear, goal-oriented, measurable action plan for getting you there. It should have specific timelines and opportunities for mini-evaluations on your progress. A good manager is always interested in developing her people, both to move them up through the company and for their own happiness and productivity.

Now, if she's a bad manager and isn't looking long-term (either in terms of what works for the business or in terms of developing her staff), then she's probably making poor hiring decisions. She might be letting personal biases affect her judgement. In that case, you honestly might not have much recourse other than leaving and pursuing your interests elsewhere.

 

[deven.marie]

mae13, i dont think she is a "bad" manager but she definitely doesnt fall into the "good" manager category. i have specifically asked her what i need to do to be promoted to prestige and she gave me the "keep doing what you're doing" answer which i'm starting to think is just bullshit.

but now i might be moving back up to tacoma after this semester anyways, so i'd have no choice but to quit. but thats a big MIGHT.

 

[Tashona Helena]

I don't wanna down the manager...but just hearing that the girl used to work for the same company I do, for the same amount of time, and was promoted mostly on that...made me think. I KNOW she wasn't a manager, because you have to have a four year degree. And being a model at AF doesn't have the same job duties as a beauty store. Asking "would you like some fierce" and ringing isn't a huge kick for customer service...especially since A&F is one of those brands that sell themselves...I see it everyday. I'm sure it's the same in your region.

So...with that said...I agree with the others that you either need to approach her and tell her to give you more than "just keep doing what you're doing" (because c'mon, if you're not to that level yet, there's GOT to be SOMETHING that's not getting you there. Just ask what's gonna take you over the top or something like that...phrase it in a way to get a rise out of her). If she avoids giving you a valid answer...I say try to get out of there. Because you don't deserve to keep getting looked over if you have the skills. And especially since you WANT to improve, and have the heart to ask if there's anything else you should be doing, and have the interest to learn and grow...any company would be glad to have you as an employee, point blank. I've heard managers say that they like fresh faces, with desire to learn, even w/o experience, because that gives them the chance to mold them and make them great salesmen. So anyway, yeah...don't let it get you down girl. You're so better than that, wipe away those tears

 

[smexiebinks]

Ahhhh!
You're gorgeous! In my eyes, anyone that has overlooked and not given you the position is serioualy foolish! I believe that with your talent and beauty, you will be able to make great sales!

Hope everything goes well for you

 

[Sikfrmthemirror]

hahaha Ulta honestly sucks. I got called in for two interviews, while there telling me that its between me and another girl. I went to M.U.D. I have like 4 years experience in freelance make up working with all kinds of brands, so they liked me and said they would be calling me back. all the girls said it looked like i was going to get it and i called and called and finally they told me the position had been filled. bull puro bull.

 

[aleksis210]

Omg! I would be so insulted, I would seriously look for another job. Seems to me like that don't value you at all! I was thinking "WTF?" too when I was reading this!

 

[BlahWah]

Wow, your manager sucks! I agree with those who say you should leave asap. It's a long time to suffer between now and the holidays and I'd think that they'd mention to you they were thinking of promoting you for the holidays if you could achieve XYZ, especially since you've been quite interested for awhile. I think they're stringing you along.

Go where you'll be appreciated. =) And where you'll be happy. And where you can get crazy awesome MAC employee discounts!

 

[MzzRach]

After reading through this whole thread, I would honestly seriously look at other opportunities as soon as possible. Now is a much better time than after the holidays. I've no doubt your talent and skills would be appreciated at a myriad of other companies.

Get yourself out there, and good luck. Consider this a lesson learned, chalk it up to experience, and move on.

 

[LeMacDiva]

I am soooo sorry for what happened to you and totally agree with the others to look elsewhere!! That is totally wrong and unfair. Definitely consider confronting your manager...in a professional and politically correct manner of course. Ask straight up why you were not considered. You deserve an answer. Good luck to you in whatever decision you make.