The Drugstore Makeup Counter: An Expose.

[MAC_Pixie04]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BarrelOfDonkeys Wal-mart does have testers, at least for all the brands that will supply them with testers anyway. Maybelline, Cover Girl, N.Y.C., Rimmel, L'oreal, Revlon, they all have testers. The only one I can think of that doesn't is Physician's Formula. People steal the testers a lot of the time just because they're the easiest to grab while passing by the shelf, but as soon as new testers come in they go back out on the shelves.

Well, I've never seen testers at any of the drugstore brands in my area, until recently. There are testers for the Jemma Kid/Napoleon etc products at the new Super Target, but there are no hygiene supplies for people to try them with, like lipgloss wands or q-tips, or alcohol to sanitize the lipsticks and liners before trying them. So even if there is a tester, they're still unsanitary. Sorry, the whole idea still grosses me out. I don't even use the testers at my store, and I know they're pretty clean because I clean them.

 

[she_loves_it]

Some people dont really have a choice other than to buy stuff from a drugstore though. Being in univeristy means im on a tight budget so i cant afford to drop like $14 on an eyeshadow or $36 on foundation. I just look for the products that still have a seal on them to be safe

 

[Beauty Mark]

I think it's important to make sure the seal is sealed on anything you buy anywhere. People mess with the floor product at Sephora, too.

 

[Willa]

I just read a troubling message on a board I go on (french one).
This girl, in the cosmetics thread, ask for advices, because she applied on a makeup counter job! She basicaly said : Help me, teach me on makeup, I don't know much...

She don't know anything, and the next thing I know she's going to sell inapropriate stuff to people

I don't know man... it's just weird that makeup counters don't ask for related experiences.

 

[greengoesmoo]

I used to buy happily buy some drugstore MU but I found a finger-smudge in a cream eyeshadow! Icky!!

 

[Kragey]

They should have testers out for ALL drugstore makeup. Yes, some little girls end up drawing all over the signage, but I feel much more comfortable buying stuff if I know it's still sealed, and yet I can open up a tube of lipstick and check the color.

And if I ever found makeup with fingerprints or hair or anything like that in it, it would go right back for a replacement.

 

[Kragey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BarrelOfDonkeys Wal-mart does have testers, at least for all the brands that will supply them with testers anyway. Maybelline, Cover Girl, N.Y.C., Rimmel, L'oreal, Revlon, they all have testers. The only one I can think of that doesn't is Physician's Formula. People steal the testers a lot of the time just because they're the easiest to grab while passing by the shelf, but as soon as new testers come in they go back out on the shelves.

Not all Wal-marts. I've been to about a dozen in my lifetime, and only two or three had testers.

 

[jenee.sum]

I don't know how any times I've seen people take a dirty ass lipstick, e/s, anything off the shelf and directly put it on their face!

I work at a popular Canadian drugstore as a cosmetician, and I can say for my company, we do provide testers (maybe not for every single product there is, but we do for the most part). I get asked this A LOT at work, why we don't have testers for everything, and be honest I don't know why. I wish we did, but we don't. But for the things we do have testers for, they get stolen in a blink of an eye! Sometimes DS do put an effort to provide testers for their consumers, but it's a pity that some people feel the need to take it and put it in their pockets as if it's free. As a result, I get angry customers approaching me complaining why I don't have a tester for a certain product. It's too bad b/c some people don't understand it's not MY fault or my company's fault.

We also provide Qtips, cotton pads, sponges, etc for customers for test items out on their hands. However, if they want to try it on their face, that's why we're here! So we can sanitize them properly. BUT, not everyone is smart enough to think of getting a product sanitized before putting it on their face. In that case, we can't help them!

One thing that makes me laugh is....one time a customer asked, "Can I open this to make it a tester?"

WHAT?

Oh Lord.

 

[crystalclear]

I HATE people who open the cosmetics and use them, most places have testers but people feel that they are entitled to ruin products they are not going to buy. The superdrug in town is seriously disgusting people allow their kids to play with the products and they wont use the testers and the worst offenders are chavvy teenagers, quite dirty looking women and the type of people who don't always wash their hands properly after using the bathroom/cover their nose and mouth whilst sneezing or coughing and don't wash after that and spread virus'es and diseases or they spit in the street (those things really annoy me basic stuff that should be automatic, I'm pretty sure I now live in one of the most disgusting, dirty, unhygienic towns in the developed world- I'm from Glasgow and it was never that bad there and no other place I have ever visited was this bad).

In the UK anyone who used a non tester product but does not buy it, could be convicted for theft (it takes all the "goodness" out of it and is not supposed to be sold- unless marked as used). Sadly, most places don't enforce this and knowingly sell the damaged product as if it was unused to people who don't check it first.

The way I see it is: if a doctor tried to take a blood sample with a dirty needle- you'd say no, a shop tried to sell you used underwear, especially unwashed- you wouldn't buy it. So why would anyone buy used makeup?

 

[greengoesmoo]

I am ashamed to say I saw my BEST FRIEND do exactly this when we were out shopping on Weds.

I told her off, on her birthday. I felt like a mean shit.

Had to be done though! I am shocked how staff are not allowed to reprimand shoppers for this! The store girl watched and said nothing as my friend opened an (in placcy wrapping!) eye pencil and started daubing it over her quite grubby hand.