Product pushers: Salesgirls gone wild

My new power plate trainer Kim just started seeing me for facials after a disastrous microderm at a very popular med-spa. One problem was that the esthetician sold her a cleanser that was just not working for her skin. Poor Kim was having serious reactions from it, and when I researched the line and ingredients I took her right off the crap. Lousy line.

Last week, she finally went back to the spa to return the product. The esthy was at the front desk and got very awfully pissed that she was returning the product. “You saw someone else for a facial and that’s why you are returning this!” “This is THE BEST line out there, your skin can’t be reacting to it!” “Fine, do you need some soap, how about trying some hand soap!” Apparently it was so endless, the receptionist had to step in.

I also had a crap sales experience that same weekend. I wandered into the cosmetics area of Nordstrom and was poking around La Prairie. The saleswoman really wanted me to buy their Caviar Eye Cream.  “What else is in it, besides the caviar,” I asked as I patted it around my eyes. “Oh loads of stuff that’s really good for you–La Prairie works at the cellular level.” She kept repeating that it worked at the cellular level. WTF does that MEAN, it works at the cellular level? Then she got mad at me when I tried an eye gel over an area where I placed a tiny dab of the eye cream. “These products are too strong for that!” Umm, I think my cellular level can handle it.

I generally like La Prairie’s product; it’s a good lux line. I actually think it is better than La Mer.  But La Prairie should be ashamed to have this saleswoman prattle about product working at the cellular level.  Let’s face it, most skin care cos make that claim these days.  And if it really DID work at the cellular level, the FDA would be all over it.

I did not buy the cream because she annoyed me. And after 20 minutes, it puffed out my eyes.

So I dealt with a shitty product pusher and poor Kim dealt with the wrath of an angry esthy who did not want to lose her $3.50 commission on the returned product.

I get how hard it is to push product. I do my fair share of product pushing, and it is downright difficult. But I don’t believe in berating or belittling to make the sale. That’s just shitty.

I suppose that’s why there is such an allure to the drug store, where you can just browse at your leisure and not worry about nasty women picking apart your flaws or getting steaming mad at you for perceived crimes against beauty.