Confronting Guests “Sampling”in Beauty

[Calico Tapeworm]

I work in Beauty and many times I’ve come upon a guest opening product and applying it. Sometimes it’s nail polish, sometimes makeup. I’ve actually stood next to a mother who let her teenage daughter open a bottle of nail polish and “sample” it on the front of the display unit and then actually apply it to her nails. I made my presence known, but neither seemed to think that what they were doing was inappropriate or wrong.
What do you in situations like this? Correct the guest? Come up with a snarky response to shame them? Get a leader?
Do you take the product immediately away and damage it out?
Thank you!

 

[Ashfromoldsite]

We allow sampling in our store. We damage it out, mark it with a display sticker and let other guests continue to use. We provide qtips tho.

 

[Calico Tapeworm]

Do you do that with everything? Or just just certain shades?

 

[Captain Orca]

Put the open bottle of moisturizer down now and get the fuck out of my store you slob.

 

[Kaitii]

We allow sampling in our store. We damage it out, mark it with a display sticker and let other guests continue to use. We provide qtips tho.

sounds like free manicures

 

[NKG]

"Are you finding the right nail polish" will require the guest to respond and acknowledge what they are doing. I used to tell them "let me know what you try so I can take it off the shelves" and then if you get desperate just stand there and clean up after each item they use. Basically guest service them until they stop

 

[happygoth]

So "You use it, you bought it" is not acceptable? How about "Seriously, Bitch?"

 

[Amanda Cantwell]

So "You use it, you bought it" is not acceptable? How about "Seriously, Bitch?"

Forcing guests to buy stuff they open and use... it’s how you build the basket!

 

[Captain Orca]

Don't kiss the customers ass! "Karen, I watched you open a sealed product and that is a form of tampering and is against store policy. I am going to call our asset protection team to deal with you."

 

[happygoth]

Oh, if only...!

 

[60SecondsRemaining]

I once watched someone try out a bunch of cosmetics. After she made her selection, I walked up to her cart and started opening them up and looking at them. When she got upset I just said "oh I thought all of this was for community testing".

She went to the desk and asked for the manager.

Which was me.

Mission accomplished.

 

[Captain Orca]

Worst I've seen is in the grocery store. Big local chain. Name not important. I was checking out the meat and saw a woman poking holes in the chicken packages and smelling the meat. Not a Karen, more like a dirtbag. The meat guy was replenishing stock a few yards away, I called it to his attention. Man, was he pissed off! He confronted her, pulled all the perforated packages (about 5) and told her that she must leave the store. Good for him! Would Target have the balls to do that? I doubt it.

 

[Captain Orca]

Target is work. No getting around that, every position is work. Most of it is not easy both physically and mentally. LOA's for medical reasons and education: perfectly acceptable providing you're past 90 days. Taking an extended leave to fuck around and not be productive and do something cool is a lame ass childish reason. I wouldn't take you back. Adults don't do stupid shit like that.

 

[Yetive]

Sure they do. Sabbaticals, for instance.

 

[Yetive]

As to guests opening cosmetics, we have an open return policy. If they don't like it, they can bring it back, so the end result is the same. When you see this going on, use your product knowledge and selling skills. Ask if they have questions, or help choosing. Being nice will probably result in fewer open packages.

 

[Captain Orca]

Target employees don't take sabbaticals, read the post carefully.

 

[Captain Orca]

Being nice will have zero effect when it comes to product tampering. They'll walk all over you. They open stuff, they touch stuff, how do you know they won't intentionally contaminate a product? You don't.

 

[BullseyeBabe]

I’ve walked up to guests and said, “Do you just want to hand those over to me? We can’t sell them after they’ve been opened. Did you know you can return our cosmetics? I’m sorry, but we don’t have testers.”
Works every time

 

[Tessa120]

Target is work. No getting around that, every position is work. Most of it is not easy both physically and mentally. LOA's for medical reasons and education: perfectly acceptable providing you're past 90 days. Taking an extended leave to fuck around and not be productive and do something cool is a lame ass childish reason. I wouldn't take you back. Adults don't do stupid shit like that.

-cough- Taking a vacation.

 

[redeye58]

Adults don't do stupid shit like that.

Sure they do. Sabbaticals, for instance.

Target employees don't take sabbaticals, read the post carefully.

Maybe Target employees don't take sabbaticals but ADULTS do, read the post carefully.

 

[happygoth]

Target is work. No getting around that, every position is work. Most of it is not easy both physically and mentally. LOA's for medical reasons and education: perfectly acceptable providing you're past 90 days. Taking an extended leave to fuck around and not be productive and do something cool is a lame ass childish reason. I wouldn't take you back. Adults don't do stupid shit like that.

This was posted under the wrong thread.

Also, throwing around words and phrases like "lame ass" and "childish" and telling people to grow up is pretty strange coming from someone who claims to have worked on the planet Neptune. For some reason you seem to have made it your job to chastise posters.

 

[Dead and Khaki]

"AP, can you come over to cosmetics?" With or without actually holding the button.

 

[Captain Orca]

Neptune: levity humor missed, again.

 

[Tessa120]

@Captain Orca You certainly do have an interesting sense of humor, though lately it has not been so interesting and has at times fallen to condescending. It's as if of late when talking about Target you have become far more bitter than when you first came here, which is odd for someone who left Target a long time ago. And @happygoth is right, you've started picking on others.

And starting a sentence with a conjunction like "So" is acceptable and has been acceptable for centuries as long as it is not immediately followed by a parenthetical expression.

 

[happygoth]

Neptune: levity humor missed, again.

I'm fine with the Neptune stuff - it's a bit off-kilter and whimsical.

What I don't get is the rudeness to other posters. You have no idea why that other poster wants to take an LOA. Perhaps they have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a chance to travel somewhere, an internship with a favorite company, or maybe they do just want to goof off and be unproductive - what's the big deal?