PRESSURED SALES TACTICS - WE ARE ALL VICTIMS

Last month I spent 2 weeks working in Hawaii. Total bliss you might ask? Well, no…..but I’ll spare you the boring details since no one wants to hear me complain about being paid to work in Hawaii 

However, I will say that the whole experience was hell on my skin. I normally use a Clarasonic facial brush (in pink, of course!), but I didn’t pack it for this trip. After two weeks of layering on sunscreen,  my pores were in need desperate need of a detox!

For general maintenance and also to prepare for my super-fab trip to Napa Valley, I had a deep cleansing facial at the spa today. This was my first visit and I chose this one because they only use AVEDA products.  I realize that AVEDA is not for everyone as it can be overly-herbal, but I love it and was in heaven today with a lavender themed treatment.  


The Trickery:
After I’ve had am amazing hour of relaxation, the esthetician asks me to get dressed and she will meet outside the door with a large glass of cucumber water. Great – sounds delish.

With my delicious water in hand, Ms. Esthetician begins complimenting me and saying what a joy it was to do my facial- blah blah blah (sounds fake to me). As we're walking towards the counter she steers me to the product display and starts in on the ‘Hard-Sell’.

Exact Quote: “These are the products I used on you today” (points to 20 different products….and begins to explain the purpose of each one).  “Which ones would you like to take home today?”

I’m not a fan of the pushy approach, and where I normally would have dropped major cash on new products – it wasn’t happening today. I felt caught off guard by the fake compliments and still a bit loopy from being so relaxed (maybe that was her intended strategy…..).

When I explained I was attempting to downsize my beauty products instead of adding more, she became bored and left.
 

She was recommending I use the entire embrightening line (of course - they always push the 'entire' line). Has anyone else used these products? Any comments? 

If I'm still thrilled with how my skin looks (it's dewy & refreshed, btw) I will go back and purchase them (or order them online). I would love to throw away all of my treatment products away and start over. But there is a sense of obligation to use them since you have aleady invested the money. It's a vicious cycle.

I'm curious how others feel about the hard sell of products. It can be very awkward and it happens at the hair salon, the spa, the clothing store - essentially everywhwere.

I just think the hit-em-hard approach doesn't work. Or does it? What is the ettiquete of selling products that compliment services? 

3 comments:

Gawgus things... said...

The 'hard-sell' approach makes me dig my heels in and even if I did want them in the first place, I would get them elsewhere. It really bugs me, but on the other side, I know when I worked as a beauty therapist, I only got minimum wage, we had sales targets to meet that were quite tough and I got commission on what I sold so you sort of had to push the products. Rubbish, I know..:)

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Hot Pink Combat Boots said...

I know what you mean about the employee just trying to make a living. But isn't that where tipping comes in? In the US it is expected to tip 15-20% on all services. Is that the same for you?

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