Are you being served?

BEAUTY :The path to the cosmetic counter is too often littered with the perils of poor lighting and pushiness. It's doesn't have to be that way, writes PHYL CLARKE

YES, YES, THERE are some wonderful beauty consultants out there who have transformed many a woman's face and confidence, but difficult as it is to believe in these recessionary times, there are still counter staff who don't seem to realise they are in the customer service industry. Good on, Mary Portas (Channel 4's Secret Shopper),for exposing the attitudes of many a salesperson. She discovered that managers were often oblivious to the goings-on of their staff until they saw the secretly filmed footage of them in action.

Readers often tell me they feel intimidated by counter staff whose superior attitude can be off-putting to say the least. Here’s a favourite riposte: “Get off your high horse, honey, you’re in sales.”

Customers deserve to leave a cosmetic counter feeling good about themselves, perhaps carrying a product or two that suits their needs. They should feel confident that they will be able to make good use of the make-up because it has been properly explained to them. Similarly, should they choose not to buy something that day, they shouldn’t be put off a return visit.

Compare the experience of buying cosmetics with buying fashion. You can happily drift across a fashion floor with an open mind - the layout generally allows for far greater mobility. Ideally, an assistant will greet you and let you know she is there to help. Then – bliss – she leaves you aloneto browse at your leisure and, if something promising tempts, you can try it on in the privacy of the fitting room. You can check all the angles, pull in the tummy and imagine what it would look like had you invested in Spanx and those heels you saw earlier in the shop up the road.

Occasionally there are “wow” moments, when something is a perfect fit and match. I did say occasionally, mind. The key point here is that you have had time and privacy to make up your mind, knowing there is an expert at hand should you need advice or accessorising ideas.

The beauty-buying experience is somewhat different. From the get-go, you are in the most public area of the store, as all beauty counters seem to be just inside the main doors. The only advantage I can see to this is that they are near to natural daylight.

This may not seem important, but it is because the lighting in beauty halls is often of such poor quality that customers often have to go to the door to see how a foundation shade matches their skin. You wouldn’t want to be the shy, retiring type.

Of course, to judge it properly, you should be able to test a foundation at home in front of the mirror you usually use when making up your face. And here’s another pitfall: counter assistants can be quite sniffy about giving out samples – why is this?

I was told of a case recently where a customer, while handing over €100 for products, requested a sample of a mini-sized mascara (very handy for holidays). No, they didn’t have any. In fact they had no samples of anything, anything at all. Now I find that very difficult to believe, don’t you?

Then there is the dilemma of which brand will suit your style. How the consultants are made up themselves should be an advertisement for the “look” they promote.

The biggest difference with beauty is of course that, unlike fashion, you are rarely alone and it’s very easy to get flustered if a consultant is waiting impatiently for your decision.

Don’t be railroaded. If you need some time to think, just say you are meeting a friend for a coffee and would like her opinion. That will buy you half an hour to collect your thoughts, especially if you only went in to buy one product and it has escalated to three. Remember, their job is to sell you as many products as you will buy – and never forget they are on commission.

So head up, shoulders back and look them straight in the eye. Remember, the customer is king. So if you are not getting the service you deserve, vote with your feet and simply walk away.