Archived How to stop goblin guests from opening and using makeup??

[mizl]

Holy cannoli is this a problem in Beauty, I know it's not just a Target problem (hi, Marshalls/TJ Maxx, and everywhere that sells makeup) but boy am I tired of defecting things because the plastic seal is broken, or there's foundation smeared on the pump, or there's lip marks ON A LIPSTICK YOU UTTER GOBLINS. Presence is a big deterrent, obviously, but are there any "hey ask us if you want to sample something" signs we could hang up? Or something?? I wish Target had a big sign that says HEY YOU WOULDN'T OPEN A BAG OF CHIPS AND EAT SOME AND PUT IT BACK ON THE SHELF, RIGHT, DON'T BE GROSS

 

[REDcardJJ]

there's not really a whole lot you can do, other than physically be a presence and interact with the guest before they open it. i couldn't figure out a good way to stop guests from doing that shit during my stint in beauty.

but maybe you could try pitching the return policy to guests? let them know that if they don't love it, they can return it even if it has been opened and partially used. or just get a spray bottle from travel and spray the guests like a cat every time they have bad behavior.

 

[mizl]

Ooh, that's a good idea, we have in-aisle signage about the return policy, although most of the fixtures have broken from guests knocking them off and breaking the plastic clips on the metal arms. I can see about getting more of those.

I used to be a GSA (switched back in January, I picked a good time to get out) and I convinced our GSTL to order tape circles for nicely reclosing packages - I snagged some of those and put them on a small POG I just set of lip products, so at least I can tell when they've been opened. It would be...... difficult to do everything in the department (that tape circles would work on, anyway) but I wonder if that would at least deter people, and make it more obvious when stuff's been tampered with.

I had to defect an ungodly amount of makeup the other day because I went DEEP and really checked everything, obviously I grab anything daily with a broken outer plastic seal, but it would be impossible every day to open every lipstick, every foundation with an opaque cap, every box, etc. Having obvious outer seals on a lot of that stuff (as opposed to inner seals, or no seal at all) might help some. I also want to see if I can find or make a foundation matching list for brands that don't have testers, because a tonnnnn of what people open is foundation. Match with Maybelline testers, see what shade that is in Milani, boom, easy, no goblins.

 

[redeye58]

After seeing our nail polish displays get destroyed over & over, I had to repress the urge to knock down the next school girl I caught doing that & paint her up like a Kachina doll 😡

 

[REDcardJJ]

I also want to see if I can find or make a foundation matching list for brands that don't have testers, because a tonnnnn of what people open is foundation. Match with Maybelline testers, see what shade that is in Milani, boom, easy, no goblins.

yeah, I love this idea! i think if you can offer them a tester that's the right shade for them, and then help them to find it in the brand that they want, you'll be building the basket, driving sales, and stopping the gremlins from opening shit

 

[can't touch this]

Moral of the story: put absolutely everything under a lock and give several people 40 hours to hang out nearby with a key

 

[Bosch]

I tell these idiots to go to Ulta down the block.

 

[mizl]

After seeing our nail polish displays get destroyed over & over

Do you have the clear adhesive things on the bullnoses? It doesn't stop people from doing it, but it helps things look less shitty. I gotta switch some out soon... and entire bullnoses from a TM trying to take nail polish off them with acetone...

 

[can't touch this]

the bullnoses

the what now

 

[Fluttervale]

Holy cannoli is this a problem in Beauty, I know it's not just a Target problem (hi, Marshalls/TJ Maxx, and everywhere that sells makeup) but boy am I tired of defecting things because the plastic seal is broken, or there's foundation smeared on the pump, or there's lip marks ON A LIPSTICK YOU UTTER GOBLINS. Presence is a big deterrent, obviously, but are there any "hey ask us if you want to sample something" signs we could hang up? Or something?? I wish Target had a big sign that says HEY YOU WOULDN'T OPEN A BAG OF CHIPS AND EAT SOME AND PUT IT BACK ON THE SHELF, RIGHT, DON'T BE GROSS

It's cute that you think people don't open the food, eat it, and leave the mess on the shelf.

 

[seasonaldude]

Carry around a fire extinguisher. Spray them when you catch them. 🤷‍♂️

More seriously, I don't know. I see guests do it all the time when I'm in beauty. I find opened and used product all the time when picking orders. It's crazy. It really extends to personal care. Saw a "guest" open a tube of toothpaste, put a little bit on her finger to taste, and then put the tube back in the box and back on the shelf. I actually have code phrases I use on the walkie to inform beauty TMs when I see a guest doing something and I don't have time to guest service them it happens so often.

 

[mizl]

the what now

The bullnose is the part of the beauty shelving that sits at like 45° and holds the shelf labels. Target has clear adhesive strips that go over them so you can peel them off when they get covered in nail polish and replace them.

 

[Shani]

I used to stop so many people from testing stuff when I worked in cosmetics. Nail polish especially cause that always got hit the worst. I purposely kept my vehicles by it so I could keep a constant eye on it. My faves were the people that said "I need to see the color!" I'd point out that the bottles are clear. "But the way they go on..." Yeah, yeah, I know. That's the risk you take. Go look up reviews or something before you buy it if you're that concerned about what it's going to look like on. You don't get to paint on the fucking fixtures.

The only solution I have, which probably won't work on every product but still, is to seal things further. Those hot/cold packs in first aid - guests keep busting the bottom of the boxes open to take out the gel pack, then they drop the empty box in one spot and the gel pack in another. So now I seal them with packing tape. Nobody has tried to open them and they're still selling.

 

[mizl]

Packing tape may be too intense for Beauty but I have the aforementioned tape circles, maybe I can get some tape rectangles or something, something that doesn't look like it came from a tape dispenser, those are probably stronger than circles

 

[masterofalltrades]

Holy cannoli is this a problem in Beauty, I know it's not just a Target problem (hi, Marshalls/TJ Maxx, and everywhere that sells makeup) but boy am I tired of defecting things because the plastic seal is broken, or there's foundation smeared on the pump, or there's lip marks ON A LIPSTICK YOU UTTER GOBLINS. Presence is a big deterrent, obviously, but are there any "hey ask us if you want to sample something" signs we could hang up? Or something?? I wish Target had a big sign that says HEY YOU WOULDN'T OPEN A BAG OF CHIPS AND EAT SOME AND PUT IT BACK ON THE SHELF, RIGHT, DON'T BE GROSS

My store would make testers out of the defects and keep them in front of the sealed product. It actually works most of the time.

 

[Leo47]

I don’t even understand testing products unless it’s a fragrance. If I’m out at a store, I (most of the time) already have makeup on. I’m not gonna put makeup on top of the makeup I already have? And if I don’t have makeup on, I’m not gonna just put foundation on my face? Or lipstick on my lips? Then I’m going to look weird. Especially if it doesn’t match. And there’s no point in putting it on my hands because my hands are a different color than my face/neck so it’s not like it would help me match the color anyways. The best way to test makeup would be to purchase it, take it home and try it out along with all of your usual products and then see how it performs during a day of use. If you don’t like it, then return it.

 

[commiecorvus]

How to stop goblin guests from opening and using makeup??

 

[PJ5]

A few signs in the department would probably help, but companies don't implement the obvious sometimes 🤷‍♀️.

 

[mizl]

My store would make testers out of the defects and keep them in front of the sealed product. It actually works most of the time.

The issue is that the defective makeup wasn't 'sampled' hygenically. I don't want to encourage the spread of bacteria.

 

[mizl]

I don’t even understand testing products unless it’s a fragrance.

We have fragrance testers and guests still open the product. 🙃 Like, the testers are just the perfume, and we sell body sprays and mists and whatever too, but... the smell is the same

 

[Times Up]

A few signs in the department would probably help, but companies don't implement the obvious sometimes 🤷‍♀️.

Karen won't be havin' that!

 

[Tessa120]

When y'all figure out how to stop them, let your softlines folks know. People rip apart underwear and socks packages, even though there's a picture and a little opening to feel the fabric. They even rip open the packages that can be unsealed without damaging the packaging.

I don't understand why Target doesn't make more of an effort to dissuade them, since it costs the store money. I also don't understand why people do it; isn't the definition of vandalism deliberately damaging something that doesn't belong to you? I had a woman rip open a package when I was right around the corner, I stepped in sight and told her that the packages weren't to be opened and she had the audacity to say "Oh, I didn't know that." How do you not know that damaging packaging that you aren't going to pay for is wrong?

I dream of inventing an inexpensive generic package to be put over manufacturer's packages, like security boxes, and it cannot be torn, people cannot take the contents out of the packaging. Inexpensive enough that stores will buy it because purchasing them is less expensive than what the damaged packaging costs them.

 

[IWishIKnew]

See also:

People who debox small appliances as though they can't see the picture on the box and tell roughly how large the item is from the size of the box.

People who pull the curtains out and strew them all over the place as though they can't read the package to see how long they are or get plenty of info about the curtains from the folded up parts they can see.

People who pull sheets out, even though the sheet package is literally made out of the sheet material so they can see and feel it just fine.

And so on. People are animals.

All of these take for-fucking-ever to get back in the packaging, if we can at all, and people don't want to buy stuff that's been repackaged because they don't know whether the stuff has been returned or trashed or pieces missing or whatever.

For beauty, we were told we are allowed to sample items for guests, and there are supplies (one-time-use wands, q-tips, cotton rounds, etc.) to test them hygienically. They then get put into a sample bin or something with the tools so people can sample them in the future. We don't advertise this, however, so people don't know unless they're talking to a beauty TM at the time, so in practice it's not something that really deters anyone.

 

[redeye58]

How to stop goblin guests from opening and using makeup??

*me starts refilling bottles of degreaser*

 

[can't touch this]

But how do we stop the gobblin' guests who leave Sbux pastry wrappers and cake pop sticks everywhere