Sephora is home to all the skincare, beauty, and makeup you want. The store is known for having helpful workers who allow customers to touch, smell, and experience the products before deciding to buy them. The extensive selection, great loyalty rewards program, and strong reputation make people love this store—but here are 15 things you may not know.
Unpopular Products Get The Boot
Some stores will keep unpopular items, but Sephora does not. If an item is unpopular at Sephora, it either quickly gets phased out or, in some cases, is returned more quickly. They want to prioritize the products people want to see versus those they don’t. No official list of what leaves and stays gets released to the public, but employees sometimes make customers aware.
The Insiders
Sephora has a community known as the Beauty Insider Community. It allows you to show your look, speak about the makeup and formulas you love, get advice, and engage in groups for discussion. This is also a great way to find discontinued products that you want. The insiders are a genuinely beneficial option for anyone who loves the company because they can be invaluable.
Perks Abound
If you like service and perks, Sephora offers them in spades. You can have a complimentary mini-makeover, obtain consultations (for a fee), join a free loyalty program, enjoy the benefits of the Insider program, attend beauty classes, and use your points toward products. Sign up for the loyalty program, and when you reach a certain level, you may even get to meet celebrities at a meet and greet.
They Don’t Like Resellers
Some employees have mentioned that customers cannot buy more than six of the same item—except for situations like a bridal party or an event. This policy is in place to discourage resellers from buying up products to sell them at other establishments or online.
They Have To Be Made Up
One rule that many people may not know is that if you work at Sephora, you have to be made up. There are guidelines to ensure you look professional, and makeup is required. If you can’t wear makeup, this wouldn’t be the job for you, as a minimum amount is expected.
The Employees Are Experts
Many of the staff undergo a training program—a month of highly intensive training at the company’s beauty school. There, they learn about the science behind creating fragrances, their application, the history of makeup, and skin physiology, just to name a few topics. They also learn how to interact effectively with clients.
Getting Free Stuff
Employees have said that if you work at Sephora, you constantly get products from companies to try out. On a good day, you might even get a “ticket” from the manager for free items. In addition, employees receive a discount that increases during the holiday season. It’s a pretty sweet job if you love skincare and cosmetics.
Getting The Right Shade
Knowing what color foundation to get can be a serious challenge and can cost you if you don’t find the right match. Sephora has a device that scans your skin and shows you the shade you should use. It gives you over fifteen hundred options but narrows them down to what would best benefit you.
They Can’t Name Brands
Employees at Sephora aren’t allowed to name-drop. So if you ask them if they’ll recommend a particular brand, they won’t. They can tell you which lip product is good and works well, but to get around the name-drop issue, ask what other shoppers are buying. That will give you a good idea of what’s popular and well-liked.
Samples
Samples are fantastic, and employees are instructed to give them out. That means you can get trial sizes of almost anything when you shop there. The general rule is you’ll receive three samples per visit. When shopping online, you can choose three items you’d like to try. Also, be sure to check out the beauty deals section of the store for discounts.
Return Policy
The return policy at Sephora is more customer-friendly than you might think. The store will take back makeup—regardless of its condition—within two months of purchase. However, some employees feel it’s unfortunate that they have to throw away makeup that doesn’t have much use because they consider it incredibly wasteful.
The French Connection
Sephora was actually founded in France in the 1970s with the idea that consumers would have an open-sell space where they could try products before buying them. Today, Sephora has its own in-house label, offers hundreds of price points and products, and is a great place to take care of your skin.
Lingo
Each store has different sections, and the lingo is unique. They refer to the sales floor as the “staging area” and everything else as the “backstage area.” Employees are called “cast members,” managers are “directors,” and even the uniforms, which are all black, are considered “costumes.” It’s like being in a theater, which makes everything more interesting.
Tourists Love It
Believe it or not, tourists love Sephora too, and they visit the flagship store as well as other locations around the globe. The Parisian store attracts over 6 million customers each year—nearly as many as some of Paris’s main attractions, including the Eiffel Tower. It’s a shopping experience like no other, and the flagship store is the crown jewel of the brand.
E-Commerce
Sephora was one of the first companies to embrace e-commerce. After launching their website, they began integrating technology into every aspect of the business. Digital marketing is now a focal point for the company, and their emphasis on technology and marketing has propelled business sales and attracted even more customers.
A Great Company
Sephora is a company full of secrets, but now you know most of them. A company that cares about your skin and offers so many options also truly cares about its customers. What else could you need when it comes to makeup? If you haven’t visited yet, take the time to check out your nearest store!
