The Downfall

[GreenEyeMomster]

I'm going to be as candid as I can be. Sephora has gone downhill. I would LOOOVE to be able to talk with their retail and marketing. The big hype over Sephora from the start was feeling like a STAR every time you walked in. A little bit of luxury for your average working gal who loves Cosmetics. We loved having cast members do free makeup tutorials and we leave with a snatched cateye, sleek brows, and some knowledge. We loved on the spot samples of testers we loved so we can see if the product is easy to use at home. Oodles of free samples tossed into our checkout bags that we could use or share with friends. Easy returns if we didn't like the product. Free birthday rewards we could grab at the store on our birthday outing. It USED to be a day planned for friends sometimes. Coffee or wine, lunch, and Sephora. That feels gone. My JCPenney Sephora closed and moved to Kohl's. I am no longer able to get ANY samples, can't get birthday rewards, can't even return things I bought online. Local small stores didnt even offer samples made from testers as "they stopped the testers about the time of the pandemic". Maybe I can get those things if I go to a flagship store 2 hrs away. Shopping online is no better with sample issues, sometimes getting the wrong product, the wrong size, have to spend money to get my birthday "gift", difficult returns. Now it's just your average Cosmetics counter. I can get the same experience ordering from Ulta or Macy's. Something has gone awry. I used to spend hundreds of dollars a year at Sephora and even bought my Xmas gifts there. Not even worth it to have a rewards card. Now I haven't shopped there in probably almost 2 years. And they still claim to give free samples and birthday items which is basically a lie. You have to jump through hoops to get them. Seems like they need a company wide, brand policy that applies to partner stores as well as flagships because this crap is ruining the reputation Sephora once had. 

[jennlacey]

I couldn’t agree more. The in-store experience has absolutely tanked.  I remember having brunch and Sephora trips with friends.  We would get makeovers, stock up on our favorite things, get samples of things we wanted to try, but couldn’t commit to.  I used to be able to get (sanitized) lipstick samples in store, so I could try out the color in different lighting.  Now, they don’t really offer anything.  Just a messy store and disgruntled employees.  

[keelybt]

@GreenEyeMomster I'm sorry to hear that you have been unhappy with some recent updates. While sample availability may vary by store and Kohls may have different birthday gift options, you should still be able to redeem your birthday gift in store without purchase during your birth month. We appreciate this feedback, and I will share it with the appropriate department for future consideration. 

[GreenEyeMomster]

The big issue with the birthday rewards is they never have them in stores around here. If I go in to get them and maybe purchase something small for myself they are either completely our of the rewards or only have one in stock and not the others. So then I don't really get a choice and it may be something I won't really use.