Im guessing it depends on the management of that store and what they are pushing sales or customer experience. The store I work at pushes customer experience. We try to give the customer what they are looking for maybe suggest one or two things once but don't push it aggressively or tack on extra services like that. I'm so sorry you had a bad experience
I wish other stores prioritized guest experience! My store does as well and we are still the highest earning store in the district, because instead of pushing and bullying the guests we work on customer relations and build relationships with returning customers who learn to trust us when we say a more expensive product is worth the investment. No one should ever be bullied into buying something.
If that’s the company model, then it sucks. I truly believe I need weekly extractions to keep my comedones under control. They would’ve made more than $160 off me eventually, I would’ve scheduled a weekly facial like clockwork. But now I’m left with a bad taste in my mouth from it.
You’d think they’d want return clients rather than one and done. One expensive bad experience makes less money than a loyal, returning customer in the long run.
Unfortunately it is the company model. There’s always something to upsell: buying a foundation? You need a primer and powder to set. Buying a mascara? You need a primer and an eyelash curler (one from a prestige brand, too, never Ulta or Revlon). Buying a new eyeshadow palette release? You need a primer and some brushes. “Build the bag!”
I hated GEMing/selling because that’s all they pushed you to do. And they do the same with the salon: try to turn a haircut into a signature haircut, try to add on a gloss or highlights, etc.
As a employee at ulta.
They're trained to upsell on services and products especially with selling dermalogica. it's a boutique that need to meet its weekly goal so that's where the upselling coming as well as the skin specialists have to meet a certain weekly goal.
Although dermalogica is a good brand it is not for everyone, just like what works for me might not work for you in any skin care.
Personally that brand has ruined my skin with the amount of essential oils it has
Sorry you had a bad experience); I always like to recommend my guest good products never pushy or try to up sell
As someone who was a skin therapist with ulta and still trains with dermalogica im so sorry you had that type of experience. It shouldn't be like that and the fact they were forcefully upsetting you and into a service you didn't want is just not okay.
I would absolutely call back and complain. There are occasions (NOT always) depending on the manager that they will refund you. I would say you felt pressured and like you didn’t have an option, and that you aren’t happy with the results for what you paid (that part is pretty important). No one should feel pressured so spend over five times what they were expecting to pay. I’m so sorry!
The root of the problem is the high-pressure that gets put on service professionals who work at Ulta. I worked in the salon for 8 years, and we get reprimanded when our numbers are low. It doesn’t help that we no longer have a salon manager- they got rid of that position entirely and merged it into a retail position.
That means that in most stores, the salon has a retail manager whose main job is to talk numbers and goals to the stylists and estheticians. Not only is this business model ineffective, it also takes away from the guest experience- a prime example being your case, here.
I’m sorry that happened to you. I’m sure that the employee was only trying to do her job in the best way she knew how. We don’t get any kind of training on *how* to upsell to guests (at least in my experience). So the wording and methods she used were definitely inappropriate.
If you do call and complain, I would try to mention this root problem- the pushy behavior as a result of pressure to upsell, and lack of training on how to do so without offending the guest/ taking away from guest experience.
Side note- if you can, try and tell corporate about this. If we employees try to address these issues, we are often ridiculed by management or given excuses as to why things will never change. Maybe they’ll listen to you customers.
I mean we get heavily pressured into upselling everything, services, products, etc. they should never make you feel pressured or uncomfortable but they should always ask if you want to add anything or buy new products. I would call the store and say while you enjoyed your facial, you felt pressured into services and products you didn’t want and felt more like a wallet then a customer. I have a manger at my location who is constantly just trying to sell the most expensive thing to everyone despite if it actually helps them or not, I always try to come back around to their guests and reassure them that there are other options
They do tell us to upsell… I ask them if they want to do high end or drugstore . But I personally wouldn’t push as she did :/ I know how uncomfortable it is on the other end . I also didn’t know they opened the skin bar again ??
I wouldn’t schedule with her anymore. Someone who is actually passionate about their job cares more about helping the client instead of upselling. Did she even do a good job??
Im guessing it depends on the management of that store and what they are pushing sales or customer experience. The store I work at pushes customer experience. We try to give the customer what they are looking for maybe suggest one or two things once but don't push it aggressively or tack on extra services like that. I'm so sorry you had a bad experience
I wish other stores prioritized guest experience! My store does as well and we are still the highest earning store in the district, because instead of pushing and bullying the guests we work on customer relations and build relationships with returning customers who learn to trust us when we say a more expensive product is worth the investment. No one should ever be bullied into buying something.
I've had the same experience on two different occasions too, they will always try to upsell you.
If that’s the company model, then it sucks. I truly believe I need weekly extractions to keep my comedones under control. They would’ve made more than $160 off me eventually, I would’ve scheduled a weekly facial like clockwork. But now I’m left with a bad taste in my mouth from it. You’d think they’d want return clients rather than one and done. One expensive bad experience makes less money than a loyal, returning customer in the long run.
Write to the company and tell them exactly this. Unfortunately the skin therapist was doing exactly what they were trained to do.
Unfortunately it is the company model. There’s always something to upsell: buying a foundation? You need a primer and powder to set. Buying a mascara? You need a primer and an eyelash curler (one from a prestige brand, too, never Ulta or Revlon). Buying a new eyeshadow palette release? You need a primer and some brushes. “Build the bag!” I hated GEMing/selling because that’s all they pushed you to do. And they do the same with the salon: try to turn a haircut into a signature haircut, try to add on a gloss or highlights, etc.
As a employee at ulta. They're trained to upsell on services and products especially with selling dermalogica. it's a boutique that need to meet its weekly goal so that's where the upselling coming as well as the skin specialists have to meet a certain weekly goal. Although dermalogica is a good brand it is not for everyone, just like what works for me might not work for you in any skin care. Personally that brand has ruined my skin with the amount of essential oils it has Sorry you had a bad experience); I always like to recommend my guest good products never pushy or try to up sell
As someone who was a skin therapist with ulta and still trains with dermalogica im so sorry you had that type of experience. It shouldn't be like that and the fact they were forcefully upsetting you and into a service you didn't want is just not okay.
I would absolutely call back and complain. There are occasions (NOT always) depending on the manager that they will refund you. I would say you felt pressured and like you didn’t have an option, and that you aren’t happy with the results for what you paid (that part is pretty important). No one should feel pressured so spend over five times what they were expecting to pay. I’m so sorry!
The root of the problem is the high-pressure that gets put on service professionals who work at Ulta. I worked in the salon for 8 years, and we get reprimanded when our numbers are low. It doesn’t help that we no longer have a salon manager- they got rid of that position entirely and merged it into a retail position. That means that in most stores, the salon has a retail manager whose main job is to talk numbers and goals to the stylists and estheticians. Not only is this business model ineffective, it also takes away from the guest experience- a prime example being your case, here. I’m sorry that happened to you. I’m sure that the employee was only trying to do her job in the best way she knew how. We don’t get any kind of training on *how* to upsell to guests (at least in my experience). So the wording and methods she used were definitely inappropriate. If you do call and complain, I would try to mention this root problem- the pushy behavior as a result of pressure to upsell, and lack of training on how to do so without offending the guest/ taking away from guest experience. Side note- if you can, try and tell corporate about this. If we employees try to address these issues, we are often ridiculed by management or given excuses as to why things will never change. Maybe they’ll listen to you customers.
I mean we get heavily pressured into upselling everything, services, products, etc. they should never make you feel pressured or uncomfortable but they should always ask if you want to add anything or buy new products. I would call the store and say while you enjoyed your facial, you felt pressured into services and products you didn’t want and felt more like a wallet then a customer. I have a manger at my location who is constantly just trying to sell the most expensive thing to everyone despite if it actually helps them or not, I always try to come back around to their guests and reassure them that there are other options
Managers shoving it down their throats to upsell
They do tell us to upsell… I ask them if they want to do high end or drugstore . But I personally wouldn’t push as she did :/ I know how uncomfortable it is on the other end . I also didn’t know they opened the skin bar again ??
I wouldn’t schedule with her anymore. Someone who is actually passionate about their job cares more about helping the client instead of upselling. Did she even do a good job??