Categories: Beauty

Don’t Return Cosmetics

Cosmetics are very much like perishables when it comes to purchasing these items: make a smart purchase so that you do not have to go through the embarrassment of returning them should you change your mind.

Customer service and the push to attract customers has led to many stores bending over backwards to give customers what they want – even if it means taking back used items. More and more stores are implementing rather liberal policies when it comes to returning beauty products, which is great for customers who can’t make up their minds.

Many department stores and internet sites have policies that allow for returns within 30 days but customers must have a receipt and the items have to be unopened or defective in order for the return to be possible.

Should a customer have a bad reaction to a cosmetic or other beauty product, then customers can usually receive a refund, credit or do an exchange.

These rules are pretty basic among all stores. However, there are some beauty stores who have gone the length to maintain their customer base even if it means taking a loss.

Beauty store, Sephora, which has brick and mortar locations along with online sales, has a very open return policy. The company allows for refunds, exchanges or credits on any merchandise within 60 days of the item’s purchase. These returned products can be either opened or unopened. After 60 days have passed, store credit is issued for the product.

Now, common sense would dictate that there are a few things wrong with this policy and with the customers who need to use this policy. First of all, makeup purchases should not be done lightly. Careful consideration should go into a product and its applications before someone decides to plop down several dollars to purchase the item.

If someone goes home and decides the color lipstick they bought does not go well with their skin color, chalk it up as a mistake and bite the bullet and the bill. The factor with makeup that makes its return policies different from that of something like clothing, is that once worn, no one else can use it due to the germ factor. So, why return it? It’s not the store’s fault someone made the wrong decision.

Incidentally, all Sephora stores have samples sitting out of all of their products so that customers can test out the colors on their skin or make sure that they like the formula. For someone to walk back into a Sephora and say that the lip gloss they bought is too sticky, is absurd considering that person had all the opportunity in the world to test the texture of that gloss in the store.

Stores then end up losing money on the sale because they certainly cannot repackage the product and then sell it to someone else.

Online retailers such as Beauty.com, offer refunds or credit on unopened products within 30 days and if a customer does not like the color of their product, they can always return it. Another online retailer, catcosmetics.com allows customers to return makeup in any condition at any time.

If a retailer wants to have liberal return policies, then that is their choice. However, when customers become so aggressive and unbearable to deal with on a return that stores feel compelled to alter their return policies, then maybe it’s time to realize the whole concept of customer service has gotten out of hand.