The Lancome Lady
I can get better prices on Lancome products (yep, I am addicted) in Pensacola than I can in Kuwait, Seattle, or even the duty-free, so I stock up while I am here.
On my second trip to the store, not knowing if my stock will last until my next trip to what Mini-R calls PepsiCola, I again bought enough that the saleslady said I could have TWO free sets of the bags and make up samples and I just laughed – like really, how many do I need? How many can I use?
They are always shocked that I would turn down the “free” gift. But packing space and suitcase weight matters more to me than anything free, and also, I hate to waste.
I just laughed.
“What I really need,” I started off, “what would really help me is if you have any small samples I can take with me on the long plane rides, so I can put good cream on my face, not the airplane stuff.”
“Oh! We can do that!” she said, and started opening drawers, pulling things out.
“How about some of this – you bought some of this but here it is in sample form – and this – and you will want to try some of this!” she said triumphantly and handed me about a hundred sample packets.
But she was on a roll.
“And you will need a travel mascara! And how about some suncreen! And you can have some perfume samples, and share them with all your friends!” and a hundred more samples came out of the magical Lancome drawers.
Holy smokes! I can take care of my face, my eyes, and smell good too! Not that I wear perfume in the close confines of an airplane where it could offend the other passengers, but I have a lifetime worth of samples I can use at other times . . .
When I am in Seattle and ask the Lancome ladies for samples, they act very haughty (and I am thinking “excuse me? Who is the customer and who is behind the counter here?”) and usually tell me they don’t give out samples. No wonder I do my Lancome shopping in Pensacola! It’s not just the price, it’s the caring and generous customer service!
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Amazina
Early Voting in Florida
Here There and Everywhere 
Oooooooh, lots of freebies! You really scored!
Where is Pensacola!?
(Oh…and hii…miss me much?)
;*
Wooo Hooooo! DR! Where you been? We’ve missed you!
Pensacola is on the Florida Panhandle, so far east that it is almost in Alabama, and very very close to The Big Easy, better known as N’Awlins. It qualifies as a more real kind of Florida than the Orlando/Miami kinda places, full of people from somewhere else. I’m the odd one out here; I’m from somewhere else. But people are kind to me.
Hi, I stumbled upon this blog entry via a search on google to try and find out how Lancome prices compare in Europe to Canada (where I currently live). Actually, I work on a Lancome counter, and while I am certainly not defending the snobby ladies in Seattle (I have been treated like that by women on other Lancome counters who don’t realize that I know the product as well, or better than they do). I have to admit, you have more samples in that picture than I have on my counter. I’m not kidding. And I’m in the middle of my bonus gift.
Today I recieved the samples that I will be giving out for a “Lash Diva” event. They sent me 6 each of 3 types of mascara. Six. For a total of 18 samples for a month long event.
I am very jealous of the Pensacola counter! It’s laughable that these companies no longer feel the need to provide customers with the one thing that will keep them coming back. A $100 cream will never be sold to someone who can’t try it.
Thank you for this blog entry. I’m going to pass on your comments to my division rep. You are confirming exactly what we are always trying to explain.
I’m moving to England soon. Hopefully the Lancome counter (and beauty advisors) will afford me the same level of service you’ve recieved in Florida.
Iona
Thank you, Iona, for your lengthy and insightful comment. I had no idea! And I imagine that in Seattle the Lancome counters are kept very busy and often do run out of samples!
I will write my new Lancome story today. It is a funny one.
Hi there! I can believe there are many more Lancome Fans that I’d thought!!! I live in Argentina and the same thing happens with the Lancome Ladies, they are not the same everywhere, my mum and I always buy in one specific place because of the great treatment to customers, but that’s not the case in every counter. Nice to see that I’m not the only woman who cannot live without Lancome Products! Best! Pink!
Welcome Pink! Good customer service makes all the difference in the world, doesn’t it?