If the Drugstore Locked Down Makeup Would It Annoy You?
Imagine if you went to the drugstore and all the makeup was locked up. You know like going to Best Buy to buy the latest iPhone but you have to get a sales rep to unlock the showcase it’s in. Would that be annoying to you?
One of my reader’s just commented in my L�Oreal Colour Riche Gold Addiction Lipstick and said that all the makeup at her local Walmart is now locked up and you have to ask a sales associate to unlock it for you to grab what you want.
WHAT!? Makes sense I guess considering people think it’s ok to open up makeup and start swatching it like their at a Sephora or the MAC counter at Nordstrom.
Sadly, drugstore makeup cannot be tested or swatched. In some cases, some brands have evolved and started arming their displays with samples to test or sample cards featuring popular shades that have tiny swatch samples but all in all, drugstore makeup isn’t like mid or high-range and the swatch and test experience unfortunately isn’t available with many brands.
If drugstores or Walmart in this case are locking up makeup it’s likely for one of two reasons. One might be shoplifting or it might be people opening and swatching or just damaging makeup items. There is nothing more annoying than buying a lipstick, getting it home, opening it, and discovering someone squashed it or swatched it or maybe even applied it. And it’s damn hard returning it and explaining to a sales rep it was like that when you purchased it. Most give you that skeptical, “Yeah right” look.
Walmart has pretty much has their makeup aisles on lock down for a while now though so, if they are locking up makeup it wouldn’t surprise me. They installed cameras in every aisle about two or so years ago that are oddly creepy. They switch on as soon as you enter the aisle and some aisles even have two. I honestly feel like a criminal looking at makeup when those cameras switch on. I’m not doing anything wrong but I feel like I am! If they started locking up makeup I’d probably hate it even more for a number of reasons.
First off, it would probably be impossible to get someone to unlock the case for you. I dunno about your Walmart but my Walmart has a lot of clueless people walking around. I can just picture myself asking one person to unlock the case and they don’t have a key and they have to ask Jane and Jane has to ask Bob and Bob has to ask Mary. It’ll take an hour to get someone with a key to open the showcase for the single lipstick I’d want to purchase.
Secondly, I sometimes go on a drugstore binge and I’ll purchase a bunch of new stuff at once. I can just picture someone getting annoyed with me if they have to keep opening a variety of cases or silently judge me for buying a bunch of makeup.
Thirdly, I actually sort of like looking at stuff, holding it, and just sort of walk around with it in my cart before I decide if I’m buying it or putting it back. I also, like reading the back sometimes and looking at the color. If I need someone to unlock a case for me I’d feel sort of rushed to grab the item and go.
I dunno if locked cases are really going to stop shoplifters or stop people from swatching as once you get the item do you have to check out right away or can you still walk around the store with the item? If you can still walk around with the item that means you’ll still have the potential to steal or swatch it right….?
So, locking down makeup is a horrible idea in my opinion!
Has your Walmart started doing this?
What if they did?