My fellow country folk, Cypriots, like to think of themselves as a friendly and hospitable nation. Unfortunately they are lacking in manners BIG TIME. This is evident from many customer service experiences I’ve had in recent years. From the Starbucks staff member greeting the person in line to then completely ignore them in favour of the rude person jumping the line to the shop assistant filing her nails at the counter not caring if customers need assistance, the list of witnessed unacceptable behaviours is endless.
A lot of the local beauty and makeup stores are subject to the same bad customer service I’m afraid. Not all of them, thankfully, but discussing this topic with a few of my girlfriends I have gathered a number of bad examples.
More often than not, make up store assistants in Cyprus know less about makeup products than their customers. With so many vloggers, Instagram accounts and YouTube channels dedicated to makeup, people today are just a click away from finding out what’s out there in the makeup industry and trends. So, instead of patronising us when we ask about a product in your store dear makeup shop assistants, perhaps you could consider that we may be actually testing your knowledge on the subject… which from experience usually proves to be less than ours, sadly.
Countless times I was served by makeup store staff who, perhaps driven by selling targets, were either not listening or unable to understand my needs as a customer. How hard can it be to find me a foundation matching my skin tone? Apparently extremely! Even when I go in a store with a specific foundation brand and code in mind because I’ve used it and feel happy with it I’m often faced with a shop assistant who insists they know better. And yet, they get it SO wrong half the time. From the foundation that ended up oxidising after application and looking nothing like my skin tone after 10 minutes to the foundation that made me look like a ghost and needed lots of bronzing to bring my face back to normality, I’ve sworn to never again be swayed by makeup shop assistants who are too confident and cocky.
Not to mention makeovers that make you feel worse than before! A friend of mine was once traumatised by the Chief Makeup Artist of a store. Instead of finding the right foundation that would match her skin tone and provide full coverage for her sun spots he insisted that she needed to wear a darker shade. When he applied it all over her face feeling all pleased with himself, she pointed out that the rest of her body looked much whiter. Instead of realising his mistake and acknowledging that he made her face look like a misplaced mask, he proceeded to apply foundation to her neck, arms and hands! Can you believe the incompetence and arrogance of the guy?
But probably the worst and rudest retail experience I have ever experienced was when visiting one of the most popular makeup stores in the heart of Nicosia on a busy Saturday afternoon. The shop was brimming with customers and although resourced with a full team of shop assistants none of them were available. Why? Because the sales assistants, instead of tending to the dozens of customers swarming their shop that would earn them easy sales, were doing each others’ makeup!! I was in total shock and dismay at how they were utterly ignoring their clientele. Instead of spending time tending to their customers, doing their clients’ makeup they were giving each other makeovers! Well I have news for you ladies! No matter how good looking you are or how much makeup you expertly apply on each other RUDE IS UGLY! Plain and simple. If you want our custom you will have to change your attitude.