Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Is anyone a beauty consultant in a department store or maybe for Sephora?

I'm interested in becoming a consultant cause I have a love for cosmetics. . . but how well does it pay? Is it worth it? What are some of the dowfalls and pluses to this?Is anyone a beauty consultant in a department store or maybe for Sephora?
Department store consultants are paid higher than Sephora consultants. Department stores pay anywhere from $9-$18 an hour depending on your experience and the area you live in. Typically you get gratis on top of that. Gratis is where the company gives you anywhere from $100-$500 worth of free cosmetics every 6 months (varies by store and counter) to ensure you are wearing their product while working. You also make commission. This varies from store to store but typically it's paid at 3% rate. This means after sales tax you get 3% back on your paycheck for anything you sell. I find at christmas time is when commission really adds up. The downside is that you are on your feet all day, you work retail hours meaning you work evenings, weekends, and some holidays and none of it's a set schedule. You also may be required to meet sales goals and can be disciplined if you don't meet those goals. For example, your manager could require you to sell $500 worth of cosmetics a night. If you have a slow night with very few customers you'll really struggle to meet that goal. Also, some counters focus more on sales skills rather than makeup skill. Many times you'll work with others who don't know eyeliner from mascara but they can talk a customer into buying anything so they get to work for the makeup counter. The plus is that it's really a fun job. The best is getting to see and play with the new colors before anyone else sees them and also just getting to be around makeup and help people everyday. You'll be amazed at the bond you'll form with some of your customers. It's a wonderful feeling.





Sephora pays $7-$9 an hour. They really don't normally go over that amount no matter what market you are in. They don't do commission. They do bonuses. Bonuses are based on the entire sales team's performance. For instance one month they may want to push a specific line and a specific new product in that line. The manager will ask that as a team the store must sell X number of bottles of that item. If the store hits that goal then you all get a set bonus amount on your check. It's good if everyone is a team player, bad if you have those who figure out that they can let everyone else bust their behind to reach the goal cuz they get paid whether they sell any of that item or not. Sephora also will have vendors (cosmetic companies they sell) come in and do classes for the staff on whatever their new product is before it's put on the shelves. These classes are not mandatory but you don't get paid any hourly wages to attend them. Instead of pay they give you one of the new products they are teaching. You could potentially end up the with the greatest new product stash ever but you have to invest some time into it. With Sephora you are also working retail hours and on your feet all day. You also get the reward of working with makeup and working with people who love makeup. Sephora is less likely to hire someone who is pushy in sales where department stores look for that type of person. The trade off is the pay. Sephora tends to be kinder to their employees than department stores and they tend to create a more supportive work environment to make up for their lack of pay.Is anyone a beauty consultant in a department store or maybe for Sephora?
i want to work at a makeup store in the mall neer my house but im 13 so i still have to wait a year so sorry i cant help...

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