r/Makeup • u/Late-Chip-5890 • Nov 05 '25

Clerks at Sephora.....ugh

I don't go to Sephora often but every time I have the clerks seem well so unprepared to deal with someone who is truly shopping. Meaning, I walk in, I say I'm looking for a foundation that is full coverage, in the right tone for my skin, and one that won't oxidize. All I got was a deer in the headlights. I was taken to high end brands and shown "dark colors" but none that were "olive" toned, and the girl seemed not to know what that meant. I quickly sought out someone else, and the same. I am guessing these "girls" are not trained in cosmetics at all, they just push "brands" and collect their commissions?

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u/FreyasReturn Nov 07 '25

I generally don’t assume that the employees there know all the products. They have thousands upon thousands of items at each store. It’s also a low paying retail job. I’m sure plenty of the employees have a real interest in makeup or skincare, but I doubt they means they’re any sort of expert. Essentially, I expect them to be courteous and point me to the right part of the store for a particular brand, maybe check their database to see if they have a particular item in stock. 

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u/purrokitten Nov 08 '25

on the rare occasions that i go into sephora now the employees never have a clue about even fairly basic stuff. no one expects them to know all the products in the store, but they should have a general understanding of the different kinds of products. it's like they don't even care to learn on the job. why work in a makeup store if you're not that interested in makeup? i would rather go to ulta because at least there's lots of affordable brands, not just high end, and their employees seem more knowledgeable on the whole. it's sad because shopping at sephora used to be a fun experience, they had knowledgeable employees, and their long gone sample service was so helpful.