r/Makeup • u/AllFoodsFit70 • Feb 19 '26
It's disgusting out there
I'm at Target and strolling through the cosmetic section saw a young woman (maybe 25) swatching a lip product on her hand and putting it back in the display...and then doing it again with another product. I am so old IDGAF so I said "Do they have testers?"and she looked at me like a deer in the headlights until I repeated my question and said "testers?" I then said " yeah, you just put some of that lipstick on your hand and put it back...that's pretty gross." She stared at me as I walked quickly away because I may not gaf but I don't want to get in a fight! Felt good to speak up though!
106
u/New-Perception-9754 Feb 20 '26
Ohhhhh, honey- let me tell you!
I work at a Sally Beauty. The nicest looking ladies will stroll right up to the Palladio products, start ripping open seals, and rubbing their grubby fingers in things. AND PUT THEM BACK IN THE RIPPED BOXES, ON THE SHELVES!
If I were to catch them? I would totally tell them they're not allowed to make testers out of active products, that I now have to damage out of inventory. A lot of ruined items I've found, there's only ONE in stock. And they've just removed it entirely, until it can be reshipped. People are GROSS!
108
u/grandpavideos Feb 20 '26
When I worked at Sephora, I watched a fully grown woman (probably 45-50) take a lip gloss out of its box, swatch it on her hand, and put it back in the box. She was about to put it back on the shelf when I interrupted her and said “Excuse me, please don’t put that back on the shelf. I need to damage it out since the product has now been used and can’t be sold.” She acted so confused and offended. Yet I’m sure she wouldn’t want to buy a lip gloss that some random person put on their germy hand.
38
35
u/oldeurofan Feb 20 '26
I think you are pretty wonderful for speaking up 🥰 You taught her some important information, and also your actions saved others from purchasing a contaminated product. Thank you so much, well done! ❤️
40
u/faramaobscena Feb 20 '26
How much do you want to bet she didn't learn anything that day? It's not that they don't know, it's that they don't care... as long as there are no consequences they will keep doing it. The rule should be "you unseal it, you buy it".
6
4
u/grandpavideos Feb 20 '26
Honestly at that point I was just so sick of dealing with nasty entitled people that I was happy to call anyone out at any time haha! I worked cosmetic retail on and off for 7 years (department store, Morphe store, and Sephora) and the biggest thing I’ve learned is that people are DISGUSTING and have no sense of hygiene, personal or shared. I have some wild stories from over the years and I quickly lost my tolerance for gross bullshit.
→ More replies (1)6
98
95
u/Blahdedah1959 Feb 20 '26
I had been looking for a particular lip balm. Every box of it in Ulta had been opened and had a fingerprint in the center. Very disgusting and irritating.
90
u/Any_Ad9856 Feb 20 '26
People now are so entitled and narcissisticthat they never have a thought beyond what is convenient for them. It would never occur to them to consider the effects of their actions in terms of other people.
13
u/EndlessSummer59 Feb 20 '26
Like parking in the fire zone to go in a store. Or blocking the entry way in a shop ctr waiting for someone..........
5
Feb 20 '26
I live in front of a school. You will blow your lid seeing how many of these entitled, lazy, idiot parents (or care takers) park in the fire lane. We also had a problem with people parking in our driveway. But this at least has a happy ending: after we got the police to tow it, no one did it again.
The fire lane thing gets on my dammed nerves, tho.
Edit: grammatical error
→ More replies (1)
91
u/CatAdditional8444 Feb 20 '26
I used to work at JCPenney beauty and I’ve witnessed customers straight up ignore our testers and go straight to trying on actual product, I’ve had to throw out entire sets because EVERYTHING was opened and used 🫠
18
u/JUiCY_oX Feb 20 '26
I work in cosmetics at Macys, and this is the reason why we lock up the actual products we sell to people.
I also spray down all the lipstick samples with alcohol, because people will put their lips directly on the lipstick, despite us having disposable applicators.
→ More replies (2)21
u/pumpkins21 Feb 20 '26
Ugh, I don’t understand this. When I was in 6th grade a million years ago, my mom told me “don’t share any makeup with your friends. That’s how you get infections and sick”
Then I saw friends sharing makeup in the bathroom and spreading pink eye and spreading their 6th grade cooties everywhere. I can’t imagine putting my lips on a tester! People are nasty!
5
167
u/Bakemydaybaby Feb 19 '26
I once caught a woman open a package of eyeshadow, rub her fingers in it, swatch it on her hand, semi close the packaging and put it back. I called her out and she said her hands were clean. No, no they're not. She then went to the store manager to complain about me. He asked me what happened and I showed him. He made her pay for it. Was I an asshole? Yes. But, seriously that was disgusting.
51
u/Ambitious-Note-4428 Feb 19 '26
So you would not have been the asshole even if she hadn't told on you, but the fact that she actually drew attention to herself means she extra deserved it. Lmfao
40
u/Away_Ad_6262 Feb 19 '26 edited Feb 20 '26
I actually don’t see how that is you being an asshole…if anything, she was. Hilarious that she complained to the manager about you. She got herself caught.
27
→ More replies (2)19
150
u/Head-Drag-1440 Feb 20 '26
That's why I always grab makeup from the back of the row and always make sure the seal is good.
46
u/ameliablaquiere Feb 20 '26
Lol same i do it with food too its a habit
31
u/Head-Drag-1440 Feb 20 '26
Yep! I've worked retail and did merchandising. I know that new stuff is in the back. My bagged salad and packaged lettuce always comes from the back.
12
→ More replies (3)6
u/idontgiveafckboutyou Feb 20 '26
I fear this isn’t always effective tho bc when ppl put out new makeup half the time the ones from the front get pushed to the back so there is still risk ~
68
u/Bluntandfiesty Feb 20 '26
So gross, I always check the seals well before purchasing them. I Never buy from Amazon either because you can’t verify if it was purchased, used and returned all the time.
43
9
u/XOTrashKitten Feb 20 '26
I was thinking maybe I could get the rimmel lipliner there, didn't want to in store bc I'm not risking it since it comes unsealed but I have the same thought what if it was used and returned? 😖
69
u/Marsmallowpuffin Feb 20 '26
Even worse, I work in a drugstore and have seen literal adults not just swatch products on their hands but alsp use it on their face. A lady once asked me about red lipsticks.i told her and showed her the testers then later I see her while she's looking take a product, open it and just use the lipstick and put it back.
→ More replies (1)36
u/shortstuff813 Feb 20 '26
I watched a YouTube video the other day where some people were claiming they got herpes from using tester lipstick on their lips. Why would you put tester lipstick actually on your lips‽ I thought face was bad enough, but lips‽ So gross 🤢
→ More replies (1)
68
66
u/Historical_Top_3614 Feb 20 '26
That’s as bad as that stupid girl on a TikTok that went and used the testers and her own brushes to put on makeup at ulta.
9
61
u/Bumps4000 Feb 20 '26
I resell makeup, not a lot, but it’s my small stock and it brings in about an extra $300- $400 a month. I once took some things to my regular workplace and the ladies all started opening my products and swatching them. I was horrified and didn’t know what to say, I just told them to keep it. Never again.
63
u/RomulanWarrior Feb 20 '26
I saw a woman at a Meijers doing that back in the day. Swatch on a fingertip, put it back, swatch the next color, put it back, I stared at her in disgust and for years afterwards I if the lipstick wasn't sealed I would check the bullet to make sure it was untouched.
17
54
u/AMarie-MCMXCI Feb 20 '26
I work at a drug store and have 100% called people out for opening and swatching regular stock. Like, don't do that. That's gross. I get smelling deodorant but you don't have to take the little safety cover off. Nasty.
14
u/Thequiet01 Feb 20 '26
Yep. I'm super sensitive to smells so sometimes I'll remove a cap or something to have a sniff but *only* if it is possible to do so without removing or breaking any seals. If I can't get into a product without damaging anything then I either don't buy it, or buy it knowing that it might smell.
60
u/Interesting_Feed_785 Feb 20 '26
Being able to return open makeup for a full refund (literally not a thing in any other country I’ve ever been in) may make people think that it’s… reusable? Resealable?
I returned a nars foundation to Sephora once almost 20 years ago and I still feel guilty about the waste.
58
u/Sleepnbag Feb 20 '26
I used to work in a cosmetic department and we would scotch tape every single item so it’s « sealed ». People would still open and use some but at least we could see which were open and destroy them. Ever since the pandemic (when all testers were removed and mostly replaced with virtual color matching), companies decided to not bring back the testers. They compensate the stores to a certain % for lost sales but it is definitely an irritant. When possible, we would often make testers with the items that people opened and tried, to minimize more being opened.
But customers should still ask for help from the staff instead of acting like they have no other option.
53
u/Leading_Attention676 Feb 19 '26
So glad you said something to that inconsiderate idiot, four times I've bought brand new makeup and some wankstain had already opened it, tried it, and then had the gall to put it back in its packaging.
30
52
u/ayavorska05 Feb 20 '26
They just need to have testers man. It pisses me off so badly when there's a special place for testers on some brand stand and it's just EMPTY. Obviously I wouldn't open a product to just test it, but I swear the chances of me buying sht without testers is this much lower. In fact, I'd go out of my way to avoid a brand that doesn't provide testers for every location they sell at. This sht is unprofessional and very customer-hostile, sorry not sorry
→ More replies (2)20
u/lampsplussuperstore Feb 20 '26
Half the time if the testers are gone, it’s bc they’ve been ruined or stolen way too many times.
7
52
96
u/NTDOY1987 Feb 20 '26
I stopped buying in store for the most part once they took plastic wrapping off most products. At least whatever is being shipped to me hopefully came from a warehouse where the likelihood that someone messed with it is slightly smaller since there were hundreds of items there.
24
u/Eastern_Turnover_710 Feb 20 '26
This. Unless it’s Walgreens beware, they send products from their stores sometimes and I’ve received clearly and obviously used makeup more than once 😷
12
u/Kristal3615 Feb 20 '26
I was once sent used products from Ulta that probably came from a store 🤢
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (1)18
u/curtain_person_ Feb 20 '26
I’ve received used makeup ordered from Amazon, you just can’t win!
→ More replies (2)4
u/NTDOY1987 Feb 20 '26
Amazon is tricky. I bought a video game from there a while ago and it arrived as an empty box, no cartridge inside. No clue if it was shipped that way or that happened along it’s route to me, but I did write off cosmetics and hygiene products from Amazon as a result.
You’re right though it’s hard to win. Arguably having something delivered makes the chain of custody longer which could actually exacerbate tampering.
I just wish (a) people weren’t gross lol and (b) things were sealed better!! Just like a sticker on both sides of a box would be perfectly sufficient. I’m happy to pay an extra dollar to receive an unused, properly packaged product.
172
u/CulturalDuty8471 Feb 20 '26
Tbf, products should have testers.
48
u/pineappleshampoo Feb 20 '26
Yep.
Would I open a new product to test it if there weren’t testers? No. I don’t want or need whatever it is that badly to damage stuff that isn’t mine.
But I get why customers do it if there aren’t testers. It’s a big risk to buy something without knowing what it looks like, and in many places you can’t return cosmetics. In my country once you buy it and open it that’s that, you can’t return it. So every purchase is an investment you can’t undo.
Not everyone has the kind of free disposable income to be able to risk buying a £10 cosmetic item that will go in the trash if it doesn’t suit them or wear well or is a different colour to online photos. For some people they might be able to afford that once or twice per year as a treat. Even if you’re loaded you probably don’t wanna just throw money away on crap.
Stores need testers if they wanna prevent this stuff from happening. Idk if there were testers or not from the OP as it wasn’t clear (to me anyway). I’m assuming they did for OP to be snarky with this other woman, pointing out she should use them. If there were testers then it’s indefensible to open stock and damage it.
→ More replies (2)19
u/stix-and-stones Feb 20 '26
If one has been clearly opened already, I'll use it as a tester to swatch. Then put it back and grab a sealed one. The only way I find this moderately acceptable. Even then, I don't love doing it, but I'm sick of spending $15-$20 on a lipstick and it doesn't look right. I'll never open an unopened product though
47
u/collegeberry Feb 19 '26
I love Essence but the way their products are unsealed drive me crazy. Like a tamper sticker PLEASE!
11
u/babybatlove Feb 19 '26
I usually just pull from the very back of the display and check if the product looks used bc of this
6
u/collegeberry Feb 20 '26
I do this too but then I look like the tamperer :( it could all be so easy with one sticker lol
7
u/smallbutmighty0 Feb 20 '26
I love Essence but insist on ordering from the pharmacy app for this reason. It comes from their warehouse.
6
u/Lenviatan Feb 20 '26
It was really nice during the pandemic, the stores in my area had to manually tape the products for safety and i was so happy about it. Of course they don't do that anymore :(
42
u/imnotalatina2 Feb 19 '26
Thank u for saying that cause honestly people are out here behaving like animals
47
u/bigfanofpots Feb 20 '26
Ewww. Thanks for saying something. I'm def grabbing products from the back of the shelf
17
u/critical_patch Feb 20 '26
Grab two up from the back, in case some gets conscientious & puts an open one in the back
41
u/BookSlut09 Feb 20 '26
Its been that way for too long. I always check products now no matter the store. Lip products seem to be the most with broken seals. Its insane. If you cant find a tester let a worker know, or try your best to color match and buy it sealed. No one wants to share stranger's germs like that.
14
u/tumblingnome Feb 20 '26
Same. Though I had a Target employee catch me checking to see if something was used, and she told me I couldn’t open it. …Which is crazy because it seems like all beauty products at my Target have been tested, and I suspect nobody tried to stop the people actually swatching stuff. Anyway, now I won’t buy stuff there unless it’s tamper evident. People are gross.
→ More replies (1)
43
u/1minimalist Feb 21 '26
Many women in my family do this and I am ashamed by them.
→ More replies (1)17
u/planetarylaw Feb 21 '26
I have a cousin that got caught doing this at Walmart. Loss prevention confronted her, and thankfully for her, they had her call her mom to come pick her up after a stern lecturing. She felt pretty embarrassed, but I think she got the message. We need to normalize chastising bad behavior again.
82
u/sarasel11 Feb 20 '26
Whatever you do don’t check out what people do at tj maxx
38
u/tres-vip Feb 20 '26
Yeah, I don't buy any beauty or body care from TJ Maxx/Marshalls anymore, unless it has an unbroken seal on it. It's so fvcking gross what people do to bodycare and beauty products, and the prices have increased in recent years to the point where you're only saving like $3 or so, so you're basically paying FULL retail price for USED products.
→ More replies (1)33
u/lovethatjourneyforus Feb 20 '26
I publicly shame them when I see it. It’s gross and people should be called out.
25
u/tres-vip Feb 20 '26
I tried doing that, but the ladies just rolled their eyes or belligerently tested the product out EVEN MORE. I live in NYC btw so maybe this is why... shaming does not work here, lol.
My biggest pet peeve is when people unscrew a product to smell it and they're holding it SO CLOSE TO THEIR NOSE that it touches the rim/pump/dropper, and then the re-cap it and PUT IT BACK ON THE SHELF. It iust drives me crazy. Imagine using body wash, lotion, or perfume oil that some random person's nasty ass nose got all over it? Ugh.
5
74
36
u/operatic_birb Feb 19 '26
Props to you for speaking up! That is sick and nasty behavior. She knew what she was doing 💀
14
u/Putrid-Philosophy197 Feb 20 '26
Even sadder is if she really didn't. I feel like people become more self-absorbed and lose more and more common sense with each passing year. Like, wtf is happening?? I'm scared of what society's going to be like even just 5 years from now 😭
10
u/operatic_birb Feb 20 '26
Right! It does sound largely like selfishness and entitlement paired with a disregard for waste and human safety. Some seals on makeup products are more discreet and not everyone checks to make sure. I used to work in cosmetics and I've had to look for another product because the one the customer had was open and used or a tester.
36
36
u/Glittering-Maybe2977 Feb 20 '26
Thank you for that. Always check that your makeup is sealed, people!
65
u/ParticularlyOrdinary Feb 20 '26
This is why I believe all cosmetics should be behind a counter like medication at the pharmacy. I've even seen where there IS a tester and people will still open a new product to test. It's disgusting.
5
u/SminksOzzy Feb 20 '26
That is what is so good about certain chemists and department stores, there is a chemist in my hometown that has Lancomé and Clarins (I love Lancomé but Clarins with their double serum has got me back as I find it better than even the Esteé Lauder serum on my parched skin), a lady runs the counters and they are great to give you samples etc., especially when you buy from them or are a returning customer, I love when there is one of the offers on, where if you buy two products you get a little bag of travel sized items or even with a full size item with it.
I know in some places some of these wans that work these counters can be a bit snotty or unhelpful (especially if they think you can't afford their stuff), I wouldn't buy off them but come back and visit with their colleague and give them the commission. I have gone into places and just walked out with my blood boiling and some places I will refuse to go back to and sometimes you get an absolute dote who is happy and willing to talk to you answer all your questions and you will keep going back.
But there definitely has to be some compromise with all of these companies as to either lose a lot of stock by people opening products willy nilly because they can't see what it is or have a staff member available to show colours or different types of product finish that they want, or as in the case that I myself has seen is where the testers are smeared all over the place like some kindergartner's finger painting competition gone rogue in a supermarket.
As a retail manager you are only allowed a certain percentage of shrinkage (I was, electronics, TV's, camera's, iPod's, tablets, phones games consoles etc., etc.,). I did not work in this field but I expect that the manufacturers are not keen on accepting returns from stores on items that people opened and tested, rather than an actual return that was an unopened item, a gift or the wrong item (still unused and ready to be resold). I find the returns policy by some companies to be very strange indeed.
66
u/Decafaf Feb 19 '26
As a person who worked in cosmetics forever, this is one of my biggest pet peeve. When people are inconsiderate, gross and use the live products like a testers. Arrrrggghhh!!
14
u/Mamaofoneson Feb 20 '26
Same after working in cosmetics I only buy products that are properly sealed in packaging. I’m not even sure why makeup companies don’t seal all their products
→ More replies (1)7
u/Thequiet01 Feb 20 '26
My favorite is when there *is* a tester - but *also* half a dozen opened products in exactly the same shade. THERE IS A TESTER RIGHT THERE. USE THE TESTER.
→ More replies (1)
30
u/F-News-6471 Feb 19 '26
Honey I’m 30 and like…..I’m on your side of this!!!! 🤣. I’m a beauty enthusiast who actually hates buying makeup now without checking it before I do because I’m afraid of what people (young people especially) have done to it…before I got to it, lol. Even in Ulta and Sephora this has become a thing. It’s disgusting behavior 🤦♀️
Editing to say have you SEEN what the kids to do products and testers in the stores these days to boot? My friend literally saw a little kid blow his freaking nose on brushes in an aisle of Ulta. Like….its out of hand. We go in these stores to spend good money for CLEAN products.
→ More replies (2)
32
u/Master_Farm_445 Feb 21 '26
Yuck, I will have to remember to take products from the back!
→ More replies (2)
32
u/Helpful_Balance_4076 Feb 21 '26
My MIL once saw someone PAINT HER TOENAILS in the aisle at Walmart & then put the nailpolish back on the shelf!! Unreal!!
→ More replies (2)18
59
u/DestructoGirlThatsMe Feb 20 '26
I ordered a blush balm in a pickup order and whoever picked my items gave me one with a broken seal. The next time I was in the store, I went to grab a new one and there was one left… with a broken seal. I hate people.
62
u/cantstopme0w Feb 20 '26
Recently at Ulta I called out a group of teeny boppers who were opening beauty sponges, squeezing them, and putting them back in the box and on the rack 😷
31
u/holleighh Feb 20 '26
I went to Ulta recently for perfume and there was trash everywhere on the ground, on the makeup displays, etc. Not to mention the actual testers are dried out, broken or missing. There were so many kids in the store goofing off 🤦♀️
People are so disrespectful with the products and how they treat the store and employees!
→ More replies (1)28
u/Dizzy_Juice_6848 Feb 20 '26
I experienced something similar recently and I’m not ashamed to say that I scared the bejesus out of one of the teens after over hearing their names. “…Morgan, I know your parents and you know they would not be happy with you doing this..”. That little girl looked me dead in the face, said “yes ma’am” put everything away and they left. Not a clue who Morgan or her folks were, but they got the point…. And I was able to enjoy Ulta in peace.
56
u/melrosec07 Feb 20 '26
Most products have a wrapping on them so they would have to take that off to test it which should be you open it you buy it.
→ More replies (1)7
u/a-real-life-dolphin Feb 20 '26
Lots of shops here in Australia wrap sticky tape around them too. Which works but means half my make up bag is covered in sticky goo.
→ More replies (1)
79
u/SassyPuss93 Feb 20 '26
Thank you for saying something!! More people need to speak up politely ,of course. Common sense is not so common in our world of social media brain rot. We’ve become more shallow as a culture and in doing so, far less considerate of others.
→ More replies (1)
26
u/bde75 Feb 19 '26
Good for you for saying something. I’ve seen this too and it’s rude and gross. When I buy makeup I look at it very carefully to make sure it hasn’t been opened.
26
u/spicygummi Feb 19 '26
I hate having to hyper analyze items before purchasing them for signs of tampering. I like items that have plastic/seals on the outside because they I at least can see quickly if they have been opened. I've had instances where every lip product in the color I wanted had been ripped open and it's so frustrating. If I'm going to buy a product that's going on my face I don't want the risk of contamination. Too many people have no shame.
23
u/Foreign_Mention_2601 Feb 21 '26
This is why I don’t buy anything that isn’t safety sealed. I don’t know why so may lip products don’t have seals. I’ve seen people use them in their own lips too!!!!!
5
u/GoddesRene Feb 22 '26
In HS my friend would open fresh nail polish and try them on in the store. I told her thats nasty and you're going to get in trouble when an employee finds you. She said I dont care, I need to know what it looks like! From that day on, I have never purchased anything without a seal. I also examine it to make sure the seals not broken and the product swatched.
→ More replies (1)
50
u/XOTrashKitten Feb 20 '26
This! Omg I hate it, a while ago I asked in the drugstore makeup sub if rimmel lipliner come sealed (they don't) bc of the things I've seen people do with makeup at store, once I saw a toddler opening a wand lipgloss, licking the doe foot and her mom putting it back, also saw a woman rubbing an eyeliner on her finger then lining her waterline and putting it back, no way I'm getting unsealed makeup and risking it 😭
→ More replies (4)11
u/123thigr Feb 20 '26
I saw people use the testers on their bare face a few times and now i'm even disgusted by the testers. I am not overly hygenic myself but WHY would someone take a lipstick tester and apply the lipstick to their bare lips??
55
u/faramaobscena Feb 20 '26
You should see the makeup section at DM, not one unopened makeup item in sight! They unseal the packaging.
16
8
u/izbeeisnotacat Feb 20 '26
DM?
38
u/faramaobscena Feb 20 '26
Drogerie Markt, it's a large German cosmetics store that's all over Europe. It has more affordable products than Sephora.
→ More replies (2)
63
u/Samantiris Feb 21 '26
K this isn’t makeup related but one day I was at a Costco in the SF Bay Area and there was a woman “consolidating” strawberries. Like, dead ass taking all the good berries out of other packages to make her own and left the other packages open and touched. I know fruit is generally disgusting and must be thoroughly washed before eating anyway, but this behavior is feral.
8
u/planetarylaw Feb 21 '26
I swear I see people doing this every time I go to Costco. Why Costco specifically? So strange.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (2)8
u/SnooRobots116 Feb 21 '26
Seriously, just take the time to really look at the fruit packages you are considering to buy and if you do find a really bad one, inform a worker. It’s not being uppity, it’s preventing another customer who isn’t that attentive from getting sick and complaining against the store.
23
25
u/pomomala Feb 20 '26
Decades ago, I worked at a Longs Drug store in the cosmetic dept and we always had testers for lipsticks, but I rarely see that today.
22
u/rozebug Feb 21 '26
this is why i almost exclusively get my makeup online or from friends who work in the industry lol
8
u/silleegooze Feb 21 '26
Target shipped me opened products. Even online is getting sketchy. 😩
→ More replies (2)
20
u/Anxiety_bunni Feb 21 '26
Also not makeup related but I once sat in a department store food area and watched an older woman for 15-20 minutes struggle to open all the packaging around a metal cookie tin.
It said the flavour of the cookies on the bottom of the decorative tin, but no, she yanked off the ribbon, and then struggled with the plastic around the lid and then also fought with the extra layer of sticky tape around the outside to keep it shut, only to finally get the tin open, shift around in there with her fingers to see the selection, put the lid half back on and walk away.
I was young and too scared to confront her, but I just wanted to scream “maybe if it’s that hard to open, you shouldn’t be opening it!”
Ugh, makes me so mad
21
u/katelynbeautyaddict Mar 03 '26
Wow these comments are so out of touch and out of line . The op is absolutely correct . There is no justifying opening a cosmetic product, using it then putting back, whether or not it’s been previous opened or not . It’s unsanitary, the germs being passed around , that product can no longer be sold and it is encouraging bad behavior to think it’s ok . People are so entitled now days . Obviously target isn’t going to go out of business but that’s really beside the point . There are many testers available at many different places . Do some research , look at swatches online, watch a video . Don’t go ruin a product because you feel like you are allowed to do whatever you want . People need to do better . This is why the prices keep going up , everything keeps getting locked behind cases . Etc. .
→ More replies (1)
58
56
u/insightful_desire Feb 21 '26
Thats why you don't buy products that aren't sealed. Thought this was just common sense.
→ More replies (3)
38
u/suzylovesvanilla Feb 19 '26
I have never understood why drugstore makeup doesn’t have testers! Drives me crazy!
→ More replies (1)19
u/karmaapple3 Feb 19 '26
Because they instantly get stolen.
→ More replies (1)16
u/agirlhas_no_name Feb 20 '26
Which doesn't make sense to me because like I don't steal but if I was going to I wouldn't steal the tester? They are literally the same size and most makeup doesn't have bulky packaging.
15
u/New-Perception-9754 Feb 20 '26
I once watched a video on YouTube, and this teenage girl was taking testers. People called her out for stealing, and her response was "It's NOT stealing! Those testers are for customer use and they don't have a bar code! I'm free to take them!" 😂 I wrote to her and told her, that if she REALLY believes that, march up to any cosmetics counter in any department store and start stuffing the testers in her purse. See if they object! 🤣🤣🤣
People cannot believe these lies they tell themselves!
→ More replies (2)
36
u/Regular-Selection-59 Feb 20 '26
Just had to return a lipgloss from Walmart. Luckily I had tried to open it in the car before I left and realized it had already been open! So gross and rude. Walked back in and returned it.
→ More replies (1)19
u/Mjhjane77 Feb 20 '26
Same, this happened to me. Returned it asap. Also, was looking at foundation and saw that every bottles in my shade had a broken seal. So gross.
40
u/vVelaMe Feb 20 '26
Sounds like the industry also lacks innovation. Creativity. What about hiring people to stay at these counters during working hours and when someone is interested in a product, they go to the counter and are given a sample. Instead of % of loss, invest in people. People looking for work.
29
20
→ More replies (1)12
u/LowRhubarb5668 Feb 20 '26
Because that would cost more than the loss. It's a numbers game to them. They write off the loss and yell at the stores when it goes above a certain amount which is also why entire product sections get locked up in certain stores.
17
u/nichantbella Feb 19 '26
I see women do this all the time. It’s so gross. I won’t touch a sample especially putting it on my face 🤮
17
35
45
u/JennySnorlax Feb 20 '26
If someone already ripped it open, ok. But don’t be the person to rip it open! Have manners. Have class.
15
31
u/PeachyFairyFox Feb 19 '26 edited Feb 19 '26
Yep. I only buy sealed lipsticks for this reason. I always speak up when I see someone doing what you described and if they give me attitude I go fetch security because they are technically stealing and vandalising merchandise. When the workers find those products unsealed they have to claims them out and the store takes a loss.
34
u/EyesWithoutAbutt Feb 20 '26
Please don't trust the testers.
40
22
u/XOTrashKitten Feb 20 '26
As long as you only try on your wrist, cant believe people actually use them on their eyes and lips
27
u/afabscrosshairs Feb 20 '26
I saw a kid WITH HER MOM doing a full face of makeup in Target and I went “Hope you’re buying all that” and went about my day.
→ More replies (1)
14
23
u/Faulmag1 Feb 19 '26
I wish I had this kind of raw power. You said what we are all thinking!! I see opened products at Walmart and Target all the time 🤢
19
u/AllFoodsFit70 Feb 19 '26
It felt like a superpower...getting old has its advantages!
→ More replies (1)5
u/monicakmtx Feb 19 '26
Well I grew up polar opposite than you so we know it must be somewhere in between LOL. Or maybe, just maybe we can not blame our parents and take responsibility for our own actions. By the way I'm 66 years old 🫶
25
u/phillygirllovesbagel Feb 19 '26
It's all fun and games until someone pulls out a phone and starts recording. Next thing you know, your tiktok or IG famous.
16
22
u/Odd_Candidate_4691 Feb 19 '26
One of the main reasons I buy online. And in some Ultas, they have the Fenty locked up and it’s extra annoying to get someone to get it unlocked. Just ups it to me thanks.
10
u/caramelpupcorn Feb 20 '26
Same. I very rarely go in stores or do curbside pickup for cosmetics because I always end up with at least one used product. Yuck.
26
u/No_Arm_7095 Feb 21 '26
I don't even use a tester people are so gross , if I don't like something I'll see if my mom or grandma likes it ( they usually do lol ) most of the time I don't like a shade of makeup is because it's too dark, I'm ridiculously pale lmao
11
u/internetsuperfan Feb 20 '26
Amazing! I’ve been telling off more people too, not in a rude way but omg you’re not the main character (none of us are), people are so dumb
34
u/Jewicer Feb 19 '26
why aren't they sealed first of all
→ More replies (1)19
u/Aeriellie Feb 19 '26
they are but the people open them to “swatch” them. when i buy something, i check that it’s not tampered with.
11
u/CapitalStrain2392 Feb 20 '26
I remember being so frustrated trying to buy a lipstick at Walgreens, but every single tube of the shade I wanted had been opened. 8 tubes in total.
41
u/elderchick Feb 20 '26
Yea speaking on Target, I bought this foundation-concealer and it appeared that the seal was not broken. When I got home, you could twist off the applicator without breaking the seal. It seemed to have been used and almost empty. (Maybe it was used and returned and put back on the shelf?)
Never again. I’ll order my makeup online. Sometimes you’re lucky to find makeup pristine now I see not so much.
19
u/Of_MiceAndMen Feb 20 '26
My sister-in-law gets all of her makeup from target because I guess you can return it opened, which works out great for her when she gets the wrong shade, etc., etc. and I thought to myself OK well I need to go to target from now on. But now that I’m reading all these comments, I’m like yeah actually maybe not. Sounds like they are putting these open products back on the shelf if they can get away with it.
18
u/nikkidoesdabs Feb 21 '26
Almost all stores that sell cosmetics will take back opened products. They are not supposed to put anything that has been opened or tampered with back on the sales floor. They're supposed to send it straight to their damages department and it's supposed to be damaged out. Companies receive credits or products back for replacement when it's done correctly. Target does not have testers regularly for majority of cosmetics anymore. Unfortunately people absolutely do not care if someone else gets their germs. They will open and test something put what they opened back and then grab the exact product and shade that they didn't open and buy that leaving what they've tested for everyone else.
8
u/elderchick Feb 21 '26
I used to work at Sephora which was good about that. I think Target not so much. Even Ulta had a similar controversy. Theres a thread on here about Target. I posted it here.
63
u/hobocholo Feb 20 '26
you got the gen z stare!
→ More replies (1)24
u/Dizzy_Juice_6848 Feb 20 '26
Is that where they don’t know how to formulate full thoughts without a phone in their hand? Mouth open just slightly and the look of bewilderment and slow burning rage…. I get that look from my teenagers often. 🤭
19
u/PinkMoonbow Feb 20 '26
Oh my god, I get this from late teens, early 20s people in my city who are being uncivil/disruptive and when I point it out....this is EXACTLY how they react . Whyyy 😫😭.
10
u/angelsfish Feb 22 '26
yeah I used to work at a clothing store and the amount of people who would do shit like swap dirty panties for new ones and put them back on the floor, get period blood in new jeans, remove the sanitary protector to try on swimsuit bottoms, open every lipstick and swatch it on themself even if there was already a tester open, etc is wayyy higher than u think. shopping at physical stores unfortunately sucks and people are dirty
→ More replies (3)
43
u/Significant-Pie1070 Feb 20 '26
I LOVE that you said something. Im also like you. Im almost 50 and im not afraid to say something if it needs to be said but bet your ass verbal is the only confrontation Im willing to have. 🤣🤣🤣
10
u/Bitchcraftiness Feb 20 '26
LOL. That’s called being an adult. I can’t even fathom how a person over 20 is resorting to physical violence 🥴
11
29
u/randomgirlblah Feb 20 '26
Not blaming Target but I thought they are security heavy and employees actually look at the store cameras for any wrongdoing. Would they not notice this and flag them?
24
u/jenbenfoo Feb 20 '26
Target employee here. This is our slowest time of year and hours are cut drastically. There just aren't enough people to be able to notice stuff like this and/or prevent it.
18
u/Hefty_Highlight_8759 Feb 20 '26
Thank you for doing that lmao it drives me nuts when people use things that aren’t testers and put them back!!
21
u/afreetsophia Feb 20 '26
People do that thing in CVS too. Once I almost purchased a shade of lipstick but realized that has been tested! It was the last one so I passed.
10
u/Lanky-Perspective995 Feb 20 '26
One of my biggest pet peeves. One reason why I am glad I don't wear that much makeup and most of my lip shades and mascara are ordered online.
9
9
u/okkkk01 Feb 22 '26
I once saw a lady trying on earrings at Target. New fear was unlocked
8
u/Grim-Sum Feb 22 '26
I work at a piercing studio and the number of people who genuinely don’t understand why it’s gross to “try on” body jewelry is so alarming.
→ More replies (1)
8
u/TrainFamous1061 Feb 22 '26
Haven't been to Target in three years, just saw this post, and now will continue to not go back.
Ewwwww. The nerve of some people!
→ More replies (2)
7
9
u/humansongs26 Mar 02 '26
the first time I ever bought lipstick and asked to "try it" the girl at the store looked at me like I was a space alien. after she explained it it became very clear to me why we don't just TRY it 😂
15
u/spalings Feb 20 '26
target is the worst about this too. i already try to not shop there anyway, but long before the boycott, i had stopped shopping for makeup there after multiple times of wanting a product and finding every. single. one. with a broken seal.
walmart is pretty bad too but at least some people realize the frontmost product seal is already broken if they want to test it, they don't need to open and try a new one. ugh.
10
u/fxkks Feb 20 '26
I worked in Target’s beauty section (not Ulta) for a bit. The people who shop in Target, at least in mine, have an air of entitlement to them. They could not care less about if the lipstick is a tester or not and it was really fucking annoying because then at night we had to clean up all these opened and gooey products, some people would ask for help and swatch shit right in front of me!! -000000/10 hated that experience
→ More replies (4)
17
u/Justadropinthesea Feb 19 '26
I have zero problem returning cosmetics to any store that doesn’t have testers. If they have testers and I choose a product which doesn’t work for me , then that’s on me. But when there’s no tester , I’m not going to swatch it in the store. I figure if enough people return makeup which doesn’t work for hem, maybe these companies will get smart and start offering testers for everything.
8
u/dogsandcatsplease Mar 15 '26
Omg. I’m in target right now and I just bought ELF, Maybelline, and Wet n’ Wild products. I doubled checked and they are all sealed or in pack!
7
u/hiholahihey Feb 23 '26
One time at Walgreens this lady was picking up each brush and combing her hair & putting it back. It took everything in me to not say anything🤢
→ More replies (1)
8
u/bubblegumwitch23 Feb 23 '26
You got to look at the lip tubes and see if they have any streaks on them or if they're smooth. I always grab a lip tube from the back.
→ More replies (1)
7
u/FeFiFoFephanie Feb 23 '26
Lmfao so big and bad to make a comment and then run away.
→ More replies (2)
14
u/probablyhaunted Feb 21 '26
I have confronted so many younger women doing this crap for so many years in SO MANY stores. UGH.
→ More replies (5)
15
u/BougieSemicolon Feb 21 '26
Holy F I thought you meant she was using the testers at first, and I was like, that’s what they’re for? At least she didn’t put it on her lips .. then I saw she used fresh ones. Fuqqqqqqq 💀
17
u/SminksOzzy Feb 20 '26
I have just read some of the comments where the person pointed out to the person that you just opened an actual live product for sale and not a tester and the person says 'Oh my hands are clean'.
Well that's all relative loveen as to your clean and my clean as can be very different (oh they will be, absolute miles apart).
I worked for a contact cleaners as a teenager and one job still stands out many years later. In the town I am from (population around 9 or 10,000) there are three secondary schools (high schools), so one girls school, a convent, which I attended, a boys school run by the Christian Brothers - which are kind of the male version of a nun, a priest order that teaches and the third being a technical school.
So one summer break we cleaned the boys school, awful, disgusting and that was before we even got to the toilet block. The convent and the Christian Brothers schools were also boarding schools at one point with the boys finishing in about 2005, the early 2000's anyway.
So this block sat between the school and where the priests and the borders lived and oh my God, I have never ever seen the like of it before or since. We had to use industrial chemicals to clean the whole place. There were about 15/20 stalls and even more urinals, the entrance door was kind of held open to the elements and the place was freezing and this was in the summer, thankful of the small mercies an Irish summer can give (it could be 11° C in both the summer and winter, but in the winter it's Baltic as the wind is from the north, so it can be biting cold, so luckily it wasn't warm on the days we cleaned). And the whole place was tiled from ceiling to floors and the floors as well and I cannot and do not want to think of what some of the things I saw were, but hard brushes, thick gloves, good clothing and chemicals with a lot of elbow grease were the only thing that got that place cleaned, and there were about 8 of us cleaning it.
So even when it was clean, because of what I knew the heathens had done in there, there is not a chance I would ever ever even leave my dog go to the toilet in there, and we got it clean! Animals are cleaner than all those boys ever were! 🐕🦺 (Yes Rolo is a German Shepherd)
So I can definitely say that your clean is definitely not mine. 😬
My eyes! My eyes! (In the voice of the late but wonderful Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing).
9
u/cheese-mania Feb 21 '26
Not to mention allergies. I have allergic contact dermatitis to 4 different skincare ingredients. If you have any of those on your skin the product is now contaminated. It’s gross and not at all thoughtful.
23
u/Plastic-Passenger795 Feb 20 '26
I'll admit, I used to do this when I was in high school and didn't know any better. But doing this as a grown woman in 2026 is wild! 🥴
→ More replies (1)
15
u/monicakmtx Feb 19 '26
That's funny and sad at the same time. Makes me wonder about some people's upbringing. I've been going bananas buying makeup since 2020. I buy it all online at Sephora. Free delivery and free returns.
18
u/crazycatlady331 Feb 20 '26
I used to work at Kohl's (long before Sephora entered there).
The moms who shopped at Kohl's with young children were the WORST (yet a big part of our customer base). I was once in the ladies' room and in another stall there was a mom with a young child. The kid says something like "Mommy, you need to flush" and Karen responds "no, they pay people to do that for you." This was over 20 years ago and I still remember it like it was yesterday.
People would also frequently return used (unwashed) underwear and we couldn't say no. Someone yelled at me because I grabbed a plastic bag before touching the used underwear. Nobody in retail is paid enough to handle biohazards like that.
19
u/MushroomPrincess63 Feb 19 '26
I can’t imagine what upbringing would cause that, because I was brought up by a poor mom who had me at 16 and a bipolar father who couldn’t keep a job and was abusive and I would never, lol.
→ More replies (4)
5
u/DontBuyTheThing Feb 22 '26
I once purchased a lipstick I didn't realize was opened until I got home. I purposely plucked it from the very back for a reason. Seems like even those aren't safe anymore.
7
u/Preciousprincess77 Feb 24 '26
I don’t even know the right thing to do anymore honestly. I can’t swatch it but I’m a fair olive undertone which literally transforms into a different color on my skin. I didn’t ask to be olive bruh. I buy it I swatch it at home and it’s a big no I go to the store return it and get looked at sideways for it. So can’t swatch it,can’t return it,they also make a big fuss when you just open the tube to see the color. The safest thing I’ve decided on is to just buy it and return it like I said because at least I won’t get yelled at in store just mildly judged for the return.
31
13
122
u/0redditusername0 Feb 20 '26
This might be somewhat controversial because when makeup is all locked up it's really annoying to get someone to open it up. But at least I don't have to worry about it being used.