Behaviour at the Beauty Counter

I don't think you were rude at all, presumably the other customer hadn't paid for a consultation and was just trying out eyeshadow. She was uppity and entitled imo.

The ( VERY rude) customer put the assistant into a really difficult position. I'm guessing she was probably quite young and wouldn't have the confidence or experience to say quietly something like " I'm so sorry; we're short staffed today. It will only take me a minute to check. would you mind if I had a quick look?
And SUsyQqq, I suggest you should complain to the management that there was no one available to help you, describe the customer's behaviour, and suggest that staff may need more training in dealing with awkward and rude customers.

Here’s an experience I had though not buying makeup, just wanting to ask my dentist a question. The receptionist asked me to wait a few minutes so that I could catch him between patients. The question was a yes or no answer to put my mind at rest. He was as charming as ever but when I came to leave the surgery the receptionist charged me £75 for the “consultation ‘ It was a private dentist and that charge was higher than a routine check-up. They wouldn’t back down. I never went back and managed eventually to find an NHS dentist. I feel I should have been quoted a price beforehand.

Would have done the same. Would have also found a person "in charge" and highlighted they did not have enough staff on to cover when a customer is having make-up applied whether they had a prebooked appointment or not. Terrible attitude from the customer though.

I expect a list of charges was displayed. It was a consultation - he spent time listening to you and answering your question.

The job of the sales assistant on the Estee Lauder counter is to sell EL products. She should have seen you hovering and left the othet customer for a second, politely excusing herself. What would she have done if 10 people had been waiting ????

sell!

I would not have interrupted the assistant and other customer. I would not have been happy if I was the other customer and was then left there while the assistant dealt with someone else. I would have gone to an assistant on another counter and asked if they could help or else wandered around until assistant was free.
The other customer was rude but maybe you were too?

Yes it was extremely rude of the other customer. Would add when I was in JL last week there were more assistants than customers in most departments!

You were both rude, but the other customer was there before you, she was being served before you were at the counter, and quite simply, you didn't have the patience or manners to wait until it was your turn to be served.
Your hovering at the counter was incredibly rude!

Unfortunately, you were feeling impatient and chose to interrupt a clerk working with another customer. This isn't really acceptable. Possibly you could have browsed awhile longer or come back later.
Glad you found what you needed at another shop.

Sarnia

So you were asking to go behind the counter and rootle through her stock drawers whilst she was dealing with a customer. Why couldn't you just wait your turn? I think you were the rude one here.

No, that is not what the OP was asking!

Yes I think you were rude.

I think it’s become way too ‘normal ‘these days to put up with rude behaviours . If it had happened to me I would have gone home & wrote a letter of complaint to the store just as you described it on this forum. If nothing else , it will make you feel better as you had the last word ! Free sample’s & apologies wouldn’t go amiss either 🤷‍♀️

I can never understand how people can feel comfortable having make-up done at a beauty counter. Mind you, I say that as someone who never leaves the house without full make-up, so would never dream of presenting myself with scrubbed, make-up free face anywhere other than in a hospital situation!

As you were not intending to be rude, I cannot see how you were. Rudeness is deliberate - like the bad mannered woman getting a free makeover. The assistant didn't have to stop what she was doing - her options were to either say sorry, she couldn't help, or direct you to the item you wanted. I would have done what you did - and probably told the unpleasant woman that that the only rude person present was her, and then stalked away in high dudgeon. (What on earth does that mean - anyone know?)

I was taught that it is rude to interrupt. That seems to have gone by the board.

I would not have interrupted another customer being served. It's rude to do so. I believe it's polite to wait for your turn to be served in any shop or establishment. There's too much of "my need is greater/more important than yours" attitude around these days.

twinnytwin

When I've been to the Estee Lauder counter for foundation and there's no EL consultant there, I've just asked another employee to get it for me. No problems. They all cover for each other.
The consultant should have noticed you loitering, obviously needing assistance and quickly called over another member of staff to help you rather than allow the rude customer to intervene.

I was going to suggest that. I've done the same in Boots and the other consultants have never refused to help. I don't think I would have interrupted a make-up session, but the other customer's reaction was just a tad over the top for sure.

Most certainly not rude.
As long as you asked politely (which I'm sure you did) then you were being quite reasonable. How long are you supposed to wait, while being ignored? You could have been there another half hour!
I hope your alternative purchase was satisfactory - and cheaper!

As a beauty consultant of many years, we would get customers regularly booking appointments to have products tried on their faces, these were sometimes booked weeks in advance, so if I was applying make up to a client I would not be stopping to attend to the next customer, she would have to be patient and wait until her turn. Yes the client having her face done should not have spoken in that tone . But likewise the customer coming in should not expect to interrupt the beauty consultant and take her away if only moments from the task in hand. The First Lady had probably waited over a week to get seen.I also wouldn’t expect to ask questions when the consultant wasn’t free she was busy attending to her client, I would have returned when she was free

Not the same thing but was John Lewis Cribbs ( I noticed you mentioned Bristol ). I very briefly tried some Homme EDT/EDP & left to return an M & S shirt ( in M & S bag ) on opposite side of The Mall.
A Police Constable & a PCSO came up behind me & very courteously asked me to open bag?!?! I did as they couldn’t have been more apologetic & obviously it was only a shirt in there. I asked why? “ A women customer in make up department reported me as having shoplifted some of the smelly stuff “. Nice. Sounds like same c?w has bided her time & started up more trouble. I e mailed JL who were v apologetic and got a free meal with my wife in Just Eat!!! 🤣

From the tone of your original post, you were very likely to be polite and gentle in your enquiry. In fact if there were no other assistants available, I would have thought it the duty of the one that was there to keep an eye out for other customers' needs. Clearly that customer had an over exaggerated idea of her own importance!!

The staff working on ‘concessions’ eg beauty brand counters are generally not employed by the store, but by the brand. And income is commission related. They are generally expected to help out with basic support elsewhere, but this tends to vary upon their product knowledge and natural helpfulness.

You were not being rude, the assistant should have at least acknowledged you - and they wonder why people turn to shopping on the internet rather than instore. I'm surprised John Lewis don't have a back up plan for this scenario- I know the one nearest to us prides themselves on staff knowledge and customer service.