superkiki
01.10.02, 14:58
Czyli o tym, że za Wielka Woda wcale nie jest tak dobrze...
Cosmetics makers skimp on samples
By Sarah Ellison
Wall Street Journal
September 29, 2002
Finding free cosmetic samples used to be as easy as smudging mascara. Ever
since Estee Lauder, the founder of Estee Lauder Cos., began visiting women
in hair salons in the 1950s and applying their makeup free of charge,
sampling has been a staple for cosmetics buyers.
But as the economy lags and beauty sales slump, cosmetics makers are getting
sparing with the freebies. Some now make shoppers spend a substantial amount
of time with a clerk to be eligible for a freebie.
Origins, an Estee Lauder brand that operates retail stores, requires 10 to
15 minutes of deliberation at the counter.
And P&G has even begun charging for some samples: $1.25 for miniatures of
Cover Girl cosmetics called "Tiny Try."
The new frugality is exasperating for people like Heidi Long, a 24-year-old
who owns nine tubes of lipstick and said she can't remember the last time
she paid for one.
"I used to just be able to ask point blank if someone was offering samples,"
she said. "Now they cop an attitude if you do that."
Big cosmetics makers insist they haven't reduced their sampling budgets,
which can amount to millions of dollars a year.
In a recent study, P&G found that 15 percent to 20 percent of shoppers who
tried one of its lipstick samples later purchased a full-size version - a
much higher rate than it gets from traditional advertising.
But companies said economic reality is forcing them to be discriminating.
"Sampling used to be something for brand-building and brand-expanding. Now
it has become like a reward program for loyal customers, like air miles,"
said William Lauder, president of Estee Lauder.