I remember a few years ago when the Macy's stores in my area added a MAC counter to the beauty department. It was a HUGE deal, since I normally had to drive 10-15 miles to get a MAC fix. So the addition of a MAC counter at my local Macy's meant my driving time was cut down to around, oh, THREE minutes (which can be dangerous for the wallet, for sure).
Anyway, it looks like the danger to our wallets might be increasing soon (from happi.com):
Anyway, it looks like the danger to our wallets might be increasing soon (from happi.com):
Macy's is rolling out Impulse Beauty, its new open-sell space for niche beauty brands designed to complement its traditional beauty counters.
Impulse Beauty spaces will be installed in 54 Macy's stores by October and the retailer plans to add another 50 doors by 2011.
Brands will include Bare Escentuals, Benefit, Cargo, Dior, Laura Geller, Philosophy, Smashbox, Stila, Studio Gear, Sue Devitt, Too Faced and Urban Decay, many of which have not previously been offered in Macy's stores. The roughly 1,000 sq. foot space will also feature skincare lines such as Bliss, Clarisonic, Dr. Brandt, Peter Thomas Roth and hair care products including Lea Journo and T-3.
The space has been designed so shoppers can browse on their own, but there will be specialized beauty advisers trained on each of the lines.
"Impulse Beauty is a beauty destination geared towards a trend-wise customer," said Muriel Gonzalez, executive vice president and general manager for cosmetics, fragrance and shoes for Macy's, Inc. "The new collection of fresh, contemporary niche brands, which are not traditionally associated with department stores, along with our established beauty counters, provide Macy's customers with a wide assortment of product to choose from for all of their beauty needs."
So, how do you feel about this? Do you like to shop at Macy's for clothing? (I looooove the clearance racks at my Macy's!) Do you think you'll be more inclined to stroll through the beauty department if you know these other brands will be there? Even if it's just "window-shopping" it sounds like it will be a fun new addition.
I dunno how I feel about this, I mean I know SB got bought this year(last year?) but I don't know, I don't want the line to diminish from what it's been in the past... and every time SB launches in a new store it's a new LE item just for that retailer that I have to watch for... it's like keeping track of ebay auctions ! Madness!
ReplyDeleteSeems like they are copying ULTA or Sephora store format. But, still cool to be able to browse without dealing with aggressive sales associates.
ReplyDeleteOOh! Exciting! I love to shop at Macy's and there is one right near me. I love their clearance racks too. :)
ReplyDeletethese are good changes!
ReplyDeletei know a lot of people bag on macy's, but i still like to shop there. the sales are rockin'. ROCKIN'! i always like expensive brands and nice clothes, but i can't always afford them unless they are REALLY on sale! :)
YES! I've been waiting for Bare Escentuals to come to a local store so I don't have to order online! YAY!!!
ReplyDeletethe very name (Impulse Beauty) is scaring my wallet, but i dig the idea. that way there will be one close to my house as well as the ULTA near work.
ReplyDeleteI can buy all of those brands at Sephora (except Laura Geller, which I think is no longer sold there). And at Sephora, I rack up points on my beauty rewards card, which means freebies. So, why would I shop for these same products at Macy's?
ReplyDeleteBunny: Hum...very interesting! I guess we'll have to wait and see if this holds true for Macy's as well!
ReplyDeleteJT: Yep, I totally agree!
Melissa: Aren't their clearance racks the BEST? I got the cutest top a few months ago and I think I paid $3 for it. Ha!
drollgirl: I think the people who bag on Macy's might not understand the beauty of those clearance racks. There is a GOLDMINE on those racks if you spend some time and look hard enough, right? :D
Avalon: Yay!! I'm so glad this will be a good thing for you. :)
beautifulmonday: OMG, I know, the name cracked me up too. :)
Mustard McKey: I guess what I tried to explain in my post is that not all of us live close enough to a Sephora, MAC store, etc. to make it easy to grab our favorite beauty products without having to drive miles and miles. With more brands available at Macy's, it's going to be A LOT easier for some of us. But glad this doesn't seem to effect you! PS: I think Cargo left Sephora too?
My Macy's has this (North Pittsburgh) and I would love it except the sales people are REALLY overbaring. It made me leave and go back to Sephora!
ReplyDeletejbrobeck: Argh! Are you serious? I HATE that. But...for people like me who don't have easy access to these brands otherwise, it will still be worth dealing with pushy sales associates. :)
ReplyDeleteI too LOVE those clearance racks! However, I really enjoy my trips to Ulta, so it probably won't make a difference to me. Plus the cosmetic SA's at my 2 local Macy's are usually SO rude that I try to avoid them when possible.
ReplyDeleteLiz: Yeah, if I had an Ulta or Sephora near me, I would go there more often, but since I don't, I'm pretty excited about this. :) But yeah, I have a few very rude SAs at my local Macy's so I totally know what you mean. There's one in particular who always acts like I'm bothering her when I have more than one question about a particular item. It makes me not want to go to the counter when I know she's working! :(
ReplyDeleteI totally sympathize. You're an SD gal, so you'll understand when I say I trek from Chula Vista to La Jolla just to get to Ulta, lol. Oh...I just re-read the part about it being set up so shoppers can browse on their own. In which case, I will undoubtedly check it out at the very least! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIt's so timely that you posted this because just today I was at my local mall and saw the new Impulse layout at Macy's. Mine was free of SA's and I could browse to my heart's content.
ReplyDeleteVery similar to Sephora's with test products out to play with.
Oh, wow, I guess mine already has one. o.O But the weird thing is, it's more like a permanent Benefit counter??? I have yet to see any of the other brands mentioned, but maybe that will change.
ReplyDeleteSounds great! I love shopping at Sephora but I dislike going to the counters in Macy's. I like the brands and want to see the products in person but I don't want someone trying to get me to buy everything I look at. I think this is a great idea and I really hope at least one of the locations near me adopts this.
ReplyDeleteIs this every Macy's? If so, I clearly haven't been by in awhile because it makes me wonder if my local ones got rid the ones they already had counters for only to bring them back? New layout? Either way, doesn't sway me. I think Sephora is just as bad as Macy's (who is pretty bad) when it comes to pushy and/or ignorant (meaning I know more about their mu lines than they do, and please stop putting orange bronzer on me every time!) so this doesn't make me want to go to either one any more than I did before. I prefer the mini-Sephora in JCP and Ulta by far, they at least let me browse in peace :)
ReplyDeleteGreat news. I frequent Macys a lot, especially the Herald Square store. I hope they are participating. No way they would skip the flagship store. At least I hope not lol
ReplyDeleteMy macy's already has it all set up! I really like that I can get what I would normally get at Sephora, there at Macy's. Especially since that certain mall doesn't have a sephora, so it works out for me! I'm going to try and get some pics :)
ReplyDelete♥