cosmetic shops onboard.....always empty?????

[cruiseerf]

I know this is a pedantic topic but we are all getting more and more onboard credit recently and trying to buy makeup at the onboard Cosmetic outlets is really take what you can get.  We were on a cruise last year for 3 weeks and the first night we asked if we could use our onboard credit on XYZ, they had none of it.  We asked if they could order it for the next cruise or the cruise after that????  They replied that their orders come little at a time with no rhyme or reason and they never know what is coming when?  When they are told by head office that something is coming on date "X" they said there is never any sure things.  On this cruise they were down to a handful of lipsticks,  and it seemed most of the Dior, Chanel and Lauder products we wanted to spend on were out????  Same thing with our last cruise, but I just remembered the other day as we are cruising again soon.  

 

This should be a profit center for Celebrity?  Even people without credit would shop there......No tax and nothing else to do on sea days??   Yet again and again we hear the same story from the staff......Bad supply chain management.  Thoughts?  or is it only us?  

 

Cheers all!  

[hcat]

I agree they should be well stocked..never have what we prefer... We rarely buy there unless it's a small  item we forgot to pack..eye pencil, lipstick, etc . Prices in dept stores, Ulta  or online are usually better.  Luggage restrictions  sometimes also limit  selections for us.

 

Staff is usually  not very friendly so no reason to spend much time there 

 

They used to have complimentary specials like eyebrows or eye make up sessions....did a nice job. When we did those we would buy a product..

 

Hope they read  comments and improve.

 

[gold1953]

3 minutes ago, hcat said:

I agree they should be well stocked..never have what we prefer... We rarely buy there unless it's a small  item we forgot to pack..eye pencil, lipstick, etc . Prices in dept stores, Ulta  or online are usually better.  Luggage restrictions  sometimes also limit  selections for us.

 

Staff is usually  not very friendly so no reason to spend much time there 

 

They used to have complimentary specials like eyebrows or eye make up sessions....did a nice job. When we did those we would buy a product..

 

Hope they read  comments and improve.

 

Very friendly staff on the Eclipse last April. Sat in the shop being pampered for over an hour. The girl tried several products until she thought they were perfect. I used some obc  I had only intended to get my own lipliner sharpened..which they  do often for folks

[jkgourmet]

Supply and demand.  Simple business economics 101.

[jelayne]

Personally, I find that on the M Class ships due to space limitations there is never the items I would purchase.  However, on the S Class ships I am able to restock most of my make-up using OBC-N.

[mek]

I work for a major cosmetic company and I can tell you it wouldn't be possible to carry all SKU's of any line in the amount of space they have.  I've always thought that selling cosmetics on a ship is just a convenience for people who forget or run out of something, not really to have an Ulta or department store experience.

Edited March 17, 2019 by mek

[downsmead]

We had quite a lot of OBC, increased by an extended stop in Puerto Rico on our last cruise. We booked some X excursions but then spent the rest on perfumes / aftershave -$300+ !! One perfume they did not stock,a Chanel one, which we ended up buying duty free on our flight home. A couple were slightly cheaper at the ports but OBC is there to be used up! I agree that the cosmetics were poorly stocked. I wanted an Opi nail varnish but the choice was very bad. I ended up buying some at a port - 3 for $21. Normally I stock up on my Estée Lauder products but recently stock has been non- existent 😢

[Lastdance]

We were on a TA and I lost one item, actually dropped it at the hotel.  We boarded and I went to find a replacement; had to settle for what they had...all the way across the Atlantic!  Yes, I also believe that it is just for random passengers who forgot or whatever!  Usually, I carry extras and love all the travel size items too, as I do not like to pack a lot, washing onboard too!  Need to find a great place to string a rope in the new S1 aft cabin on Edge...The S class ships were so easy to hang clothes on the line!  First world problems...

Edited March 17, 2019 by Lastdance

[drakes2]

8 hours ago, hcat said:

Staff is usually  not very friendly so no reason to spend much time there 

I was on the Reflection last fall and would agree that they are not the friendliest  I did however find a Dior product I could not get in Canada as it contained a sunscreen in it so bought 2. Prices were not good on other products. When exchange rate factored in was still cheaper at home.