Lush - how do they get away with charging so much?

They're not as ethical as they make out and have been accused of greenwashing before plus their products aren't as natural as they make out. One of their bathbombs turned someone's skin pink once. Their 'Rock Star' soap never held it's smell either after a few uses despite the shops being heavily perfumed.The founder's habit of using his business for political sloganeering, ('Spy Cops' comes to mind) I don't see what any of that has to do with bath products. The thing is, their fans are mostly young who love all of that and their fandom is pretty much like a cult. I critized them on a Tiktok and got a barrage of abuse from their fans.

Because people are prepared to pay the prices.

I used to love Lush when it was £2.50/3 for a bath bomb.

Went in a store at Christmas for the first time in a long time and had a shock at the prices!! The bath bombs were £8-12 each!! Insane.

Also, I didn’t like some of their activism back in 2018. It’s a bubble bath shop, I don’t want to see politics, so I stopped shopping there back then and won’t go back now because of the prices.

@HeadDeskHeadDesk Well I still disagree with you, sorry!

Not all customers want to be talked to whilst out shopping, I dont for starters and I cant be some unique special unicorn and in conversation with my friends in the past about this topic they feel similarly- they cant bear it either.

I am quite sure that you are right and some customers like it but NOT all of them and it's a bit silly to think you can generalise like that about everyone as we are all different.

In fact, I would ask you this- if people love the experience of chatting in high street shops so much then why is the high street dying a slow death? most people shop online now anyway and I suspect part of that is that they can browse in peace whilst sitting on the sofa in their pyjamas whilst drinking a cup of coffee. It's just way more relaxed.

"Online shopping has become a dominant consumer behavior, with global users reaching 2.77 billion by 2025 (33% of the population), accelerated by a 74% surge in online sales during 2020 and a permanent shift toward digital retail
. Key studies indicate 64% of consumers view online shopping as the new normal"

Also my daughter and her friend were once trying the perfume testers, got followed around the shop and then got asked to leave. No reason given at all. They are the most laws abiding girls you could get and it utterly traumatised them. I had to go and pick them up they were so upset. She’s never been back in and spends a lot on Korean stuff so their loss.

The shampoo and conditioner bars are fantastic but absolutely no way am I spending prices like they charge on a single bath bomb when I can get a bottle of Neals Yard for the same price.

Makes me sneeze, just walking past the shop. Dreadful.

I went into lush today. Was asked if I wanted help with anything. I said no thanks and that was it.

They don't ask you if you need any help though. They're trained not to let you refuse help. They do stuff like compliment your hair and start trying to show you their henna or shampoo tub or curl cream, or ask if you've smelled their new soap. If you say yes they want to know what you think of it and if no they sometimes offer to wash your hands in it.

yes obviously you don't do things like that without getting a staff member??? parent your child. i hate entitled parents and their inevitably entitled children

I absolutely love Lush products. But I can't afford them anymore. It never used to be this bad!

Of course, and that's exactly what I am advocating. At no point have I suggested people should be jumped on and hassled the second they are in the door, in fact I've specifically said they shouldn't be. But neither should they be ignored. If you are any kind of speciality or independent business then that is suicide. In my following post I replied to someone else with this:

'Yes I do know what you mean. Cards on the table, I run a business that includes among other things, employing retail staff. Staff should be capable of applying a bit of emotional intelligence and common sense to the situation. I always say allow customers a few moments to orientate themselves, then approach soon after, but not the immediate second they walk in the door. It's about getting the balance right, but that's something that seems to be lost on so many people. I don't know why, it's not bloody rocket science.'

You personally might not like being approached but other people absolutely expect it. As a business owner I'd much rather my customers had their presence acknowledged, than not acknowledged, even if they didn't need help and wanted browse alone.

My company attracts people wanting niche products and the advice that goes with them. We have people coming in not really having a clue what they want, but knowing they want something and we sell it. They sometimes lack the confidence to ask, because they are afraid their question will sound stupid. I can spot them at 20 paces now. 😁

It's amazing how often people say 'Oh it's okay, I'm only browsing thanks' and then as you go to walk away they say 'but actually, while you are here, can you tell me what the difference is between X and Y? Or 'which A would you recomment to go with my B? And that will usually turn into a sale. Whereas if they'd never been approached they might have just left quietly without buying anything because they felt a bit overwhelmed and under-informed.

We get people travel long distances to visit us and we will occasionally get very sniffy emails or bad reviews complaining that the staff 'ignored' them when they came in, or didn't fawn over them quite as much as they'd anticipated based on our great reviews. Honestly, you can't win!

Ok well the same applies to speciality stores too!

I live in quite a bohemian town with lots of niche and unique/speciality stores. None of them descend upon you the moment you enter. Usually what happens is the person behind the counter looks up and says hello, smiles or a similar greeting. Occasionally they might say give me a shout if you need anything. Thats fine. But descending on a person the moment they enter your shop and firing questions at them is completely unwanted and unappealing. I dont know a single person who enjoys that whilst shopping. I go out shopping to browse and relax- having to repeat "I'm just browsing" over and over and over again is not what I call relaxing. Its annoying.

i shop there because I like some of their products, and see it as a bit of a treat. This is probably nostalgia fueled. It is harder to find stuff without glitter, which I cannot abide in any format

M&S and the supermarket are bad examples though. Smaller, more speciality stores are a different animal.

Yes I do know what you mean. Cards on the table, I run a business that includes among other things, employing retail staff. Staff should be capable of applying a bit of emotional intelligence and common sense to the situation. I always say allow customers a few moments to orientate themselves, then approach soon after, but not the immediate second they walk in the door. It's about getting the balance right, but that's something that seems to be lost on so many people. I don't know why, it's not bloody rocket science.

I used to shop there and liked their products but I refuse to pay double digits for a bath bomb. Bit silly really because I used to place several large orders a year with them and I doubt I’m the only one.

It is very easy to look back at historical figures and criticise them for being products of, and operating in the context of, their time. Especially if you ignore that context. As someone who grew up in the 70s and 80s having a female PM was hugely influential on young women.

NOOOO. You should absolutely leave customers alone until they ask you for help. When I go to the supermarket or M&S I dont have people on me the second I walk in the door but if I need something I will ask an assistant.

Thats exactly how it should be. I dont want to have to repeat in every shop I go into "just browsing" it gets tedious and irritating as hell. Leave me alone to look and if I need I will ask.

While we are here. One thing I've never understood is why they have the tester bowls with the test bath bombs surrounding it out on the shop floor... My child dropped a tester bath bomb in when I assumed it was a tester display and the staff member was NOT impressed that they'd done it. Is that a thing in lush that you don't try the examples without a staff member?!

I agree, I used to love Lush when I was younger but it's ridiculously expensive. I also can't stand the way the staff hassle you. Not their fault, I know they're told to do it, but I just want to browse without being stopped every few paces.

@HeadDeskHeadDesk

Perhaps you had to be there. It was so immediate; I felt pounced upon, and the way she spoke, so slowly, through this fixed grin, was so unnerving, it was like she was drugged, or a member of a cult, or both. I just thought, wtf, and got the fuck out of there pronto.

That's better than being ignored though, surely? It's standard, good practice to acknowledge customers when they enter your shop and to offer help if they need it. Far too often these days places are on skeleton staff and you couldn't find a person to help you if you tried. If you aren't standing at the till already with your money out then forget it, and even then lots of places will keep you waiting for ages because they won't staff their shop adequately and have one or two members of staff running around a huge shop doing everything.

When approached, it's easy enough to say 'Just browsing at the minute thanks.' No-one wants to be stalked and hounded around a shop, or be subject to pushy sales techniques but there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with being greeted and offered help upon entering. Be careful what you wish for. It's tough enough for shops to survive on the high street as it is. The last thing we want is a world where shopping has no human interaction or physical premises at all.

I just tell them I’m browsing and that works.

Yeah I hate it too. It's not even like they leave you to look around for a bit before they approach, the second your foot edges over the threshold they're all over you asking you what you want, what you're looking for, can they help and it really pisses me off. Just fucking let me be.