Chemist refused to sell my Mother make up. How odd?

[fortifiedwithtea]

DM a bit deaf but all her facilities and aged 85 .

She wanted to buy her granddaughter (my DD2) a lipstick for her birthday. DM went to a local independent chemist. The sort that stinks of perfume the moment you walk in. She explained to the sales assistant ( who mum presumed was the owner or manager ) that she was looking for a colour to suit someone with blonde hair, fair skin tone.

Assistant replied sorry I know this sounds awkward but we only serve people who have bought a product before as its caused problems in the past.

So mum went to Boots with the exist same request and was helped , no problem. Except now she is over thinking it and worrying the lipstick could cause God knows what skin allergy.

Does this sound really odd? I wondered if first shop thought she was buying for a child. Dd2 is 20 years old btw. Or do you think its because make up choice so personal its highly likely its not to daughter’s taste. But why should that be of any concern to the shop, everyone should know make up can not be returned.

To me its a weird business model only to sale products your customers have had before. How is business growth achieved if nobody tries anything new.?

a bit deaf

vs

very hard of hearing and refuses to wear her hearing aids

do you see the difference?

No, actually. I'd say they're equal.

A bit DEAF is quite extreme.

Fair enough

I see “a bit” as very different to “very”

Especially in conjunction with “and refuses to wear hearing aids”. 🤷‍♀️

My mum went into Boots to buy some Ecstacy for her granddaughter and they were very concerned till she told them it was perfume. She meant Escada 😆

Dammit.

I have to placemark 😳

Constance Carroll roll on lip gloss! Forgotten all about that, am heading off to eBay right now!

Is this a high end brand @fortifiedwithtea ?

There is only one small pharmacy in my town that sells make up and its Dior and Clarins. (I don't buy either, their stock is probably quite old as we have a very good dept store not far away where they sell this.)

I could just about imagine an asst being concerned that an older woman might make a mistake with a colour and expect a refund for a lippie costing £25-£30.

But they could easily say they don't do refunds.

TBH your mum might be better off giving your daughter a voucher for Boots or another store where she cam choose her own. Far too risky buying make up for someone else.

Sounds loony to me. Hope you can reassure your DM that it’s fine to buy a lipstick.

Both. The store manager who I went and got and the actual pharmacist who was also embarrassed at the woman’s attitude and said it was ok to sell to me.

Gosh, saw the thread title and thought there was some huge ageist discrimination at work: ‘sorry, grandma, your make-up wearing days are done’. My late mum was rather inclined to police her generation should they dare to go bold with the lippie. It does sound like a slightly strange miscommunication all round, though. And I am also now weirdly invested in finding out what happened.

@fortifiedwithtea sounds like where I live! Dying to know the chemist now!

I'd have to go in and query this. So weird

Love this comment ha ha ha

No one try this. This will kill your cat.
It has paracetamol in it which is deadly to cats.

I bet the store assistant thought your mum meant hair dye.

I’m imagining your dm being a bit like my mil. Half the gift would be the blow by blow account of what the sales assistant recommended, (and where she was from/ who she is married to and what she was having for dinner.) That type of shopping experience is dying out.

@Kennykenkencat she was at end life. Two drops from a dropper got her through the day . I was not throwing bottles of calpol down her throat. Thanks for the input , wrists are suitably slapped 🙄🙄🙄

Place marking

"The store manager agreed with me and apologised profusely."

@BobbyBobbyBobby they were just doing whatever they could to get rid of you without you causing any more of a scene. Nobody agreed with you apart from the other rude and difficult customer in the queue that joined you in belittling and jeering at a woman simply doing her job.

I can understand why they wanted rid of you since you admit that you would respond to being refused service by shitting all over the shop floor

You seem rather pleased with yourself to have unearthed this by advance searching the OP, don’t you? Calm down. One post would have been enough, though ASing is considered poor form 😐

"she was at end life. Two drops from a dropper got her through the day . I was not throwing bottles of calpol down her throat. Thanks for the input , wrists are suitably slapped 🙄🙄🙄"

They're not arsed about your dead cat 🙈

"You seem rather pleased with yourself to have unearthed this by advance searching the OP, don’t you? Calm down"

Quite. Bet Sherlock Holmes is shitting himself now @Feef83 is on the case 🤣

I think Sherlock might have spotted the OP’s first four words…

Tbf it doesn't sound like they refuse to sell just refused to advise what to buy? Which for something like makeup is somewhat fair enough