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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think LUSH have gone too far?

269 replies

Pinkyyy · 23/10/2018 08:50

I used to use Lush products quite often, I loved their soaps and bath bombs etc. I slowly stopped using them because I noticed the prices were ever increasing and pink bathwater loses its novelty when it's costing you £5+. Regardless, I still always went in before Christmas to buy my DM a bottle of Snow Fairy because it's her absolute fave.

I went in yesterday to buy her annual bottle and literally couldn't believe that they were asking £27.95 for the big bottle. That's £28 for a bottle of SOAP!! I even had to check with a staff member that I hadn't misread, she said they'd just put the prices up again. I realise they use natural ingredients and are cruelty free, but for me this still doesn't justify this price.

AIBU to think they've gone too far and you'd have to be crazy to pay that?

OP posts:
SandraTheBee · 23/10/2018 09:35

Their prices are ridiculous now. I do buy a solid shampoo bar every now and again, but never anything else.

HeadsDownThumbsUpEveryone · 23/10/2018 09:36

with that being said if she knew the price she would tell me not to buy it

Isn't this what most people say at Christmas time. Oh no that's too expensive, you really shouldn't have, I'll make do with a chocolate orange. Grin

If she likes it that much I think £28 is a small amount to pay to show her you appreciate and love her, much better than spending £30 on something she wouldn't use or get as much enjoyment from. I wish my family members were so helpful in explaining what they would like as a gift. Smile

StarShapedWindow · 23/10/2018 09:36

It’s not shocking, it’s important to question authority - its important to question corruption. I’m not saying most people don’t do an excellent job but it is known that sometimes there are cover-ups etc.

PrimalLass · 23/10/2018 09:37

I really like their solid shampoo bars. Nothing else makes my hair as nice.

hmmwhatatodo · 23/10/2018 09:37

Lush doesn’t smell very natural to me. I also used to go in for a bath bomb treat sometimes and some gifts but it became too expensive and I got tired of the assistants following me around offering to show me how their items work (dropping them in water and expecting me to make ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ noises then buy one). I also got tired of having to scrub the bath straight away and get rose petals out of my hair. I also find that unless you use the bath bombs quite quickly you lose the smell and it seems like a waste.

Sallystyle · 23/10/2018 09:38

£27 for 1kg seems ok to me.

They have snow fairy as a body perfume/spray I see.

AnotherCareerThread · 23/10/2018 09:40

I used to work for Lush.
I was bullied out by a new manager, it was horrible.

There stuff was expensive then, and I recently went in and walked straight back out because I just can't justify that much money, and I earn good money now.

Their staff get 50% staff discount which was fab but even that now seems pricey considering its a min wage job.

I'm torn over their ethics too, they throw a lot of weight over certain protests which sometimes don't seem right and, yes, they use a lot of palm oil.

Sales assistants must greet customers within a certain time when they enter the store and my manager in particular was a fan of hard sales (which imo doesn't encourage repeat business).

I used to avoid going in just because I hate being pitched to, I just want to browse in peace.

MonteCarla · 23/10/2018 09:40

@Pinkyyy Personally I was fine with the concept that undercover policemen should not enter romantic relationships with women that were based on lies (as the women did not know who they really were). It’s caused untold anguish for these women once the true facts were revealed and the lives they’d build came unravelling. I thought it was actually good of Lush to bring this issue/policy to public awareness.

AnotherCareerThread · 23/10/2018 09:40

*Their

MonteCarla · 23/10/2018 09:40

*built

SandraTheBee · 23/10/2018 09:43

I have read many reports about how they are really shit to their employees.

UnderHerEye · 23/10/2018 09:43

Yeah good old Lush: ethical shopping - for those who can afford it. Just like the champagne socialists who like to help out with community projects and tell the locals how bigoted they are and what they should and shouldn’t say, or any of Corbyns cronies.

—Although I can’t even so much as go inside a Lush store without getting bloody thrush—

longwayoff · 23/10/2018 09:45

Mksw, thought it was just me who avoids Lush. I have to cross the road when I smell I'm approaching one of their shops. Body shop too but not so immediate reaction.

Hont1986 · 23/10/2018 09:47

I thought the Spycops campaign was great, real shame they backed down on it. Would never buy £28 soap though!

ShadyLady53 · 23/10/2018 09:47

I went in to buy Snow Fairy and walked straight out when I saw the prices! I used to spend quite a bit in Lush as a student but it was quite affordable then. Now the cost of Bath Bombs just seems a bit extortionate. Last time I went in to buy the Cacas I use on my hair, they’d also gone up in price but luckily they do two applications. I picked up a bath bomb for a solo trip away but literally spent ages looking for one under £5 in the end, I was given it for free because there was a problem with their tills. I’m glad because the smell was really overpowering and sickly sweet (it was hard to tell in the shop with all the mix of scents) and it stunk my suitcase out!

The university I work in has a fair every fortnight where a lady who makes her own bath products has a stall. She does a knock off of Snow Fairy and various Jo Malone knock offs too for a fraction of the price as well as Bath Bombs. I’m going to buy a few products and see how I get on. They are all vegan and cruelty free.

To be perfectly honest though, I much prefer rummaging around the clearance section at TKMaxx these days. I get a lot of high end products for really cheap prices and they always have Bath Bombs and nicer shower and bath gels than Lush anyway.

teaandtoast · 23/10/2018 09:48

That Olivia Thomas shop looks great. Thanks for the recommendation, pp.

BabySharkAteMyHamster · 23/10/2018 09:49

I used go get ripped off in there but recently discovered childs farm bath stuff. Less than £5, all natural ingredients and my skin feels amazing.

HeadsDownThumbsUpEveryone · 23/10/2018 09:50

She does a knock off of Snow Fairy and various Jo Malone knock offs too for a fraction of the price as well as Bath Bombs.

Making a knock off version of another companies product does not sound very ethical, even if you claim it is cruelty free and vegan. Shock

Solenti · 23/10/2018 09:54

I can't stand the place.
It REEKS. With the combination of smells I the shop, I genuinely don't understand how people can go in to buy anything without coming out with a headache. Also, the pestering to buy drives me bonkers. Nothing worse than shopping with a hanger on offering unwanted advice over your shoulder.
Palm oil.
They have a terrible repuation for treating their staff like shit and running stupid campaigns like the kiss a colleague thing ConfusedAngry.
They are SO overpriced.
Products are full of chemicals.

PiperPublickOccurrences · 23/10/2018 09:57

Buy bars of soap. Less plastic packaging, lasts a lot longer than shower gel. I can't believe I spent so many years buying shower gel - I'm a total convert as soap makes me feel so much cleaner and lasts forever.

pumpastrotter · 23/10/2018 09:57

I agree their prices are getting too much, but I also agree with the other PPs about how long a bottle that size would last. I occasionally buy a small bottle of shower gel and it lasts me a good 2/3 months if you use a sponge. I really love Lush but I don't buy as much anymore, the occasional bubble bar as a treat and I use the face scrubs/soap bars regularly (baked alaska is GORGEOUS)

PositivelyPERF · 23/10/2018 09:58

Making a knock off version of another companies product does not sound very ethical, even if you claim it is cruelty free and vegan.

It’s a lot more ethical than a shop that pretends to be cruelty free, while using palm oil, putting a tied up woman in the window who is then tortured by an ‘artist’, forcing staff to wear tee shirts that encourage strangers to kiss them, pushing trans ideology on customers and treating those that don’t want to sign their petition as bigots. Ethical shop my arse!

MadisonAvenue · 23/10/2018 09:58

I love their Karma perfume and have worn it for years. I bought a bottle towards the end of last year and it was £24 but when I went to buy a replacement bottle in the Summer the price had jumped up to £29.

Lockheart · 23/10/2018 09:59

I like their solid shampoo bars. I can rarely find solid shampoo anywhere else, and a £7 or £8 bar lasts me a couple of months so I think they’re good value for money.

However I rarely buy anything else - the bath bombs are very expensive for a single use product, and whilst I LOVE their shower gels (they’re the only ones I find where the scent stays on my skin) they are expensive. Sometimes I treat myself to the rose one but not very often!

Nousernameforme · 23/10/2018 10:00

I've switched to Bimble now. Similar ethics a bit more herbal and a bit less flash than Lush.
www.bimble.co/traditional-soaps.