AIBU to never shop at Space NK again?

[JenniferJupiterr]

I’ll preface this by saying that if instagram, influencers and celeb type culture is not your thing, you’ll be better off skipping this one as it truly won’t be of interest!

Anyway. I noticed a few days ago that Space NK have organised a PR trip to Miami. Stacey Solomon, her sister, Rochelle Humes plus husband, Perrie Sian etc etc are all there and I just can’t understand the point? Could anyone enlighten me because all I can see is sheer bloody excess for the sake of it - tons of freebie products for these people (and all power to them! This isn’t a jealousy thing) , boat trips, £££ dinners laid on, huge limo type vehicles laid on - you get the drift.

but why? What are Space NK hoping to achieve here? They all flew out first class and it genuinely must have cost hundreds of thousands of pounds.

I get PR gifting and trips. But this seems just sheer OTT excess for no reason that I can fathom. It’s REALLY put me off shopping with them again. Not entirely sure why - maybe because I’ve got the ick?

Anyone else feel similar?

LookFantastic have shops 🤩

I think there is a little bit of snobbery going on here, so what they are appealing to a wider demographic

it’s long past the time when you could only get certain brands in Space NK and high end department stores

if you like the products they sell what does it matter

I always considered SpaceNK a premium brand. Disappointed to see them take a load of influencers on a brand trip. I’d associate Stacey, Perrie, the one from The Saturdays etc with Look Fantastic or Cult Beauty 🤔

The choice of influencer is more likely to put me off than the outrageous trip. Stacey Solomon is not synonymous with luxury products and high end experiences. Chav central ick!

I think this is it. 20 years ago it was only older, professional women who bought expensive make up brands. Younger people used Rimmel or Cover Girl and thought that they might shop in SpaceNK around the same time they got married.

Now young people do spend on expensive products and older women don’t buy anywhere near as much makeup. I remember nannying for a professional woman who wore very full face makeup. It was the norm then. A Estée Lauder lipstick would probably last her a week.

You think they’re faking having fun? Bizarre

Stacey Solomon and Rochelle Humes are not sisters.
Space UK customers will pick up the tab by paying inflated prices for goods.

SpaceNK 😂 Not Space UZ

Or UZ
Christ, I’m off. 😂

@ToKittyornottoKitty what’s bizarre? That I think the non stop fun looks forced? That’s my opinion - it’s not a fact

honestly, the mental gymnastics some people do on here to ‘pick holes’ in relatively innocuous comments 😅

But surely the trip is just their way of paying them to advertise their products. Could be money with Stacey in her bedroom using it... or could be her in a pool at their expense. Probably the latter generates more interest across SM generally. I'm only guessing I don't use makeup or face products!

@DontShoutInMyEarholeTracey perhaps read it again …. Stacey is there with HER sister. Rochelle is there with HER husband …

It gets those people to post lots of content with Space NK tagged and featured which gets their millions of followers to click through and then shop. Basic marketing.

Yes definitely takes the shine off their brand. Especially an association with Stacey Solomon. Jeez how incongruous.

Sephora tends to have more and better stuff these days. I prefer there for makeup and also PureSeoul for skincare.

All major brands do these kind of trips with big influencers or pay for influencers to attend big events such as Coachella whilst uploading sponsored content of their experience whilst heavily featuring/promoting their products.

I actually find it less objectionable as Space NK is a retailer selling multiple brands vs a specific company/single brand just plugging their own products.

Whilst I shop regularly with Cult Beauty, Look Fantastic and Sephora, I also occasionally buy from Space NK and this wouldn’t stop me.

I agree! One vacuous influencer, who lives locally, is frequently lent Aston Martin cars and invited by Aston Martin to events. She clearly drives a Porsche in her 'actual life' stories and it has made me vow to never buy an Aston which previously was a bucket list (maybe unrealistic!) item.

Me too. I feel like those people cheapen the brand somehow. Stacey Solomon works with Asda and Primark. No hate against them but a bit different to Space NK. I’m a Deluxe member and spend a fair bit of money with them.

And just to add - the reason for the excess is to be ‘aspirational’. Essentially, a case of seeking the dream to people who have disposable income to spend on beauty and skincare products, with marketing pitched to lull people into thinking that by buying that particular lip gloss or that special and exclusive eye cream, you could one day be jet setting around the Keys on a luxurious yacht and eating in the most glamorous restaurants etc.

Brands have been selling the dream for decades….nothing new here.

How is it mental gymnastics to think your opinion is bizarre? Or ‘picking holes’ even? They’re on an all
expenses paid trip to Miami and are enjoying it, I think you assuming it’s forced and fake is bizarre, pretty simple opinion! Your reply took more ‘mental gymnastics’ than that.

Just before Christmas, they send Santa round to the these Zelebs houses and gift them hundreds / thousands of £££ worth of products and beauty calendars etc. .

the TOWIE lot were all over it last year. Truly gross. I’ll not buy anything from them!

Brands like Space NK using ‘influencers’ seems so pointless to me. It’s an established high end brand, their shops tend to be in more ‘posh’ towns. The use of influencers seems tacky, but maybe something low end or unknown brands may need to do.

I presume some marketing whizz has worked out they end up with more money this way. All about the coin...

Space NK did a huge influencer trip last year flying Virgin Upper Class to Vegas to take influencers to watch Adele and they all stayed at the Wynn. Stacey Solomon was on that trip too as was Caroline Hirons.

i don’t really have an issue as such with the trip as Space NK sells brands and the prices are set by the brand. So Westman Atelier products sold by Space NK costs the same as elsewhere.

however what did really really annoy me was the fact that I was waiting for delivery and it took forever. So rather than splashing the cash on Virgin upper class and Adele, sort out your distribution channels!!!

and a side note, Space NK is owned by Ulta Beauty who are American so they are now very different to Space NK of old…

SpaceNK are fighting for survival in a market dominated by brands like Sephora. The customers spending most on makeup these days are not ‘40+ urban professionals’. It’s young women who love influencer culture.
You might find it icky, or at odds with your perception of their historic brand values, but the alternative is administration

Define ‘young women’. Women who are students or not working are unlikely to be able to afford Space NK prices. I would have thought their main audience would be late 20s+.

Yes there are lots of other brands out there (Cult Beauty, Look Fantastic, Sephora, even Boots) who sell similar products but Space NK’s stuff is generally more high end - the cheapest brands they sell are The Ordinary and Inkey. They sell a lot of brands not available on with those other beauty brands like Diptyque, Rare Beauty, Victoria Beckham etc.

I shop with them because their ndulge programme is good, especially if you’re a Deluxe member.