Bluemercury — Local services in Lake View Township

There are retail stores and there are retail stores. So often, sales associates are just trying to make a sale without really taking the time to think about the needs of their customers. We've been there many times, and we as customer hate the experience.

Today, I had the pleasure of visiting the Bluemercury beauty retailer on Clark and Diversey #167.

First of all, it's a gloriously designed store with elegant lighting fixtures and a stunning interior that has a sophisticated yet approachable appeal. I immediately felt very much at ease when entering.

Upon entering, a friend of mine and I were very warmly greeted by Bailey who I would call a "Beauty Specialist" and not a sales associate. "Sales associate" would not due her justice, for she was the epitome of a customer service pro who had impeccable knowledge and genuinely desired to provide the best skincare products for me so that I would never need to shop elsewhere --- ever! It was refreshing, and I really appreciated the passion she demonstrated for her product lines.

I once worked for the iconic Marshall Field's many moons ago during its glory days, so I know quite a bit about how to make customers feel valued and respected like nowhere else.

I was looking at La Mer, and Bailey spoke about its history and many amazing benefits. She also spoke about the Skin Medica line how it would probably be best for the results I was looking for.

What I loved about our interaction was how comfortable it was to converse with her. Bailey is a powerhouse of knowledge, and I felt like she had my best interest at heart. I could trust her immediately, and that is so important. She actually made me feel like I was a guest in her home --- exactly what we accomplished at Marshall Field's. Bailey also spoke of how much she adored working for Bluemercury, and it showed --- royally!

I really wanted to take this moment to celebrate Bailey for making a difference and for providing outstanding "chandelier" customer service. In fact, the entire staff of Bluemercury is at Rolls Royce standard. There is no beauty retailer...

They carry one of my favorite brands - Surrat Beauty. The day I came in the the store there was also a makeup artist who represented the Surrat Beauty brand. He “helped” me to chose a foundation, which I decided to get online from the blue mercury web store and then I had to exchange, because it was not my color. He consulted me on the lipstick too. And I was debating on buying it, but decided to sleep on it. The next day I came to the store to try it again and the sales rep told me that can buy it and return it if I don’t like it. Due to a lack of lighting in the store, it is hard to see the color of makeup, and i ended up returning the lipstick. Apparently, they complained to the makeup artist about my return and when I saw him again he told me that he spent too much time helping me choose the makeup and that I should not buy anything, unless I am 100% sure.

I also liked a lip balm, which they didn’t have in stock and offered to order it for me from a different store, which I agreed to. About a week and a half later I found out that the store had misspelled my address and therefore I was not able to receive my purchase. I am still waiting on it.

Truth been told, I came to the store, because I was completely changing my make up and overall I bought stuff for a few hundreds dollars. But the whole point of buying make up in the store is that you get a good experience and the most important customer service, which unfortunately was not the experience I had.

Through my experience with these stores, there are major flaws with attending to customers and maintaining a consistent experience throughout their various locations. I felt very unwelcome and the attitude I received from workers was that off trying to get my money and nothing beyond. I wish that they would start looking after their customers, as the product variety is good, however the welcoming...

I generally don’t care for these “high end” cosmetic stores; because it’s usually high-priced stuff sold to you by uneducated pushy sales people. My experience at Blue Mercury was totally different. I’m totally uninformed about these products and Blue Mercury’s consultant, Kevin, is a true professional and product EXPERT. He helped me choose a reasonably price sunscreen moisturizer and sent me home with some great skin care samples. He took the time to explain things to me; down to the science. He is so knowledgeable that I even agreed to return for a 30-min skin consult. (Which I would never do with a blah blah blah salesperson)

Kevin is the kind of professional that makes brick&mortar purchasing WELL WORTH the slightly more pricey items. You can’t get this kind of expertise on google or Amazon. Visit this place, learn some detailed skin care, and buy...