What about bonding over mascara?
Clink. That’s the sound of your last quarter meeting the belly of the vending machine beast. You’ve now entered the moment of climactic resolution in your purchasing experience. You watch in anxious anticipation – will your Hershey bar fall and be delivered to your eagerly awaiting hands? Or will the wrapper get caught on the spirally-wire thingy that only sometimes pushes your purchase over the edge?
And when your chocolate doesn’t come out, you’re left sizing the machine up. Wondering if you’re strong enough to tilt it to an angle that could knock it from its shelf – and then realizing you’re not.
The saddest part of this whole vending machine business – there’s no one to make it right for you. Where are sales people when you need them?
I have to admit, when I heard that vending machines selling beauty products like Elizabeth Arden and Proactive were popping up in malls across America, I was hesitant to buy into the concept.
What about consulting with a cosmetology specialist? What about human interaction, and advice on skin care? Or the free cosmetology product giveaways?
I understand, if you’ve been buying the exact same beauty products for years and you aren’t interested in someone trying to up-sale your purchase, a vending machine could be really convenient. But, if you choose to go to a machine instead of a real person, you could be missing out on some amazing cosmetology products and advice from beauty experts who are paid to stay current on beauty trends.
It will be really interesting to see how vending machines stocked with items outside of the usual soda pop and junk food fare in America. And, it’s not just beauty products – vending machines selling iPods are even springing up in airports.
In Japan, you can find virtually every product known to man in vending machines. They’re stocked with everything from board games to nine course meals to under garments.
The sales racked up from the vending machines that line city streets and countryside roads alike already rival those of convenience stores. According to the Vending Machine Manufacturers Association, Japan has 1 vending machine for every 23 people.
So, there’s got to be something to vending machines. I just wonder if the convenience factor is going to outweigh interaction with real human beings. Especially when it comes to cosmetology …
What’s next? Drive-thru make-overs?
April 27th, 2008 at 3:25 am
well, having working in the marketing side of the cosmetic industry, the BAs (or beauty advisors) at counters are told what the company ‘educate’ them. In other words, they don’t really try to stay up to date with the latest technology, they just have a sales talk bible and try to convince you that the latest xxx technology in their products in the best. If BAs do have license in cosmetology/esthetics, I’d say they are knowledgable enough to suggest what product is right for you. However, I believe, only some of them has background in it. In order to get your business, they could get really exaggerated about the actual product effects.
I’d say, if your buying skincare/makeup products, you better do your homework. Consult the professionals or read more beauty related articles, and try to avoid products with ingredients that causes acne or allergy.
For cosmetic vending machines (at least from the picture), I’d say the only concerns I have are whether they have temperature control, and visible full ingredient lists for the products in there.