A lot of shoppers were upset with Sephora recently. Here’s why.
The first few weeks of November saw the arrival of Sephora’s highly anticipated VIB Sale. The VIB sale is huge: It offers a 20% discount and is the only way to access certain limited edition sets from some brands. It’s the only time Sephora offers a sale, and it’s exclusive to members of their Beauty Insider rewards program.
And the Beauty Insider program is pretty straightforward. Anyone can join the program and instantly become a Beauty Insider with any purchase. Those who spend more than $350 in a calendar year are VIB members, while those who spend more than $1000 in a calendar year are VIB Rouge members. Each tier offers different perks, such as early access to collections, private shopping events, and of course, the VIB sale.
VIB Rouge members got first dibs on the VIB sale, granting them earlier access to product deals that sold out before regular VIB members could even try get their hands on them. They were allowed to shop from November 6th-9th, while VIB members had to wait an extra four days and shop their sale November 13th-16th.
Seems fair, right? First come, first serve. However, some VIB Rouge members were very upset with this policy, voicing their disappointment via social media wondering why they couldn’t get 20% off this past weekend too. According to Sephora Beauty Insider copy, VIB Rouge members are supposed to get the same benefits as VIB members, which customers were quick to point out.
Sephora responded to the complaints on Twitter with the following message: “Our VIB rouge 20% promotion has now ended. If you missed the promotion or forgot an item, please send us a DM for assistance.”
Sephora reached out to Racked with a statement about this year’s VIB sale, which reads:
With every holiday season, our focus is offering the most exciting selection and the best shopping environment for our clients. Based on our client and store feedback from previous years, we decided to split our Rouge VIB and VIB 20% off into two dedicated weekend events this year, allowing for a great and rewarding shopping experience, both in-stores and online, for our clients.
It’s clear the company has taken some time to think about this, so maybe they’ll be making some additional changes come next year.
(Image via Shutterstock)
