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Cosmo Prof has anyone heard of it?
So there is this neat (or so I thought) store that just opened near me called cosmo prof. We got a flyer at work promoting it's opening (I work in a drug store btw) and I went last weekend to check it out. I ended up buying some stuff no problem. The lady at the counter asked if I had a card (I assumed a points card), I told her I didn't and she rang me up anyway and we were chatting about the crackle polish and she told me to check back in a couple weeks and that they weren't "holding" any for people because it's so popular, but I could call before going to see if they had any. I took my sister this weekend because they had some nail polish deals on older OPI collections so my sister picked up some stuff and the person at the counter told us we couldn't buy anything unless we had proof of a professional license...uhhh say what now?? I don't think the other people in the store knew this either because they kind of looked dumbfounded. I told her I bought stuff last weekend no problem and she was like oh well she wasn't supposed to sell you anything, we aren't open to the public. They should at least have posted somewhere on the door that they only sell to professionals if this is the case. If we knew that we wouldn't have wasted half an hour in a store that we couldn't buy anything from. There was nothing posted on the doors and nothing in the flyer we got with the mail at work so that kind of annoys me... Anyone that is familiar with this store, do you have to be a licensed professional to shop there? It's basically the same thing as Sally beauty with comparable prices, but they carry OPI and it's the only place in my area that sells it, so I am hoping this person today was wrong or something cause this makes me sad if it's true.  ok rant over and off my high horse, sorry it's so long, but I'm still kind of bitter about the whole thing LOL Feb 19 11 09:36 pm Link We have them all over Orlando. They are a pro only store.. the ones here have it posted on the doors. I'm a student but I can shop there. It's great if you're a pro. Feb 19 11 09:55 pm Link It's actually all professional products (i.e. Paul Mitchell The Color) though.. not the low end stuff sold in sally's. Feb 19 11 09:57 pm Link Feb 19 11 09:58 pm Link Feb 19 11 10:00 pm Link ah that really really sucks I never checked out the rest of the products in the store I was mainly focused on nail polish LOL and we were looking for professional makeup brushes but didn't see any around. They need to post something at the store here about it being prof only. I just went through the flyer again and there is nothing in it at all about selling to professionals only and I'm pretty sure it was a mass mail out of a "we just opened" flyer otherwise how the heck did we get one at work being a drug store and all :s Feb 19 11 10:07 pm Link I would be very surprised if there isn't some signage that says they only sell to industry professionals. They are a national/international chain so I am pretty sure their marketing and advertising materials are consistent at their various locations. Perhaps you just didn't notice the sign or the staff have not got everything in place yet. As to sending the flyer to the drug store - it's B to B marketing - pretty common. The Cosmoprof here has stopped selling makeup supplies/tools - strictly hair & esthetics supplies now. Feb 19 11 11:47 pm Link I went in. They asked if i have a card. I said no, they said I have to leave. I asked if i could just look. They kicked me out. Feb 20 11 01:01 am Link sorry that happened to you. It generally is clearly marked on the front door of the professional supply stores. These shops are pro only because of the hair color and products sold and Supposed to be sold to licensed pro's only. You will not find much make up at Cosmo prof, just some tigi make up, usually. sometimes brushes and eyelashes. nothing to get too excited about, the way of make up anyway. Feb 20 11 06:07 am Link When people say "Pro", they mean licensed hair stylists. And possibly (licensed) estheticians. Unfortunately, there is no licensing process for makeup artists, so we're SOL. CosmoProf used to be Maly's. Maly's was a bit more lax in their rules- I came in with my union card and a call sheet stating that I was doing hair, and they let me shop. However, I don't think CosmoProf will. It's too bad- everything is wholesale- got some great irons and clippers there (I think I got my T3 dryer there too). If you know a hair person with a license, you can shop with them. Feb 20 11 09:24 am Link Yeah I get my hair color there. I brought my mom there with me once and she told me to pick stuff out and she would pay for it...I was like 'sweet!' then when she went to pay for it with her credit card they told me I had to be the one paying since I was the one with the license. I didn't bring enough money for all the crap I picked out, and I tried to explain that she is my mom and it's a gift for me but they weren't having it. So they told my mom where the nearest atm was and she came back, handed me the money then I paid for it. Lol, so yeah they're tough cookies. Feb 20 11 09:40 am Link We have one in our city, I went in with my sister and they weren't real happy she was in there with me since she wasn't licensed. They do, however, sell to licensed estheticians so if anyone got their esthetics license it's a great place to get some things. Our CosmoProf only sells Bedhead cosmetics, so not a whole lot of goodies in that department, but they have a good selection of nail polishes, styling products and styling tools so that's nice!  Feb 20 11 10:32 am Link ah ours is like right beside XS cargo and bed bath and beyond and I think a lot of non licensed people are trying to shop there and I guess it's hit or miss depending on who is working. They either tell you when you go to pay that you can't buy anything or they ring it through and don't say anything. My friends mom bought a ton of stuff there and they rang her through but when my friend went they wouldn't let her buy anything. Neither of them are licensed either, so I guess it just depends who is working that day. Maybe some of them aren't informed or don't want to tell people they can't shop? The girl told us to go to Sally beauty supply but no crackle polish till middle of march they told me I guess I will try my luck in Toronto when I go next weekend. What stores in Toronto sell china glaze? I can't remember if Trade Secrets does, or if they only sell OPI? Feb 20 11 11:00 am Link I often find China Glaze in Winners, but I doubt if they would carry a newly released, extremely popular item. I just happened to go to my CosmoProf a couple of days ago and they don't have it in stock either. You best bet might be more out-of-the-way salons or stores that don't get as much traffic. Good luck! Feb 20 11 01:04 pm Link Ernesto M Casillas wrote: What a rude & horrible way to run a business! After reading someone's experience like that I wouldn't want to shop or suggest that place to anyone at all! Feb 20 11 04:45 pm Link Denise wrote: That is where I usually buy china glaze/Essie/Colour Club/Borghese polishes but it's normally last season stuff. I may try some places in Toronto and Guelph on the weekend if not I will either wait till march or order online if I get desperate lol Feb 20 11 04:53 pm Link Yes, Cosmoprof is not a public store. It is for license holders and salons only. Put it this way...my mom (salon owner) goes there when she needs to pick up last minute products or doesn't feel like putting in an order with her distributor to stock up on products she SELLS in her salon, including lines like Sebastian, Tigi, Nioxin, Aquage, etc. The salon only products are sold at wholesale in these stores, so of course they are not for the general public. There are signs posted on every door of these stores...even though sometimes they aren't huge obvious ones. I wouldn't feel offended. It's just the nature of a store like this and if they are selling to unlicensed people it is a huge disservice to salons who make their money by carrying "salon exclusive" products. They can get in huge trouble for it. Feb 20 11 05:24 pm Link Ms_Samantha_Marie wrote: If they are a private store with a hyper-limited customer base, what should they have done? They are not going to sell to anyone unlicensed. There is no point in wasting anyone's time. Feb 20 11 06:16 pm Link since I left salon life , I have to shop there if I want to use the pro grade lines i was using in the salon. Personally I appreciate thier exclusivity to liscened only , I think as far as protecting hairdressers from their clients trying it themselves at home lol, and helping to insure more work for professionals. I'm glad there is a standard and that its a pro s only. Helps keep it professional . I think thats a huge problem with makeup artists , that there is NO standard, we have the invisible standard but no one can really agree what that standard should be , just read a did you go to makeup school or....... thread ! Ugggggg ,or the what is a professional mua vs a ...............thread there is no visible standard , glad there is in the hair world Feb 20 11 07:22 pm Link TheMakeupman wrote: +1million Feb 20 11 09:29 pm Link Ernesto M Casillas wrote: Ms_Samantha_Marie wrote: EmElle Makeup and Hair wrote: Been courteous & professional. They don't know who the "customer" is or who they know that is a pro that would have shopped there. I worked in retail management for almost 10 years (mostly at Nordstroms) before I started working for myself. Feb 21 11 07:57 pm Link They may have been courteous about kicking him out. We don't know. He didn't say they were rude. Feb 21 11 08:03 pm Link EmElle Makeup and Hair wrote: To clear it up, what they said was ok, but the way they said it was very condescending and rude. I was mad because of the way they spoke to me, but I understand the place is only for licensed hairstylists. Feb 21 11 08:07 pm Link They have a glass door, and when you walk towards it, the sign is posted at eye-level: "licensed professionals only"~ I never been inside until I was a student and I brought a proof of my enrollment~ they gave me a student card until 3 months after my projected state board exam date so I can access materials to practice/study in case I failed~ even though they knew my license is an esthetician's, they've been friendly in offering me hair styling advice. I really do appreciate having a store that only licensed pros can go to.....I Feb 22 11 03:59 pm Link There is still no sign posted at ours...Maybe because it is still fairly new and they haven't gotten around to it yet?? I'm still depressed they have all the fun stuff in there LOL and the one time I did get to buy something that lady knew her stuff 1,000,000x better than the girls working at sally beauty. Then again I swear I know more than the girls working at our sally beauty.Feb 22 11 04:53 pm Link |
