Have you ever been waylaid by an Israeli cosmetics salesperson? You should, it’s quite an experience. Tonight I was leaving the mall–as it was closing–and a young man with that familiar accent came up to me.
He insisted on rubbing sea-salt on my arm, then serum, then body butter. When I didn’t immediately run away, he applied eye serum and eye cream. He made me compare my eye circles while he exclaimed, “Amazing!” and “Look how different!”
He started mentioning prices, and I started making that pained, hissing noise when large dollar amounts are whispered delicately into one’s ear. He lowered prices and added a couple free gifts (for my beloved mother, of course). After I reluctantly agreed to fork over my credit card (reluctance mixed with the joy of getting high-quality skin products), he tried to sell me another line of even more expensive products. He went through two more full-blown sales pitches, applying products, naming astronomical prices, lowering said prices, throwing in free gifts. I enjoyed the show, but I stayed firm. I already spent enough money.
Finally the lights in the mall were turned off, all the store fronts locked, and he slowly put my purchases into a bag–not without a couple interruptions where he made another deal, and kept placing items in my hands, as if I wouldn’t be able to let them ago. But no, I would get away with just a handful of items, each one guaranteed to last at least a year.
Really, his performance was fit for Broadway. He gently mentioned my facial imperfections, asked for personal details about my life, acted like he was really interested. Maybe he was.
One thing I learned in my economics studies is that a sale benefits both parties. I spent the amount of money that I was willing to pay for such products. He made a sale. I assume that’s beneficial for him, because he worked very hard.
Each product is supposed to last a year. I want to know if I actually got my money’s worth. So, here is my BEFORE picture:
Yes, I used unflattering light and a white background on purpose.
A year from today, I will post an AFTER picture. I bet you can’t wait.
For the record, the products I purchased are Vivienne by Dr. Luxman.
I have:
Exfoliating Body Scrub
Shea Nut Body Butter
OnSen Pure-a-Peel
Pure & Calm Facial Cleanser
Mega-Moisture for face
Peptox Eye Cream
Green Seaweed Serum for eyes
and
2 bars of soap
Not for the record: how much I paid, because my mom reads this blog.
If you want to experience the sales pitch of an Israeli salesman, they have locations in El Paso, Austin, Friendswood and Houston.
