Once You Go MAC, You Don't Ever Come Back!
Pros
1. Very generous discount for most of the products that the company sells however there is an annual yearly limit. Even with the limit, the generosity of the company with their massive discount along with the complimentary goodies you get all year round is amazing. From the many collections that come out every season to the yearly employee gratis that you get to order, the company is big on the employee experiencing the products in order to sell the products. You also get to view and test new products not yet in completion of distribution which is exciting and fun. You also get to keep the shirts and jewelry that the company comes out with during seasonal launches and yearly holiday gifts. Some items are priceless trinkets and precious treasures. 2. Extremely rapid career advancement offerings within the company (that could branch in various directions such as education, management, and field work) were being offered to me which surprised me greatly. From store openings to counter openings to the training team, there were growth opportunities everywhere and I was shocked that I was even considered for the various positions. When I joined this company I was not looking for any kind of growth except employment stability, which I not only received but all those offers coming my way were unexpectedly crazy and I was truly honored for the many considerations. 3. Store employees (where I spent the majority of my years with MAC) got paid an hourly (which was higher) wage plus bonuses, not an hourly (usually lower) wage plus commission. I'd worked as an on-call/freelance artist for MAC my first few months and booked myself at every location possible, near and far, to get a feel for where it was that I wanted to be. I found that I enjoyed the vibe of a free standing MAC store most. And getting paid a set hourly wage regardless of how badly business became was a major perk when retail sales were dropping as less shoppers were spending. 4. Various company gigs such as educational workshops, being selected for fashion shows, assisting in special events such as the AIDS Walk and other MAC branded gigs, some of which you got paid for, others of which you didn't. Various store events where there would be parties to launch a new collection and you can assist the trainers and pro artists in body painting makeup or other collaborative work to support the event. These are the kinds of perks that one would have to experience and to be a part of, making you feel really proud of your hard work while building relations and creating memories that lasts many lifetimes. Not only great gigs but gifted people along the road of MAC. 5. I love people, working retail hours (I know, strange but true!), engaging with various customers, having fun with them, educating them on makeup application as well as learning with them along the way. You must truly love to be around people, listen to them, their needs and desires in what they're looking for because customers aren't always able to convey what it is that they want and how it is that they want you to make them feel. Just because you have an amazing technical ability at makeup artistry and a vast profound knowledge, those mere facts alone don't make you an amazing employee because this is a retail environment with sales goals. We are working with and on people, in a very close and intimate fashion so it's imperative that one is a "people person" and that you're always on your game. 6. MAC Cosmetics customers that I got to work with were absolutely the best. They treated me so very well, took such great care of me in every way and for that I will always be grateful. Also wherever you go, from restaurants to movie theaters to clothing boutiques or even to buy a car, being a MAC employee gains you so many kudos points. Not only did my customers hook me up inside of the store but outside of the store, off hours, just merely being an employee of MAC got me so many deals, discounts, hookups, freebies...it was as if the doors to life's opportunities kept opening up everywhere I went all because I was a key holding employee for MAC Cosmetics. 7. Meeting different employees from various locations was so much fun because what made MAC so special was its varietal of people that they'd hired with a varying degree of skills and strengths. Learning with new folks that you've just met, engaging with them, talking to them about their locations or other common factors truly united the employees within the company and made us feel almost like a giant, extended family.
Cons
1. MAC Cosmetic employees are the hardest working retail artists. MAC artists must: answer phones, do their own stock counts, book for events, meet/exceed unrealistically high sales goals going neck to neck amongst ten, fifteen, up to forty other artists on the sales floor, apply makeup whether the customer is sitting down or standing up, sell, suggest, push a product, do lessons on customers that run nearly two hours, not take a lunch, work throughout the whole entire day without a meal, work with only three employees in the whole entire store because somebody called out while there are fifteen customers waiting to be assisted, take out trash, clean the store, toilet, sinks and break areas, think of ideas for events, complete face charts, take mandatory trips to the stockroom which may be off site or on the other side of the mall, work overtime and not get paid for it (but you do it anyways because you love your job and you respect the fact that you have a job), and make sure your black clothes look pristine, dust free as your makeup is in perfect form! It's not glamorous to spend two hours to get ready, an hour and a half to get to your job, eight hours on your feet in a pair of heels, strapping a heavy brush belt on your waste and if you're a third key/key holder, your sales goals are the same as that of a full time employee but with so many added responsibilities which take an incredible time off of the selling floor. In turn keys don't always make their sales goals but assistant store managers, store managers, operation managers and senior retail managers have ridiculously low sales goals. They also take special lunch meetings, go on random shopping trips in the mall, leave early, come in late, etc. Certain managers have complete access to the computer's timekeeping records and can make adjustments to suite their own and their friends' needs. 2. Just like any job in any industry it's who you know. The right person, right time, right place...right on! Many employees at MAC of a higher ranking will oftentimes get their boyfriends, girlfriends, roommates, nannies, sisters, brothers, cousins, etc. hired even if those people lack experience for the positions for which they're applying for. At MAC Cosmetics, it's all based upon who knows you, vice versa, and how much they like you. Bonus points if you are really attractive by society's standards. Thin. Tall. Beautiful hair. Beautiful face. Amazing features. Wear designer items. Even if you couldn't do any of that nor possessed any of those physical attributes, as long as someone in the company knows you well and likes you a lot, you've pretty much landed the job. Granted that the person next to you has way more experience, has a resume that is incredibly impressive, passed the various makeup tests with flying colors and went on two, three, maybe even four interviews all yielding positive results. The other person nearby is a babysitter to the regional manager's child and already knows the job's in the bag for them. 3. This company doesn't like to hear the word "no" so be prepared for a backlash if you dare say that one little word. MAC Cosmetics is not concerned with your health, family's emergencies, inability to be at work due to scheduling or your desire to remain in your said position. This is not the kind of company that wants to hear the word "no" when you've been bestowed with the opportunity of a lifetime (as they view it) although perhaps you're on a different road in your career and life. Dare you tell a manager that you can't come in to work today because your Mum is ill, your children have to be picked up, or perhaps you have the flu, please be prepared. Be prepared to be called into the the office about matters that are foreign to you, to not get "those days off" that you'd requested six months ago due to a scheduling conflict (usually not the case as employees know which days they can make their requests), have upper management pull you aside to address you on why you've been looking so drab and dull, although you've got a migraine and were told you had to come in to work because you had no more sick days. Some companies are aware that their employees have a life outside of work and this is not one of those companies. MAC Cosmetics is one hundred percent MAC, all day, every day, all the time, even on your days off. On my days off, upper management would call me to come in, switch schedules with me last minute, ask about ongoings of the previous days when I'd worked, etc. Heaven forbid that you've got a loving marriage, wonderful children, engage in activities such as charities while going for your master's degree and are a full time student in college as you manage a super nice home life because working for MAC will wreak havoc on your schedule!
