M·A·C Cosmetics Reviews

3.7

64% would recommend to a friend

(2,734 total reviews)
avatar

John Demsey

53% approve of CEO

47% positive business outlook

M·A·C Cosmetics has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 2,734 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The M·A·C Cosmetics employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Manufacturing industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

3K reviews
1.0
11 Aug 2018

No work life balance. High stress!

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Free goods Gratis Staff Discount Makeup artistry

Cons

No work life balance Work every weekend Favoritism No room for growth Little to no training or support Work alone in store - overwhelming Always understaffed High pressured sales targets High traffic Angry customers (for having to wait so long to be served due to being understaffed) Workload of 2-3 people on one person Little to no career opportunities (most people in head office and trainers made redundant) Little to no positive feedback Constantly getting put down from management minor things which no training or coaching to rectify issues Treated as disposable No recognition for hard work Annual leave often denied so managers can take holidays instead even when requesting 6 months in advance in a non blackout period Managers will answer the phone and put it to your ear whilst in mid conversation with a customer or appointment to force you to talk when busy Managers expecting part timers to complete their management paperwork such as Weekly Commentary Micromanaging down to the position of your brushes in your belt and the layout of products on stations - you will receive a verbal warning if you break this and is often threatened to be “escalated” Managers do not lead by example Managers work no late nights Managers arrive to work late most weekends with the same excuses “car wouldn’t start”, “couldn’t find a park” or a favorite “Sorry I’m late, i was on the phone to the regional manager” (on a Saturday when Regional Managers don’t work) If non managers are late they receive an official verbal warning Extensive paperwork required. You will have to stay back or come in early to complete as it is almost impossible to complete on counter due to traffic. If not complete you will receive a verbal warning. If it happens more than 3 times it will be “escalated” to a written warning Managers threaten to use CCTV footage to ensure “you are working hard enough” Managers leave work early almost every shift to either work at home or as they are “owed time” that no one besides the assistant manager can verify Managers gloat about previous criminal records (assault) which make staff uncomfortable and scared to speak up Management regularly threaten staff that they will cut their shifts if not performing Management regularly threaten staff that all their movements are documented and CCTV fotage is regularly sent to regional managers for review Extremely tense working environment Staff scared to lose their jobs if they speak up Staff regularly crying on counter or before and after work Staff developing health issues such as heart palpitations, anxiety, depression, teeth grinding etc due to high stress The list could go on...

3.0
18 Feb 2019

Never What Anyone Expects

Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Free and half priced goods twice a year Great team, meet great people Cool brand Good quality makeup Development as a makeup artist Decent training

Cons

Moronic customers Certain members of hr No room for progression Very low pay Unrealistic expectations for artists Emotionally draining Understaffed Bad hours Embarrassing, late to the party product releases (MAC girls palettes, good lashes about 8 years late, crappy contour palette about 4 years after the trend, next to nothing ‘face colour) Obviously very out of date/out of touch/tone deaf people working in product development, we get products for makeup trends years and years after the general public is so over it, the packaging is so stupid and cheap, the colours and pigmentation is mediocre, price high, colour pairings in palettes are absolutely random, mismatched and unflattering Do not come into MAC hoping to progress or that it will progress your makeup career from within the company specifically. It will help you grow as an artist, learn how to deal with clients, your technique on customers will grow via appointments, you’ll learn to work quickly and efficiently, and develop communication skills. But at the same time, it can drain you of any interest or passion of being a makeup artist you may have had. My store has had a turnover of 20+ people in the few years I have worked there. Everyone just wants to go into recluse and not talk to people and get the hell away from retail and customers because it is the most emotionally draining job you could do. You truly do not know how stupid people are until you work in retail. I’ve known people who have quit within working for the company a few weeks or a couple of months. MAC is not about being a makeup artist, you must understand that. It’s about selling makeup, which sounds easy enough, but it’s so draining dealing with 40+ customers on a daily basis who want to rag on, be rude, passive aggressive, or just plain idiotic. It’s just about making sales People literally lick people from head office’s holes as well. If you don’t lap up every single thing a hr member says to you, smiling and nodding blindly and not questioning anything, they really don’t like that. If you dare to be critical of any of the products (which there are quite a few to be critical of) then they get severely triggered They try to enforce and teach counter artists how to act with customers in a really unrealistic way, but I guess it’s easy to just tell people what you think will work in your head when you’re in an office all day and worked at a secluded counter for 2 years in 2004 Whenever hr comes to visit they stand around like hawks forcing you to follow and talk to customers even though the customer’s made it apparent they just want to look. They force you to go talk to the customer multiple times and there have been so many times where customers get seriously agitated. Hr in store will shred apart every little thing you do if you don’t act like a robot with a stick up your hiney

2.0
9 Apr 2016

You work for MAC you bleed black

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Amazing opportunities for growth within the company Great products ! Free gratis with each new collection Free goods every six months Great company to be a casual employee for You will never have to worry about not getting enough shifts

Cons

This company is basically against people taking annual leave (although they will claim not to be) say good bye to your personal life when you work for mac especially if you move into counter management. You will be expected and paid to finish all tasks in your 38 hours a week but really you will be working 46 hours a week on average to get everything done to the standard head office expect of you. Very high burn out rate with this brand - in the 3 years I have worked here I have seen the company lose some very talented staff. Always understaffed teams as good staff leave constantly due to burn out and annual leave never getting accepted.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 2,734 Reviews

Glassdoor has 3,316 M·A·C Cosmetics reviews submitted anonymously by M·A·C Cosmetics employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if M·A·C Cosmetics is right for you.