Beauty Chain Sephora Hits $10 Billion in Revenue, Leaving Workers Disgruntled Over ‘Stale’ Cookie
Sephora, the renowned beauty chain, recently achieved a major sales milestone, surpassing $10 billion in revenue in North America. However, the workers who played a vital role in this success were left disheartened by the company’s gesture of gratitude—an allegedly stale cookie.
As a token of appreciation, Sephora sent out cookies to some of its stores. Nevertheless, the sentiment behind the sprinkled treats and accompanying thank-you note, which demanded confidentiality, fell flat with Sephora’s employees, sparking numerous complaints online. Two workers, seeking anonymity, expressed their disappointment with the gesture.
According to a former employee, whose departure coincided with the cookie delivery, They are always coaching us to meet our goals and expectations, and, of course, everyone goes above and beyond for the company and all they give us is a stale cookie and a letter thanking us. Another employee added, It’s obvious they’re not listening to us. These are people who don’t know how this actually works and how important we are to the operation.
In response to the backlash, Sephora issued a statement to Business Insider, acknowledging the contributions of its extraordinary team members who cultivated the brand’s remarkable beauty community. The statement further emphasized the company’s commitment to offering competitive benefits, performance bonuses, educational opportunities, brand perks, training products, gratis, and substantial employee discounts.
It remains unclear whether Sephora granted any additional compensation to its employees for reaching the revenue milestone.
Sephora staff received the congratulatory treats over the past week. The cookies were adorned with a label proclaiming, We did it! $10 billion, to commemorate the company’s record-breaking achievement.
The company card accompanying the cookies, which Business Insider had the opportunity to review, highlighted Sephora’s remarkable performance during Black Friday, both in stores and online. It also mentioned new records set for online traffic and warehouse fulfillment, expressing gratitude for the employees’ role in making it the company’s greatest year ever.
However, Sephora’s directive to keep the card’s content confidential did not discourage employees from expressing their disappointment on a dedicated subreddit. Reddit users mockingly referred to the cookies as the infamous cookie, with some providing reviews of the pre-packaged goods’ taste, earning it a lukewarm rating. Others lamented that the gesture made them feel undervalued.
One Reddit user even turned the cookie incident into a rallying cry for unionization, writing, Let the unionization begin!
While an employee who received the cookie on her last day stated that confidentiality notices were customary in Sephora’s gifts, she admitted that the gift left her feeling let down but not surprised. She shared her sentiments, saying, They really don’t reward us for the work and mental energy it takes to be a Sephora employee. There’s just so much more they could do, and they chose to send stale cookies.
In conclusion, Sephora’s workers are voicing their dissatisfaction over what they perceive as inadequate recognition for their contributions to the company’s extraordinary $10 billion revenue achievement. The stale cookie and accompanying confidentiality-laden note have sparked disappointment and frustration among employees, highlighting a perceived gap between management and frontline staff in understanding the significance of their roles within the organization.
