Calm Your Tempeh

14/08/2016

My Experience working at Lush Cosmetics!



Winter was pretty hectic for me last year. I was at university and it was the first Christmas in our flat, but on top of that I managed to land a seasonal job at Lush Cosmetics! Lush was one of the first brands I’d ever experienced “consumer loyalty” for, and I desperately wanted to transfer that passion into selling the products, so I applied to three different stores around my area! I managed to get an interview, a trial shift and then eventually a job at the one in my university town.

Working at Lush is something I get asked about a lot, so I thought it’d be worth writing about. Everyone associates the brand with overly enthusiastic sales assistants, so many people assume working there is the best thing ever. I loved my time at Lush (and I often wish I had the time and energy to go back!) but, like any other job, it has good and bad points.

There are so many great things about working for Lush. First of all, the staff benefits are really good, especially compared to where I had worked previously (a not so ethical clothing retailer). Sales assistants have an hourly wage above the minimum, and everyone gets paid the same regardless of age. There’s also the chance for monthly bonuses if the store does well, plus other incentives to do well. My store used to give out prizes to the best performing employees which was really motivating! On top of all that, there’s a generous staff discount and corporate deals – stuff like gym memberships.

There are also some amazing people working for the company. Literally every single person where I worked was friendly, caring and outgoing, and the managers were lovely people who are amazing at their jobs. Of course, this varies quite a lot between stores and may not always be the case, but I had such a wonderful experience with my co-workers that I struggle to imagine anyone having issues working there. This combined with the benefits makes a very positive work environment.

Finally, the job is rewarding. Being able to sell products that align with your ethics about the environment, human rights and animal rights is a great feeling and is really motivating. Working there barely felt like working because I wanted to be there and sell products I genuinely believe in! Learning about the uses of different essential oils during training sessions only added to this, as I felt I was also getting a lot of lifetime knowledge out of the job.

Now for the not so fun parts. The major con for me was how emotionally and physically draining the job is. Running around the store and pretending to be happy for 8 hours at a time is enough to drain anyone, but especially introverts like myself. Although this meant I was very tired for most of November and December, I do feel like it was worth it. I did a lot of group demonstrations which really helped improve my confidence and public speaking – enough that people could actually notice it outside of work! It also taught me that going up and talking to people isn’t so scary, and I feel like I’ve made more friends thanks to that.

The other downside was the hours. I didn’t know my university timetable would be five days a week until long after I’d started the job, so I had to give weird availability to make up for the fact that I couldn’t do the required three full days. Juggling their demands with my university classes was incredibly difficult, so I wouldn’t recommend the job to anyone who already has a busy schedule. Like I said before, I’d love to go back but my classes this year mean I just don’t have the time.

In short, my time at Lush was amazing and it’s definitely the best job I’ve ever had, but it was a difficult to manage alongside my studies. I ended up getting very tired and a little ill from the stress of it all so decided to take my spring term unemployed, and I’m so grateful that I had the ability to do so. If you have any questions about working at Lush, I’d love to hear them in the comments below! I hope you have a wonderful day!


- Bethan

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