Anyone frustrated by MAC LE items selling out within mere days of their release both online and in stores? Anyone like me who can't get the the local MAC store the day of a launch because they are just too damned busy with life/school/work?
Here is something I found out only recently from one of MAC's customer service representatives over the phone - apparently sometimes they will mark an item as SOLD OUT when the stock gets to a critical low (but before it reaches zero). Which means that there is a decent chance that the LE item you want may in fact be in stock, albeit it in very low numbers.
Case in point, when Jeanius launched back in March, I was busy getting my work together to go to a conference down in St Louis and so completely missed both the online and in store launch. I didn't think too much of it (it didn't seem like a blow out collection) so I waited about 10 days before I headed down to my local store. They had everything I wanted except Pink Cult blush (which turned out to be the sleeper hit of the collection). I called around my city but all the other MAC stores were sold out as well as the Bay and online. I sent an email to my sister in Vancouver to check with the PRO store on Robson Sold out. The Bay in Pacific Centre? Sold out.
I went to the conference and checked the website everyday in case it came back in stock. No dice. When I did finally get back home it had been around 4 weeks since the collection had been out. I called customer service thinking I might be able to get it through the "Gone But Not Forgotten" program.
It turns out they had Pink Cult in stock - just a few left, even though the website had listed it as SOLD OUT for at least 3 weeks. This experience was repeated again recently when Fashion Flower came out. Ever Hip lipstick sold out within days if not hours after the launch. I called customer service and yes, they did have a few Ever Hip lipsticks stashed away...
So there it is! Never hurts to ask...especially since Hibiscus from Surf Baby has just sold out!
MAC Customer Service Canada: 1 800 387 6707
MAC Customer Service USA: 1 800 588 0070
J