I started working at Ulta thinking it would be a full time position as an Esthetician. The manager told me the salon was extremely busy and I would be busy in no time. They started me off at minimum wage and I thought that would be okay, because I would be making commission in no time. Well, I wasn't busy. I went the first 2 weeks without any services. The next week I got about one a week. I never made commission and was only working 20 hours, not 40. I had to walk around the store educating people about the salon. Whenever they discount or give services for free, you don't get commission if it's free. If it's discounted, you commission off that. It's hard to build a clientele because people don't want to pay full price for the services.
The room was not set up for properly for a relaxing service. The way my store was put together, put the facial room right next to the storage room door, which was constantly slamming during my services. The towel cabby was on the other side of the room. The sink sprayed everywhere and the room was freezing. I gave a client a nice service and all she remembered afterward was how cold she was. I had asked the DM to get me a bed warmer, but you know how slow things move with corporate.
One day I got to work and was immediately asked to clean the bathroom. I'm not above cleaning bathrooms, but don't wait for me to get to work. I was also told that my off white cardigan was not white enough to be worn to work, but the girl with pink hair and 5 lip piercings was fine. The company is extremely suspicious of employees and customers. Its true that you get patted down after work everyday. I suppose it's not that big of a deal, but it didn't make me trust them.
The DM was new and she was really sweet, she seemed smart and willing to listen to her employees. The store manager played faves. And the salon manager was just a tard. She proceeded to tell me than an autoclave and UV sanitizer were the exact same thing.
I think Ulta is a good job if you're looking for part time work while you're in college. The hours aren't dependable enough for full time, unless you work in the salon for a while and build up your clientele. Also, if you want to start working in makeup, it might be worth a try. I have worked at the counters at Macy's and preferred that, but to each his own.
I ended up leaving Ulta after a month because I wasn't making any money. I was sad to leave because I liked the girls I worked with, but relieved that I wasn't going to have to go to work to just stand around and not make any money!
