看唇膏消费差异折射出社会贫富差距_BEC初级作文

看唇膏消费差异折射出社会贫富差距

The sales figures don't only reflect consumer sentiment, of course, but also point to retailers' strategies. One influence that's totally separate from the economic inequality debate is the proliferation of specialty beauty stores Sephora and Ulta, which bring prestige brands out from behind the department store counter and into the hands of consumers, who now feel more comfortable purchasing a pricey product since they can test it first. Subscription box company Birchbox gives customers a similar experience at home.

当然，销售数字不仅反映了消费者信心，也揭示了零售商的营销策略。完全脱离经济不平等大辩论的一个影响因素就是丝芙兰和Ulta等专业美容产品零售店的迅速增长。这些零售店把声誉良好的品牌从百货公司专柜带到顾客手中，顾客现在感觉更愿意购买昂贵的产品，因为她们可以先试用产品。化妆品订购公司Birchbox也让顾客在家中享受类似的体验。

And then there's the case of retailers buying into the theory that poorer people don't want discretionary items. In the third quarter of 2013, mass retailers did what's called a "de-stocking," according to Javier Escalante, an executive director at Consumer Edge Research who covers the household and personal care sectors. The stores removed beauty items from aisle endcap displays -- retail real estate known to prompt impulse buys -- and replaced them with more practical items, which helped depress mass beauty sales. "Retailers made the decision that people aren't into mascara, they're into sponges," Escalante says. "In a way, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy."