. . "I love Shoppers Drug Mart. I don't love this location. I am a high-volume, high-end cosmetics purchaser. I use hundred-dollar serum on my skin every day, you'd have to work three hours at minimum wage to buy a tube of my mascara, I pay retail for my salon shampoo... I spend a lot of money on looking good. (My critics might say I spend a lot of money on looking acceptable. Or not hideous. I wouldn't disagree.) However, I also love a deal and Shoppers Drug Mart often has good deals and interesting new products from lower-end cosmetics companies, so I like popping in. \n\nI was recently in the Silver Springs Shoppers Drug Mart after a pay day, looking to blow some cash on colored and scented petroleum products instead of say, applying it to my mortgage. There were some TESTERS of green-tinted primer by the entrance, so I gave one a little shake and tried to pump a little bit onto my finger tip. Nothing came out. I tried again. Nothing came out. I tried a third time, still applying very little pressure, and a gigantic blob of bright green primer spurted out. It was probably about seven or ten applications' worth. No big deal, I thought. I carefully blended a little bit into the back of my hand to see how the coverage would be, and assumed I'd just be able to wipe off the rest. Except I couldn't find tissues. I looked ALL OVER the cosmetics area, and while I found the \"sample\" station (well-lit mirror, cotton swabs, a little garbage bin, etc.) there were no tissues. With a finger covered in bright green primer I asked the cosmetician, \"Do you have any tissues?\" Her response? \"You mean for right now?\" No, I was looking for tissues for the future. For my spaceship. \"Ummm, yeah. I was sampling some primer and I wanted to wipe it off.\" \"No.\" \n\nI'm sorry, what? You don't have TISSUES? For your SAMPLES? The cosmetician just looked at me like I was an idiot. She didn't elaborate, she didn't move, she didn't apologize, nothing. I went back to the sample station and wiped off my finger tip with about ten cotton swabs while the cosmetician just stared off into space. I then continued on my shopping journey, grabbing a few drugstore favorites like razor blades and toothpaste. I wandered the store for about fifteen minutes, passing through the cosmetics area one more time before heading to the cashier. Do I even need to tell you what I saw? TISSUES! The cosmetician secretly put out a new box of tissues, at the sample station, while I was shopping elsewhere. WTF? She watched me need a tissue, she denied me access to a tissue, she claimed there were no tissues... and the minute I left she put a fresh new box of tissues out! \n\nIf drugstore cosmeticians want to engage in power struggles, I'll be the first to bow out. You win, drugstore cosmetician. You showed me. You have all the tissue power. I am powerless when it comes to tissue, and I am at your mercy. You keep making a difference in the world, I'll keep buying my primer at Sephora."^^ . "2"^^ . "6"^^ . . "10"^^ . "2"^^ . "2012-05-12T00:00:00"^^ .