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(Date of visit: August 26, 2006) – I have been a seasonal regular at London's Carnaby Street B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful
boutique since Lush's own Auntie Pamela lured me into the shop in early January 2004, only four months after it had first opened.
(Carnaby Street was the first ever B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful store, effectively launching the brand in September, 2003.) Back in
those days, this location was the polar opposite of Lush's laid back demeanour, replete with crystal chandeliers and soft antiquarian
sofas, bordering on being intimidatingly posh. In 2005, however, B did some major redecorating, modernizing not only the shop itself,
but also each product's packaging. The result is undeniably more welcoming, even as it successfully maintains a classic movie star
dressing room feel. But being that the store's manager and staff have since become almost as familiar with me as I am with their
location's history, in the name of writing a completely unbiased review, I had to recruit a B virgin to venture into the store while I stowed
myself away at a nearby coffee shop. Hence, the following is based not on my history of visits to this location, but on my recruit's one
time "surprise" visit coupled with my later following up to simply confirm her findings on that specific day (and to make certain she'd not
left out any details). And on that day, it just so happened that B was holding a huge sale, advertised by a large sign on the sidewalk:
buy £25 worth of product and receive a free item of your choice from a collection featuring "Free B" stickers. Combining this offer with
Carnaby Street's natural bustle (albeit a traditionally hip and carefree bustle) on a Saturday afternoon, the store -- wonderfully spacious
as it is -- was unusually packed with people. And yet, my recruit was still cheerily greeted by a personally attentive sales associate the
second she entered the door. To further prove that no crowd is too big for Carnaby Street's enthusiastic staff to handle, my planted first
time shopper -- completely unfamiliar with B's products -- was given everything from glittering bath powder demonstrations in vats of
water, to detailed fragrance descriptions and even the option to test several scents on staffers' skin in addition to her own so that she
might get a feel for how each worked with various types of body chemistry. As her collection of soon to be purchased items grew,
staffers even offered to unload her rapidly filling basket at the counter for her, ensuring that her shopping experience was as
comfortable and unfettered as possible. Testers for every product were readily available, easily identifiable, and immaculately tidy.
Sample requests in the colour cosmetics department -- located towards the back of the store -- were fulfilled with a smile, including
requests for a wide range of foundation samples that she'd clearly indicated were not even intended for her own personal use. (Fact
is, those samples were for my mom. I figured I'd let my undercover reviewer retrieve them just to test their patience and generosity to
the full as it applies to customers they don't already know.) When it came time to pay her bill, she was entitled to several free items.
And yet, the selections she'd made were rather small, in part due to her not being completely familiar with all of the available options.
With her thoughtfully observant cashier clearly having a keen sense of what was in stock at all times, and better yet, having overheard
her tell another sales associate that of all the fragrances she'd been shown, Love was thus far her favourite, he opted to go above and
beyond the call of duty. He ran over to the Love fragrance counter to retrieve the last remaining "Free B" bottle of Love perfume, a rather
expensive £40 treasure preciously housed in a French hand blown bottle with an antique style bulb atomiser, packaged in a beautiful
gold box. "This is our last one; if you'd like to have this as your free item, it's yours." (Needless to say, she accepted his offer with a
delighted squeal.) From there, each item she'd purchased was individually hand-wrapped by the staff, placed in chiffon bags, tied with
wire-stemmed roses, and then tucked into layers of stickered metallic gold tissue paper, all fit for a queen. Meanwhile, she'd spent so
much time browsing and chatting to the staff, that by the time she returned to my hidden café table with an excited smile (the sort you'd
expect from a child who'd just returned from a trip to the North Pole on Santa's sleigh), I was on my third cappuccino. She declared her
first B shopping experience "the most fun I've ever had shopping for perfume and makeup." (And this from a gal who otherwise openly
refuses to wear makeup. And yet here we were, four B eye shadows, three Lip Creams, and one credit card swipe later...) After I
grilled her with detailed questions (all the while feverishly taking notes on a wad of serviettes), it was her turn to drink coffee while I
shopped (lest they twig what we'd been up to). As soon as I walked in, I was gobsmacked by how insanely busy the place was. And
yet, there was the world's best store manager, Charlotte, smiling and laughing, genuinely enjoying what, to anyone else, may have
been seen as a hectic, stressful day at the office so to speak. Not Charlotte: she clearly loves her job, loves the products, loves the
customers, and loves her staff. (And her staff very clearly returns that love.) Her contagious enthusiasm fills the store, and it's
precisely this brand of leadership that serves as one of the most fundamental keys to Carnaby Street B's ability to offer 5-star service at
all times. That day, I proceeded to buy about £200 worth of goodies, entitled to many free items. Yet even as I -- a B veteran -- thought
I'd scoured the store for all the best "Free B" items, a sales associate put me on high alert when I tried to claim a small Keep It Fluffy
Atomiser as a free item. "No! We have one last 'Free B' Keep It Fluffy large perfume. Grab it for her before someone else does!" And
off they ran to retrieve it for me. (Good thing they ran instead of me; I was too busy jumping up and down to actually make any ground.)
But as you can clearly see, my first timer recruit was given the same exact treatment and consideration as is afforded to any of their big
spending regulars. Proof positive that no matter who you are, you can expect top class assistance from the crew at B's Carnaby Street
location. And yet, even if you only visit them several times a year like I do, they will always remember you and make you feel not only
like a member of their in-store family, but also like a cherished friend whose best interests are always kept at heart. Oh sure, knowing
that I'm a regular at this location, you can call my praise biased if you'd like. But do keep in mind, dear reader, that all of the above is
what caused me to become a loyal customer to their store in the first place.
boutique since Lush's own Auntie Pamela lured me into the shop in early January 2004, only four months after it had first opened.
(Carnaby Street was the first ever B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful store, effectively launching the brand in September, 2003.) Back in
those days, this location was the polar opposite of Lush's laid back demeanour, replete with crystal chandeliers and soft antiquarian
sofas, bordering on being intimidatingly posh. In 2005, however, B did some major redecorating, modernizing not only the shop itself,
but also each product's packaging. The result is undeniably more welcoming, even as it successfully maintains a classic movie star
dressing room feel. But being that the store's manager and staff have since become almost as familiar with me as I am with their
location's history, in the name of writing a completely unbiased review, I had to recruit a B virgin to venture into the store while I stowed
myself away at a nearby coffee shop. Hence, the following is based not on my history of visits to this location, but on my recruit's one
time "surprise" visit coupled with my later following up to simply confirm her findings on that specific day (and to make certain she'd not
left out any details). And on that day, it just so happened that B was holding a huge sale, advertised by a large sign on the sidewalk:
buy £25 worth of product and receive a free item of your choice from a collection featuring "Free B" stickers. Combining this offer with
Carnaby Street's natural bustle (albeit a traditionally hip and carefree bustle) on a Saturday afternoon, the store -- wonderfully spacious
as it is -- was unusually packed with people. And yet, my recruit was still cheerily greeted by a personally attentive sales associate the
second she entered the door. To further prove that no crowd is too big for Carnaby Street's enthusiastic staff to handle, my planted first
time shopper -- completely unfamiliar with B's products -- was given everything from glittering bath powder demonstrations in vats of
water, to detailed fragrance descriptions and even the option to test several scents on staffers' skin in addition to her own so that she
might get a feel for how each worked with various types of body chemistry. As her collection of soon to be purchased items grew,
staffers even offered to unload her rapidly filling basket at the counter for her, ensuring that her shopping experience was as
comfortable and unfettered as possible. Testers for every product were readily available, easily identifiable, and immaculately tidy.
Sample requests in the colour cosmetics department -- located towards the back of the store -- were fulfilled with a smile, including
requests for a wide range of foundation samples that she'd clearly indicated were not even intended for her own personal use. (Fact
is, those samples were for my mom. I figured I'd let my undercover reviewer retrieve them just to test their patience and generosity to
the full as it applies to customers they don't already know.) When it came time to pay her bill, she was entitled to several free items.
And yet, the selections she'd made were rather small, in part due to her not being completely familiar with all of the available options.
With her thoughtfully observant cashier clearly having a keen sense of what was in stock at all times, and better yet, having overheard
her tell another sales associate that of all the fragrances she'd been shown, Love was thus far her favourite, he opted to go above and
beyond the call of duty. He ran over to the Love fragrance counter to retrieve the last remaining "Free B" bottle of Love perfume, a rather
expensive £40 treasure preciously housed in a French hand blown bottle with an antique style bulb atomiser, packaged in a beautiful
gold box. "This is our last one; if you'd like to have this as your free item, it's yours." (Needless to say, she accepted his offer with a
delighted squeal.) From there, each item she'd purchased was individually hand-wrapped by the staff, placed in chiffon bags, tied with
wire-stemmed roses, and then tucked into layers of stickered metallic gold tissue paper, all fit for a queen. Meanwhile, she'd spent so
much time browsing and chatting to the staff, that by the time she returned to my hidden café table with an excited smile (the sort you'd
expect from a child who'd just returned from a trip to the North Pole on Santa's sleigh), I was on my third cappuccino. She declared her
first B shopping experience "the most fun I've ever had shopping for perfume and makeup." (And this from a gal who otherwise openly
refuses to wear makeup. And yet here we were, four B eye shadows, three Lip Creams, and one credit card swipe later...) After I
grilled her with detailed questions (all the while feverishly taking notes on a wad of serviettes), it was her turn to drink coffee while I
shopped (lest they twig what we'd been up to). As soon as I walked in, I was gobsmacked by how insanely busy the place was. And
yet, there was the world's best store manager, Charlotte, smiling and laughing, genuinely enjoying what, to anyone else, may have
been seen as a hectic, stressful day at the office so to speak. Not Charlotte: she clearly loves her job, loves the products, loves the
customers, and loves her staff. (And her staff very clearly returns that love.) Her contagious enthusiasm fills the store, and it's
precisely this brand of leadership that serves as one of the most fundamental keys to Carnaby Street B's ability to offer 5-star service at
all times. That day, I proceeded to buy about £200 worth of goodies, entitled to many free items. Yet even as I -- a B veteran -- thought
I'd scoured the store for all the best "Free B" items, a sales associate put me on high alert when I tried to claim a small Keep It Fluffy
Atomiser as a free item. "No! We have one last 'Free B' Keep It Fluffy large perfume. Grab it for her before someone else does!" And
off they ran to retrieve it for me. (Good thing they ran instead of me; I was too busy jumping up and down to actually make any ground.)
But as you can clearly see, my first timer recruit was given the same exact treatment and consideration as is afforded to any of their big
spending regulars. Proof positive that no matter who you are, you can expect top class assistance from the crew at B's Carnaby Street
location. And yet, even if you only visit them several times a year like I do, they will always remember you and make you feel not only
like a member of their in-store family, but also like a cherished friend whose best interests are always kept at heart. Oh sure, knowing
that I'm a regular at this location, you can call my praise biased if you'd like. But do keep in mind, dear reader, that all of the above is
what caused me to become a loyal customer to their store in the first place.
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