As a MAC Select member for 1+ years, I was eligible for the MAC Select anniversary gift, which is very generous and makes me love this beauty program more! As I have been a MAC Select member for a year (the program launched last July which I wrote about here!)
I was getting rewarded! 2024’s MAC Select anniversary gift is a full-sized Patentpolish in any shade of your choosing. To redeem your gift, you have to purchase an item in-store or online.
No products found.
I’m writing about my experience as this month is the first time that a lot of MAC Select members are receiving these emails and redeeming them. I hope this post is helpful to you – in case you are waiting for your email or are looking to learn more about the program and gift.
MAC Select Anniversary Gift – The Process
You can pick up your gift in-store or online; I opted to pick up my gift in-store as our mall’s MAC store was recently renovated. I went to a MAC counter at The Bay only to be told that this gift is only redeemable at a free-standing store – something that would have been nice to clarify ahead of time. It appears that regardless of your status (I’m a Devoted member meaning I have to spend $200 throughout the year), you get the same gift.
My Experience: I have to say that MAC really needs to work on their customer service game – something that I expected to take 5 minutes at checkout (barring any line up), ended up being a 30-minute process laced with confusion around 1) whether they had the “code” to input in the system for the redemption and 2) lack of clarity around whether a purchase was necessary to receive the gift.
To clarify, yes you have to purchase an item but since no minimum was indicated, I’m sure you can buy an insert for $1 and still redeem for the gift) to receive your gift. All you have to do is show your email (which should have your MAC Select ID) to the sales associate who will then look up your profile and do the checkout process.
MAC’s customer service isn’t anything to write home about so when you exclude this poor customer service experience, I’d have to say that this year’s MAC Select anniversary gift is a lovely pick. The Patentpolish is one of my favorite lip products and formula from MAC. I’ve written a pretty in-depth review of the formula earlier if you are curious!
Thoughts on the MAC Select Program – 1 Year Later
I’ve been a member of the MAC Select program since they launched. Since there is no physical card indicating your membership (you have to provide your email in-store) it is often easy to forget that there is even a membership program in the first place. I don’t receive too many promotional emails from MAC unlike at Sephora so one can be forgiven that you forget about the membership program in general.
The Good: I really appreciate the variety of promotional sales and discounts that took place several times throughout the year. The value of the discount is quite substantial too (25% off) – much higher than what you would get at other chains like Sephora or The Bay.
If I recalled correctly, there were about 3 of these sales since the program started – they occurred at random times too (i.e. not during the holidays or main shopping times) so it’s almost like a good sale to tide you over in between the major sales of the year.
The Bad: It would be really nice to have a physical card or app to scan during the checkout process. It would help speed up the process and reduce confusion and not getting properly credited with your purchase. I don’t really notice much difference nor significance in benefits between the different tiers in the program.
Aside from the fact you get a 30-minute makeover for free and first access to certain collections, the rest of the benefits are quite similar across the 3 program tiers. I hope that as the program expands and matures, we could see some addition to the benefits.
Overall, I really like the MAC Select anniversary gift – very generous, and I like being able to pick my own color rather than having a predetermined shade chosen for me. There is still a lot of hiccups and confusion around the process so a bit more clarity in the communication would be appreciated. Otherwise, if you’re not yet a MAC select member, what are you waiting for?