Dear Ms. Theuerkauf,
Thank you for taking the time to contact Clinique.
Many factors contribute to the cost of our products, such as the quality and source of ingredients, state-of-the-art technologies used in our product formulations, our extensive quality assurance programs, etc. Like all manufacturers, we are challenged with constantly rising costs, particularly in shipping and distribution. Therefore, it is sometimes necessary to either increase a product’s suggested retail price, which may result in an increase in the retail price, or decrease the net weight. We hope you can understand that these changes are sometimes required in order for us to maintain the high quality product standards that our customers expect. It is always our objective to ensure that our products offer excellent value.


Also, I am sorry that you were unable to locate a product from your local store. We constantly strive to keep counters fully stocked at all times.  Unfortunately, at certain times of the year or due to tremendous consumer response, this is not always possible. Please accept our apology for any inconvenience this may have caused you. 

Once again, thank you for taking the time to contact Clinique. I appreciate the opportunity to respond to your concerns. You are valued as our consumer, and I hope you will continue to use and enjoy our products with confidence and satisfaction.
Sincerely,

Heather G
Consumer Response Representative


As Jillian Michaels would say, "What's the takeaway here?"  In this case, Heather from Clinique is saying outright in the first highlighted paragraph that Clinique has raised the consumer price to meet the needs of the company while decreasing the actual product provided to the customer.  Essentially, we are paying more for less.  And in this world economy, who can afford that?

In the second highlighted portion, she makes the same excuse that I received from the Macy's worker about "tremendous consumer response."  How come the availability of my foundation has never been an issue in years past?  I find it hard to believe that the change in Clinique's colors have amassed thousands of new clientele.  And I notice that Heather did not even bother to address the issue of Clinique not notifying its current customers of the change in foundation colors. 

In conclusion, Clinique is not the wholesome company that I perceived it to be.  It appears that as long as the company is generating a profit, they could really care less about its customers.  Therefore, I will be seeking out new makeup products that are not only affordable but available.