“Gift with Purchase” could be the diary entry of my 16 year-old self, written while spending long summer holidays at my oldest sister’s home in Southern California. It was during these stays and the shopping excursions to the then, very glamorous, Bullocks Wilshire that I received my first “Gift with Purchase” from the Clinique cosmetic counter. A robust assortment of product and rich quilted makeup bag in which to hold the treasure. My everyday life in Chicago did not know these riches. And it was my sister’s mother-in-law, Lilian Dobashi, who worked for Clinique who generously gifted them to me.
I was gobsmacked by the generosity of Clinique and, of course, Lilian. My father was often spouting his fatherly words of wisdom, ‘there is no free lunch’ to myself and my seven siblings, but somehow, Clinique had not gotten his memo. And lunch at the Clinique counter looked like a buffet.
Joking aside, the “Gift with Purchase'“ concept has stayed with me, and I have applied its value in many different iterations over the years. Delivering a sense of gratitude to the customers who trust our brand, feels like a privilege.
