JEFFERSON CITY -- Cosmetics are still be given away for free at Dillard's stores in Jefferson City and Columbia. But, the Macy's store in Columbia has run out. The free products are the result of a class action lawsuit accusing certain retailers of price fixing. To settle the dispute, hundreds of department stores agreed to give away $175 million of cosmetics.
Customers flocked to cosmetics counters in Jefferson City Thursday.
"I think its wonderful," said Dillard's customer Vicky Rallo. "Someplace in the world there's something free instead of paying and being ripped off all the time."
Estee Lauder, Lancome, Ralph Lauren, the big names were still on the shelves Thursday at Dillard's in Jefferson City, and they were still free. To take advantate of the lawsuit settlement, customers just have to the sign the form saying they bought cosmetics at Dillard's between 1994 and 2003.
"The best response is, 'That's it? That's all I have to do?,'" said Dillard's Cosmetics Manager Mandi Tripp. "I'm like, yeah."
These products aren't your typical freebies or giveaways. These items are actually very expensive. The shower gels that are available are the normal size that run for about $35 to $50 each. And the mascaras that you can pick up, like this Lancome brand, typically hit the shelves for about $30.
And since the offer began at Dillard's Tuesday, each day more and more women, and even some men, are getting in line.
"Everyone's calling their mom, their friends, their family," said Tripp. "The word of mouth is just going like wildfire."
And that's exactly what brought Jane Floyd to the counter.
"I met a friend yesterday and she told me about it and that is why I came out here," said Floyd, a Dillard's customer. "So, its really nice to get something for nothing, something really good."
But the offer won't last long, just until Tuesday or until supplies last.
Officials at the Dillard's cosmetics counter in Jefferson City say it's hard to estimate when they will run out of products, they're predicting by the weekend. Between store open and noon Thursday, the Jefferson City Dillard's handed free products out to 390 customers, bringing their total number of giveaways to just over nearly 950.
The Dillard's store in Columbia only has two of the products left: the Estee Lauder and Clinique moisturizers. For a complete list of the products available through the settlement, just follow the link below.
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