A Target worker is calling out Ulta prices. She says the beauty store is charging more for items than customers would pay at most other stores. Her video is leaving viewers questioning: Why is Ulta more expensive than Target?
Kaitlin Sondae (@kaitlinsondae) is known on TikTok for her content relating to her job at Target. She uses her platform to point out hot items and give her 70,000 followers an insight into her life as a Target employee. She’s worked at the retailer for the past five years.
In one of her most recent videos, Sondae calls out beauty store Ulta for its prices for items that she says can be found in other stores for less money. Her video received 5,000 views.
Ulta vs. Target vs. Walgreens vs. CVS
Sondae points out the price of facial cleanser from the popular drugstore brand, CeraVe, in particular. She claims it costs more at Ulta than it does at stores like Target.
With a screenshot of the product on the Ulta website, Sondae asks, “So I’m not trying to be a hater, but why, at Ulta, it’s $18.99 for a CeraVe cleanser that’s 12 fluid ounces? Because at any other store it’s so much cheaper.”
She then pulls up a screenshot of the same CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser on the Target website. It’s listed there for $13.69. The product on Ulta’s site is listed at $17.99.
“Like yeah, you get rewards at Ulta,” she concedes, “But I’d rather save like basically $4.”
“It’s the same with CVS and Walgreens,” Sondae adds. She also wonders what the price of the cleanser is at Ulta stores located inside Target.
The same product is $16.49 at CVS and $16.99 at Walgreens.
“It makes no sense to me,” the Target worker says.
Other beauty products are more affordable at Target, too. For example, this popular Neutrogena sunscreen is $9.99 at Target. The same product is $16.99 if you shop in-store at Ulta. And that product—but with 2 more ounces of it—is $16.79 at CVS and then $15.49 at Walgreens.
CVS representative Amy Thibault told the Daily Dot via email that CVS strives “to be competitive when setting prices for the products we sell.”
“Through competitive pricing, our industry leading ExtraCare rewards program, our high-quality and cost-effective CVS Health store products, and the convenience of our 9,000+ locations nationwide, we provide our customers with an unbeatable combination of value, selection, service and access,” Thibault said.
Viewers weigh in
Many of Sondae’s viewers agreed there is a notable price discrepancy.
“Yes! I paid $12 for a micellar water at Ulata because I figured it would be cheaper at the beauty store but it’s $9.50 at Target at Meijer,” said one person.
“This is why I price match,” said another.
“I’d shop more at Ulta if their prices weren’t so high,” claimed a third.
@kaitlinsondae HOW? #targetstore #ultabeauty #beautyprices #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Kaitlin Sondae
And one person claimed that Ulta wasn’t the worst offender.
They wrote, “The worst markup is the five star 5 subject notebooks are like $6.50 at Target then $14.50 at CVS like that is a huge difference for no reason for the same exact product.”
It’s true. A Five Star notebook that’s college-ruled and 200 sheets is $16.49 at CVS. A similar Five Star notebook is $6.79 at Target.
Why is Ulta more expensive than Target?
Viewers also said they knew products were more expensive at Ulta and aimed to answer why. “I always assumed convenience,” one wrote. Another said, “Bc Ulta usually has coupons.”
This question has also been posed online in the past. In the Ulta subreddit four years ago, a redditor asked, “Why are Ulta Prices so much higher than drugstore (Target/ Walmart)?”
“Why is this the case? The ingredients are always exactly the same so it’s not like the cheaper stores are selling different products that are embellished in a well-known brands packaging. I obviously am aware that it’s up to me to choose where I ultimately shop at but I’ve always been curious about product pricing markups and Ulta seems to be one of the biggest perpetuators,” they wrote.
Fellow redditors also aimed to provide an answer. They pointed to Ulta’s rewards system. One could very well see a greater return on their money by shopping at Ulta.
They also pointed to convenience.
“The biggest factor that Ulta factors in is their Ultamate Rewards Program. If you play your cards right, you could get a very high return rate for what you spend with their rewards. … They offer customers the chance to buy most, if not all, of their beauty needs in one place,” the most upvoted comment reads.
The Daily Dot reached out to Sondae via Instagram direct message and to Ulta via online contact form. We also reached out to Walgreens via email.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
