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Department Store Samples - Cheapskates!

post #1 of 25
12/9/05 at 9:29pm
Thread Starter 
Does anyone here have problems trying to get samples from a department store - even after you have made a purchase?
I have to ask everytime for a sample and it's like pulling teeth for the cashier. I got 1 sample of Polo Black with a $70 purchase of M7. Great.
I have seen hundreds of samples the company gives to promote it's fragrance, yet no one likes to give them out. Do they hoard them and bring them home for family and friends?
Have you ever had this problem? What can be done? :-?
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post #2 of 25
12/9/05 at 9:43pm
  • Xen
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You can never get samples from any departmental stores or fragrance shops in my country for free. It's as if there was some unwritten rule for them not to do so. And even when they DO give samples, they'll give you the samples for the fragrance you bought. For example, I got a sample of A*Men when I bought the standard sized bottle... I don't know what are they trying to achieve here... giving you the samples for the fragrance you just bought... Why are they then called SAMPLES in the first place?????
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post #3 of 25
12/9/05 at 9:48pm
Yeah, it's like that in most department stores in Canada Â*as well. The worse is when you can see a jar STUFFED full of the samples. >
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post #4 of 25
12/9/05 at 9:50pm
  • Xen
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Oh, and I forgot the mention... When the SAs open their personal cupboards where they store their stuff, you can see half-used samples in there if you take a peek...
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post #5 of 25
12/9/05 at 10:03pm
Yeah! same here. The SA's are really that nice. They should actually give them out, if they want to bring their sales up. I asked once and they gave me a sample of CK one, but I practically had to beg them. I actually hate going to department stores and testing scents, because I'll be there for about 15 minutes, and I'll already have 3 SA's hounding me down, pushing something on me. One told me Alfread Sung Hei was the most popular men's scent in North America right now . Also half the time, they don't even know what their talking about.
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post #6 of 25
12/9/05 at 10:07pm
Word, Xen. Buy a bottle of Y, get a carded sample of Y. Why? Does this encourage further sales?

I once was in a Nordstrom, though (we have to show the opposing side here), with no intent to buy, and the SA asked which samples I wanted, decanted them, and then said, Anything else?

I think she was bored. Stultified and glazed by the lighting and the lack of human contact.

This tends to happen mostly in department stores, although Diptyque ain't shoving them across that counter either, even with double purchases (two bottles at the same time). One must request.

Oh, and the Bond No. 9 experience: No, those are not tester bottles. They are empty. They are for display only. Which scent did you want to try? (You: How the hell do I know--ALL?). We keep the tester behind the counter (criminy, it's the embarrassingly plain "travel size" 50 ml that does double duty here...)...

Out comes that plain glass cylinder, behind the counter, de natch, and this is lightly misted into the air, and a subway token (these, obviously, are very clever calling cards) waved through it; the presentation is made...You should really take the larger bottle. It's silly to buy the smaller. Did you like the one with rhinestones on the collar? (You: Too FiFi LeFoo for me, thanks anyway).

Oh, you wanted to try some on the skin? Let me have your wrist.

This is all very dissatisfying and awkward. I hate testing Bond scents.
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post #7 of 25
12/9/05 at 10:25pm
In my experience, Nordstrom's employees are always more than happy to give out samples, even when you don't make a purchase. Sephora generally acts in the same manner but it depends on who's working that day.
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post #8 of 25
12/9/05 at 10:25pm
I got a nice array of samples when i purchased a bottle of Omnia Crystalline tonight. They were very common scents mind you, but it was a nice gesture nonetheless, and I got another little pump bottle of the great Angel Men scented lotion thrown in as well.
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post #9 of 25
12/10/05 at 3:46am
  • Xen
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fresno

Word, Xen. Buy a bottle of Y, get a carded sample of Y. Why? Does this encourage further sales?

Yea! That was what I meant...
Don't they get the samples free? Why are they so stingy with them?
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post #10 of 25
12/10/05 at 4:03am
Here in Finland I always get samples when I ask for them, and when new release comes out, even without asking.

Testers are another nice thing, I got 100ml almost full Nemo for free when buying Cristobal from 40% discount. My brother bought By Man from the same place and got 125ml tester of Guerlain Vetiver, it still had about 100ml in it.
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post #11 of 25
12/10/05 at 4:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny_Ludlow

Here in Finland I always get samples when I ask for them, and when new release comes out, even without asking.

Testers are another nice thing, I got 100ml almost full Nemo for free when buying Cristobal from 40% discount. My brother bought By Man from the same place and got 125ml tester of Guerlain Vetiver, it still had about 100ml in it.



Are things really that well in Tampere? :-? I mean: getting a tester for free???!!!

Here in Helsinki it's nearly impossible to get samples without buying first. >
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post #12 of 25
12/10/05 at 4:33am
Because I know most of the SA's here in Bermuda they load me up with samples. I mean I do spend oooddlless of dollars and they set me up...I guess that is a perk for living on a small island.

Seasons best to you all,

Otto


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post #13 of 25
12/10/05 at 5:14am
My bet is that they are sick and tired of people trying to get only freebees and never buy anything, there are truckloads of those. How often have I not dodged that lady on a spraying spree completely covering herself in fragrance, when standing there trying to carefully apply some on my wrist? I'm sure that is the same kind that want the free stuff to use instead of buying. And she isn't sampling, she is using, the testers. If you show them that you really are a potential customer they usually (at least here in Sweden) give me samples of the things I ask for. If they have any.

I'm sure they are not allowed to sell samples either so it is kind of weird that you still have to ask for specific ones all the time.

But them giving you samples of the same thing as you just bought just seems... stupid?
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post #14 of 25
12/10/05 at 6:12am
  • Xen
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Potential buyer, eh? Maybe all SAs should know about Basenotes. Then when trying out fragrances we just tell them we're basenoters and they'll know we're potential buyers immediately ;D
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post #15 of 25
12/10/05 at 6:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xen

Potential buyer, eh? Maybe all SAs should know about Basenotes. Then when trying out fragrances we just tell them we're basenoters and they'll know we're potential buyers immediately ;D

Hehe yup, that would be something for sure, and you wouldn't have to go through with the trouble to convince them that you are serious about your curiosity. And I was of course not referring to anyone here in my post above, but that goes almost withotu saying.
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post #16 of 25
12/10/05 at 6:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xen

Potential buyer, eh? Maybe all SAs should know about Basenotes. Then when trying out fragrances we just tell them we're basenoters and they'll know we're potential buyers immediately ;D

Lol.....When I read this I laughed because I have been trying to get a particular SA that I know to look at Basenotes to 'OPEN' her eyes a bit to what's happening out there...but she insist she is to busy...I told her that she would want to look......lol.

Peace,

Otto

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post #17 of 25
12/10/05 at 8:07am
Here in New Macy's on 34th Street and Bloomingdale's on 60th Street are excellent when I buy something. They throw in min-bottles and sample vials.
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post #18 of 25
12/10/05 at 1:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by teflondog

In my experience, Nordstrom's employees are always more than happy to give out samples, even when you don't make a purchase. Sephora generally acts in the same manner but it depends on who's working that day.


I agree 100%. Sephora people will pass out anything you want, and in Nordstorm's you just take up the frag and ask for a sample.

On 2 occasions at Nordstrom I walked out with around 15 samples in my pockets. Needless to say, I won't be making any blind buys soon. ;D
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post #19 of 25
12/10/05 at 1:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeFromManhattan

Here in New Macy's on 34th Street and Bloomingdale's on 60th Street are excellent when I buy something. They throw in min-bottles and sample vials.


I have to agree here...I always get samples from Macys when I go there-they are good to me......

Peace,

Otto
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post #20 of 25
12/10/05 at 1:27pm
Thread Starter 
We are pretty well limited to Sears and The Bay for upscale fragrances. :'(
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post #21 of 25
12/20/05 at 9:13am
Von Maur here in the Fort loves giving out samples, as does Saks Fifth Avenue in Indy.

On the other hand, you'll be lucky if you get a sample of Azzaro Onyx or Kenneth Cole Signature over at L.S. Ayres. :P
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post #22 of 25
12/20/05 at 8:34pm
They never take me seriousky at sak's... perhaps because I'm college aged? I still have a beard though! When I recently purchased an $85 bottle they didn't include any samples, do I have to ask for specific ones, or would they normally throw it in the bag?
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post #23 of 25
12/20/05 at 9:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ailric

We are pretty well limited to Sears and The Bay for upscale fragrances. :'(

I live in Ottawa, and this is pretty much the same scenario here. However, yesterday I walked into a brand-new Shoppers Drug Mart and they have a HUGE fragrance section with racks that go from the floor to the ceiling full of boxes of bottles as well as tester bottles for every fragrance. They had stuff I hadn't even seen at The Bay or Sears before. It was my first time experiencing L'Instant De Guerlain Pour Homme... damn that was excellent...

I walked off with a 125mL cylinder of Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Pour Homme for $19.99 Canadian because I saw it in the weekly flyer:

http://www.shoppersdrugmart.ca/engli...rio_50/01.html
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post #24 of 25
12/20/05 at 11:27pm
Holy Smokes : 125ml of Rive for 20 bucks, I got to go down and get me a bottle fast, I already got one but for that price, why not!
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post #25 of 25
12/21/05 at 5:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hysteria

[quote author=Ailric link=1134192553/15#19 date=1134250026]We are pretty well limited to Sears and The Bay for upscale fragrances. :'(

I live in Ottawa, and this is pretty much the same scenario here. However, yesterday I walked into a brand-new Shoppers Drug Mart and they have a HUGE fragrance section with racks that go from the floor to the ceiling full of boxes of bottles as well as tester bottles for every fragrance. They had stuff I hadn't even seen at The Bay or Sears before. It was my first time experiencing L'Instant De Guerlain Pour Homme... damn that was excellent...

I walked off with a 125mL cylinder of Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Pour Homme for $19.99 Canadian because I saw it in the weekly flyer:

http://www.shoppersdrugmart.ca/engli...rio_50/01.html[/quote]

Hysteria,

WHY DO I EXAMS! and WHY MUST YOU POST THAT NOW T_T I'm so tempted to say '@#$% studying' and go out and buy that bottle of Rive Gauche.
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