Refusing Samples

Hey folks,

I had an experience today which I suppose raised some questions about fragrance shopping etiquette for me. Basically, I had gone back to a Neiman Marcus that I'd visited once before (they seem to have some of the best selections for higher-end fragrances around). There was one salesperson who seemed to be very big on Creed that I'd met the first time; while we did look at some other stuff at a different counter, he basically seemed to be suggesting that Creed was the way to go. I wasn't especially enthused about it during that first visit, and he'd sent me home with six or so samples, all from Creed. He was friendly enough though, and gave me his card and all.

I came back again today and was looking at some different stuff (L'Artisan, Diptyque, things like that), and on the way out he asked if I wanted some more samples of Creed. I basically mentioned that I wasn't able to tell enough difference personally to justify the price difference, and he replied with something along the lines of "I'm just offering you samples, I'm not trying to get you to buy anything." I almost wonder if I offended him a little by refusing them, but I guess I didn't want to waste his time and samples if I wasn't interested in the line of fragrances. Either way, he asked if I had tried Santos and I had told him yeah, and that I hadn't gotten a chance to try the samples he'd already given me yet and that I would come back if I wanted to look further into that stff.

So I guess what I'm wondering is, would this be considered rude? Is it some unwritten rule that you should always accept a sample if it's offered to you? Thanks for any insight you can offer or suggestions as to why I shouldn't feel badly, haha.

Thanks to everyone for the nice replies; this is a great community, no doubt.

I wouldn't have necessarily thought that the SA's behavior was inappropriate, but maybe it was - also, it's probably hard to explain/understand everything just through a short message. I suppose I just had my doubts about whether it was OK to express my thoughts about the designer as a whole in response to the offer for samples, but I think my underlying justification was that it might have seemed equally awkward to refuse the samples with no explanation as to why (basically an implicit, as opposed to explicit, unenthusiasm for the designer). Does that make sense?

You're right, I didn't realize people would want the samples so badly here - I figured you guys would have plenty of access to whatever you wanted to try. Do those of you who wanted the samples not have some place like a Neiman Marcus nearby? Just curious. :-P

Thanks again, and any further discussion will definitely be enlightening to hear.

I was just coming from the other counter where I'd been looking at stuff for a few minutes, and I was actually holding samples from L'Artisan and Diptyque, so I think he knew I was looking at other designers.

I have noticed this at both of the NM's I've been to as well. They're always willing to send you home with samples of anything since they make them on the spot.

In general, most places seem to be pretty liberal with the samples. I was pleasantly surprised with a few samples when I was first starting to really get interested in this, but now it seems pretty customary for me to go home with a few vials of fragrances I want to try.

I certainly do not mean to sound like some kind of "your-fancy-Creed-samples-are-no-good-to-me" customer. I didn't know there was such a high demand for them here. All I know is that I'm a pretty picky fragrance shopper and I've been treated very well by most of the SA's I've dealt with in this regard (they don't generally mind me being so indecisive). In fact, I've been shopping around with fragrances for a few weeks now (with high frequency) and I have not spent one penny in a department store; the only thing I decided I wanted to buy was Egoiste, by Chanel, and I found the best price for that online. I suppose when I accept a sample from a department store, there comes with it some sort of suggestion - slight though it may be - that if I like the fragrance, I might be inclined to come and purchase it from that store (if the price is right .

So I guess another reason I might feel odd about just accepting the samples 'on my own behalf' and then reselling them on here or something is that I wouldn't feel entirely honest in my own right when dealing with SA's. There's probably a very thin line between a customer who is extremely picky and ends up with a lot of samples but doesn't buy much of anything (because he or she is not especially taken by any of the fragrances) and a 'customer' who simply spends his days going from department store to department store pulling in free samples and reselling them online. I could probably do that if I were smart about it, but I just wouldn't feel right about it.

All that said, I'm probably just being dramatic and it may not matter to the company (who probably wants their fragrance sampled liberally). But I guess I just want everything that goes into my little Macy's bag at home to be samples given to me in the spirit of finding a fragrance that truly strikes me.

*eyes well up* Isn't that ... what ... fragrances are ... all about? *a torrent of tears rains down, and the happy beautiful music plays*

That seems like a great approach - if I encounter a situation where I'm really impressed by the help provided by an SA, hopefully I'll do the same.

Oh, and I forgot to mention - your name is insanely awesome. ROFL