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Why I Hate the Mall

post #1 of 39
5/13/10 at 11:59am
Thread Starter 
So I went to The Bay yesterday to get inspired in their fragrances section and found the whole experience less than satisfactory. The lady who works there was nice enough to help me, but all she did was try to push the newest fragrances, most of which I don't like.

I think those people are on commission to move the new stock; it's the only explanation. Basically, she was useless to me. I want to go to the mall and have someone who just wants to make ME happy with my purchase. Too much to ask?
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post #2 of 39
5/13/10 at 12:16pm
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It is tough serving a BNer. Most folks would be happy to be introduced to the latest scents, getting a free spritz or 2. It isn't too much to ask, but the SA like everyone else, is just doing her job, trying to make a living. If higher sales = higher commission, then that is a probable drive for the SA to get a little "pushy". As long as they are not out-right RUDE, like some I have encountered, I have absolutely no issues, though I know that what you experienced, is a frustration shared by many here too....
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post #3 of 39
5/13/10 at 12:56pm
So what's the latest and greatest? What was the frag she was pushing really hard?
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post #4 of 39
5/13/10 at 1:41pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by sirsmellzalot View Post

So what's the latest and greatest? What was the frag she was pushing really hard?

Everything released in 2010, and everything with a limited edition summer version.
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post #5 of 39
5/13/10 at 1:47pm
ive had the same experiences. all they do is just push the damn aquatics, summer frags, and weak stuff on me. when i go in saying i like A*Men, Le Male, and Varvatos' stuff, take the hint that im not into the weak stuff lol. the best is when i asked for a sample of a good, strong, complex fragrance....i get Channel Homme Sport. -______- i went back another time with the same request...and get a sample of givenchy play. i seriously question the knowledge of these SAs sometimes. im a noobie to fragrances and i swear i know more than them
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post #6 of 39
5/13/10 at 2:35pm
Just have to go to the right stores.

There's a reason SAs at Saks, Nieman's, boutiques etc. are paid more: they're generally better at what they do, and they are more knowledgeable about their products.

I've had some not bad SAs at Macy's and Dillards, but I've never had a great experience at those stores. Like you said: they just push the latest and greatest, and are tolerant at best if you want to branch out.

By contrast, I went to Niemans the other day and the SA suggested I try Santos. Santos!! She even knew the difference between Santos and Santos Concentree. We chatted and a little later, she thought I light like...wait for it...Acqua di Parma Assoluta. Which I did. I remember discussing the historical importance of Jicky at once at Saks. That doesn't happen at lower-end stores. It just doesn't.

I don't mind SAs one way or the other. As matthewfoo said, they're just trying to make a living. But of course I do appreciate someone who knows their trade and actively works to enhance the shopping experience. I will often buy something from these SAs (even if its just some lotion or something) just to show my appreciation for a job well done.
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post #7 of 39
5/13/10 at 3:21pm
i know this lady who is always trying to sell prada amber, no thanks. I find people at saks, nieman markus and creed boutique to be much nicer.
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post #8 of 39
5/13/10 at 5:33pm
Like just about everything in life, it's a negotiation. I usually try to spot the cute, flirty girl, or the cool guy who wants to help, and after I sample a fragrance or two I tell them, "This is my hobby, you know. I collect fragrances." If you get the right SA, that usually sets them off, and you end up with a bunch of samples, if not a purchase or three. It helps if you dress for it a bit. Really, REALLY helps if you're carrying a shopping bag from that store, so they know you're a serious shopper. Play them a little, and they become your new SA friend. I have a couple in town who call me when new stuff comes in, or when they're having fragrance events. It's a really fun way to play the hobby.
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post #9 of 39
5/13/10 at 5:39pm
At least they present the launches. Here, trying new fragrances in shopping mall is a painful experience, since if you try too many scents or if the seller thinks you will not buy anything, they just start to be rude and follow you accross the store...
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post #10 of 39
5/13/10 at 6:12pm
There's another frustration hidden here I think. That the store (like so many like it) has so few adventurous scents. It really is irritating when that happens. One can read here about all kinds of scent adventures and hope to have something like that with a visit to a fragrance counter, and then, whoa, here's the latest is what you get. Pretty much a bummer.

No idea what The Bay carries, but there have been times I've gone to the mall fragrance shops just to see if there's one thing there that I could recommend as good taste and high quality to someone who's going to the mall to fragrance shop.

Off the top of my head the scents found at the mall that are worthy and tasteful include:
Cartier Declaration
Dior Eau Sauvage
Guerlain L'Instant PH (some fragrance counters have other Guerlains, Vetiver and Habit Rouge, which is great)
Chanel Platinum Egoiste
YSL Kouros
Aramis
Hermes Eau des Merveilles (used to be at fragrance counters, but probably isn't anymore)
YSL Rive Gauche PH (also used to be a regular and might still be)
YSL Fahrenheit
Anything from the Guerlain Acqua Allegoria series (which is unisex but often with women's scents)

These are worth it in my estimation only, but would nevertheless be the ones I'd tell mall shoppers to check out.
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post #11 of 39
5/13/10 at 6:19pm
I know going in what to expect at the Bay or any other department store for that matter. I usually just tell the SA's to leave me alone ( in a nice way ) and check out a few scents.
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post #12 of 39
5/13/10 at 6:25pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DustB View Post

There's another frustration hidden here I think. That the store (like so many like it) has so few adventurous scents. It really is irritating when that happens. One can read here about all kinds of scent adventures and hope to have something like that with a visit to a fragrance counter, and then, whoa, here's the latest is what you get. Pretty much a bummer.

This is exactly right.
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post #13 of 39
5/13/10 at 6:29pm
Just doing Her job.....The average consumer does not care about fragrance like a basenoter.....They wear whatever their better half buys them!!!
Gary
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post #14 of 39
5/13/10 at 6:44pm
Thread Starter 
Oh, she also told me that every man should have at least 4 fragrances. Now I, like most of you, have more than 4 things to choose from, but the average guy doesn't buy that much cologne. I think she was just trying to sell me a lot of product.
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post #15 of 39
5/13/10 at 7:42pm
well, I think the problem was you went to THE BAY... I've constantly, and I mean like 5 times walked into The Bay and walked out shaking my head. I find the SA's rather aggressive, completely clueless, and there's almost nothing to look at. The big one here on Queen street has a better selection, but any other one pretty much sucks. Stick to higher end department stores or company boutiques (Dior, Guerlain, etc).

PS - Vulcan, where are you located? (PM if you prefer)
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post #16 of 39
5/13/10 at 8:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by vulcan View Post

So I went to The Bay yesterday to get inspired in their fragrances section and found the whole experience less than satisfactory. The lady who works there was nice enough to help me, but all she did was try to push the newest fragrances, most of which I don't like.

I think those people are on commission to move the new stock; it's the only explanation. Basically, she was useless to me. I want to go to the mall and have someone who just wants to make ME happy with my purchase. Too much to ask?

HaHa at least she helped you, at my Dillards they are terribly understaffed so it's a gift when I actually see an SA
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post #17 of 39
5/13/10 at 8:40pm
If you just let them know that you just want to test various fragrances then they should leave you alone. Make it seem like you know what you're doing and focus on the fragrances. They usually get the message.
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post #18 of 39
5/13/10 at 9:53pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Master-Classter View Post

well, I think the problem was you went to THE BAY... I've constantly, and I mean like 5 times walked into The Bay and walked out shaking my head. I find the SA's rather aggressive, completely clueless, and there's almost nothing to look at. The big one here on Queen street has a better selection, but any other one pretty much sucks. Stick to higher end department stores or company boutiques (Dior, Guerlain, etc).

PS - Vulcan, where are you located? (PM if you prefer)

I think I'm done with The Bay too.

I'm in Waterloo.
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post #19 of 39
5/13/10 at 10:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by vulcan View Post

I think I'm done with The Bay too.

I'm in Waterloo.

I'm in Cambridge.
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post #20 of 39
5/13/10 at 10:58pm
I have the same problem with Myer in Australia. The SAs are all pushing the newest fragrance from their line. It felt good telling the Boss and D&G girl that I hated all of their fragrances I've sampled. And after specifically saying I don't like aquatics, she pushed a disgustingly aquatic new D&G trying-to-be-niche-with-their-tarot-card-names frag on me.

The SAs at David Jones are much more helpful in general.
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post #21 of 39
5/14/10 at 1:13am
The thing is, companie have targets each month they want the sa to hit. They will be told to push the newest and training will be all about that range. Some companies even have competitions the sa who sells the most gets a Givenchy handbag or whatever as a gift.

A friend is the manager of a YSL counter here, and when Tom Ford was with them they if the counter sold XXX amount that month got Gucci watches as gifts.
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post #22 of 39
5/14/10 at 7:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrcologneguy View Post

It helps if you dress for it a bit. Really, REALLY helps if you're carrying a shopping bag from that store, so they know you're a serious shopper.

+1, this is really good advice.
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post #23 of 39
5/14/10 at 7:40am
The rudest person I came across was a time when I was checking out the testers on the counter, and the SA spritz'd a card and put it under my nose and asked if I liked it. Without looking at what it was, I said, "No, I think The One isnt very good and walked away." She was flabberghasted that I knew what she had sprayed.

Thanks, but I'll wafe the card around my own nose. Dont need assistant in that department....
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post #24 of 39
5/14/10 at 7:42am
^ one my pet peeves is when an SA sprays a card and tries to get me to smell it while its still wet. All I will smell is alcohol, and I don't want to burn out my nose 3 scents in, thank you.
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post #25 of 39
5/14/10 at 8:18am
Oh don't get me started on this one. The worst was the SA who after much persuasion, grudgingly sprayed a drop of Diorissimo on her finger and then dabbed it on my arm. I was livid (well, almost). Was I supposed to buy fragrances blind?

But I blame the store owner. When you pay in peanuts, you only get monkeys working for you. And honestly, some people are just not cut out for work in the frontline service. These are probably the kind of stores that keeps decanters like LS and TPC in business.

Good SAs are very hard to find. That's why I make it a point to buy something whenever an SA impresses me with a great sales attitude.
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post #26 of 39
5/14/10 at 3:19pm
One of the things I hate the most about going to the mall is the fact that I often am trying feminine fragrances, or more accurately fragrances marketed towards women. This usually elicits one of the following responses:

1) SA helpfully asks if I'd like to look at fragrances for men. As though I can't tell the difference.
2) SA suppresses a chuckle and gives me a knowing look, like "well you're obviously a big ol' queen."
3) SA looks uncomfortable and attempts unsuccessfully to cover up.

It's annoying because I've had bad experiences buying blind, so I always smell first. But I'm tired of having to justify my fragrance purchases to all and sundry just because the SA's don't know the product as well as I do and can't deal with anything else than strict fragrance heteronormativity.
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post #27 of 39
5/14/10 at 3:21pm
Huh, I never get flak from the sales associates when I try masculines. A couple (female) have said "Oh, that one smells great! I wear it sometimes!"

I guess gender-bending is usually more acceptable for women.
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post #28 of 39
5/14/10 at 5:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by granola357 View Post

fragrance heteronormativity.

phrase of the day!!
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post #29 of 39
5/14/10 at 6:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by granola357 View Post

One of the things I hate the most about going to the mall is the fact that I often am trying feminine fragrances, or more accurately fragrances marketed towards women. This usually elicits one of the following responses:

1) SA helpfully asks if I'd like to look at fragrances for men. As though I can't tell the difference.
2) SA suppresses a chuckle and gives me a knowing look, like "well you're obviously a big ol' queen."
3) SA looks uncomfortable and attempts unsuccessfully to cover up.

It's annoying because I've had bad experiences buying blind, so I always smell first. But I'm tired of having to justify my fragrance purchases to all and sundry just because the SA's don't know the product as well as I do and can't deal with anything else than strict fragrance heteronormativity.

Right!
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post #30 of 39
5/14/10 at 9:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by granola357 View Post

One of the things I hate the most about going to the mall is the fact that I often am trying feminine fragrances, or more accurately fragrances marketed towards women. This usually elicits one of the following responses:

1) SA helpfully asks if I'd like to look at fragrances for men. As though I can't tell the difference.
2) SA suppresses a chuckle and gives me a knowing look, like "well you're obviously a big ol' queen."
3) SA looks uncomfortable and attempts unsuccessfully to cover up.

It's annoying because I've had bad experiences buying blind, so I always smell first. But I'm tired of having to justify my fragrance purchases to all and sundry just because the SA's don't know the product as well as I do and can't deal with anything else than strict fragrance heteronormativity.

Best single post. I remember noticing 2 female SAs at another fragrance counter whispering at each other while giving me odd looks, moments after I sprayed some Mitsouko parfum on my wrist. If I wasn't in a rush then I might have sauntered over and asked them about it.
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post #31 of 39
5/14/10 at 10:02pm
I like the advice given by Ronin and MrCologneGuy in this thread.

I also want to say that the fragrance counters seem to attract certain "types" of persons ( if you know what I mean). Not all of them, but alot. But I think trying to make the best of the situation is the way to go. I tend to buy alot of samples anyways. It makes me spend much more money, but I don't have much of a choice because.........I hate the mall.

I dislike loud booming music. I dislike packs of people acting obnoxious. I dislike every store being as uninteresting as the next one. I just dislike the make up of the modern shopping mall. Thankfully there is a couple of fragrance shops I feel okay going to.

But I like Basenotes.
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post #32 of 39
5/14/10 at 11:25pm
When it comes to fragrance shopping, I find most malls are completely dreadful. Some of the upscale ones that have stores like Hermes, Chanel, Neiman Marcus - they carry Tom Ford, Creed, Guerlain, etc., one can keep one decently amused. But nothing replaces a great independent shop that carries things like Czech & Speake, Amouage, Heeley, Ulrich Lang, Histoire des Parfums. It's sad that the US has so few of these shops.
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post #33 of 39
5/15/10 at 12:13am
My favorite shops to find are the small holes in the wall ones, in the mom & pop tradition. They're usually packed with high shelves with old Guerlain, Chanel, Dior, and Caron stuff. Best of all they have the smaller, minor houses like Alain Delon, Moribito, Carlo Corinto, Molinard, and the lesser known ones by Azzaro, say, or Jean Patou. These are the places that don't have mall-shop corporate money to buy their space and have everything crammed in.

These shops are hard to find. My metropolitan area used to have four but now has two.
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post #34 of 39
5/15/10 at 12:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DustB View Post

My favorite shops to find are the small holes in the wall ones, in the mom & pop tradition. They're usually packed with high shelves with old Guerlain, Chanel, Dior, and Caron stuff. Best of all they have the smaller, minor houses like Alain Delon, Moribito, Carlo Corinto, Molinard, and the lesser known ones by Azzaro, say, or Jean Patou. These are the places that don't have mall-shop corporate money to buy their space and have everything crammed in.

These shops are hard to find. My metropolitan area used to have four but now has two.

My goodness, I would love to have those types of shops in my area. Color me jealous ( or is it envy?). I would lose all my money , though I find the idea of those shops exciting.
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post #35 of 39
5/15/10 at 12:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Surfacing View Post

My goodness, I would love to have those types of shops in my area. Color me jealous ( or is it envy?). I would lose all my money , though I find the idea of those shops exciting.

Surfacing, I couldn't believe my good luck several times I went into the ones here. Azzaro Acteur, Balenciaga Ho Hang Club, Fragonard Zizanie, Jicky pdt, ancient Tabac Blonde exrait, both Patou Pour Homme, Heritage edp, and others I can't remember. I was buddies with one of the owners of one that closed and he was happy to sell me testers and happy to sell odd thing when he had to close the shop. It was really great. Part of the fun of his independent store was that unlike the mall shops like Sephora, the high-school and college women who worked at his shop all really and truly knew their stuff. It was they who pointed out how Bandit is like Bel Ami sorta, they who said Chopard's Madness is a hilarious and delicious delight, and they who teased me because "you like all the trashy ones."
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post #36 of 39
5/15/10 at 12:29am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Diamondflame View Post

Oh don't get me started on this one. The worst was the SA who after much persuasion, grudgingly sprayed a drop of Diorissimo on her finger and then dabbed it on my arm. I was livid (well, almost). Was I supposed to buy fragrances blind?

LOL... champion. She probably wanted to make sure she got some on herself (finger) if she was going to spare a drop for you. *shakes head*
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post #37 of 39
5/15/10 at 1:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DustB View Post

Surfacing, I couldn't believe my good luck several times I went into the ones here. Azzaro Acteur, Balenciaga Ho Hang Club, Fragonard Zizanie, Jicky pdt, ancient Tabac Blonde exrait, both Patou Pour Homme, Heritage edp, and others I can't remember. I was buddies with one of the owners of one that closed and he was happy to sell me testers and happy to sell odd thing when he had to close the shop. It was really great. Part of the fun of his independent store was that unlike the mall shops like Sephora, the high-school and college women who worked at his shop all really and truly knew their stuff. It was they who pointed out how Bandit is like Bel Ami sorta, they who said Chopard's Madness is a hilarious and delicious delight, and they who teased me because "you like all the trashy ones."

That is just awesome
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post #38 of 39
5/15/10 at 1:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diamondflame View Post

But I blame the store owner. When you pay in peanuts, you only get monkeys working for you.

And that's the quote for the day!
BN members know more about fragrances than the average SA's--Some of us know far more than some store owners.

SA's usually amuse more than anger me.

The men pronounce " Hermes " not only with a silent H, but with an over the top French accent that would make Parisians cringe.
The women wax ecstatic about how they drooled with a certain frag on their BF--coincidentally the one the store's pushing that week.

It's really rather sad. Among the most underpaid jobs are retail and fast food.
And if you're a waiter at middle-class restaurant I suppose you'd be taught to ask customers if they'd like pommes frites instead of " french fries" with their California Nouvelle Cheeseburger.

( Probably why the best food I've eaten has been in either are lower or higher class joints )

Middle class tends to thrive on glitz, brand names, overpricing and pretentiousness.
Welcome to 99% of malls!

The funniest 'encounter' I had was not with frags, it was a men's clothing store. I tried on a leather jacket and asked about the price.
It was--I can't say outrageously---it was absurdly expensive.
Truly worthy of an AB/FAB episode

The SA explained: " Oh but you see, it's made by . . . Raphael "
Before I knew it I shot back with: " But he's been dead for 400 years. "

Well, at least the customers were amused.

Cheers,

Mario
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post #39 of 39
5/15/10 at 12:11pm
As fragrance aficionados, the mall SAs are just something we have to learn to deal with. Unless they are very into their job, most of us will have way more knowledge than they do. The only ones I've run into with any depth of knowledge are the ones that have been in their job awhile and work at higher end stores. Few have heard of Basenotes, which always surprises me. Unless you build some rapport with an SA and they get to know you a bit, they'll always be pushing stuff at you. It's their job.

In the average mall, this is a "job" for the SA, not a career path to pursue with zeal. In their average work week, it's unlikely they run into more than one or two people nearly as discerning as most of us. In my life, I observe that men in particular are on average real dummies when it comes to frags.

There is a perfume cart at an outdoor mall near me that is a constant source of amusement. Half the cart is filled with classics at not unreasonable prices (Caron, Guerlain and others). Half the cart is really rank, cheap faux designer smell alike junk that can be found online for $20 or less. The SA aggressively- very aggressively - pushes these horrific designer frags at the "bargain" price of $50. They only have open testers for the cheap junk.
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