Fraghead v Sales rep

Good for you. Well done!

Lovely.

Well, it's all mind games.

At least if you're like me and don't dress up. Personally I make my purchases after school and I don't look dressed up or anything, just chat a little, if I don't like a SA, I leave her/him and go to the next. Until I find my perfect prey, I proceed with my chatter then request some samples.

Remember, those people make less money than you do (or will do). They're supposed to give you samples, but they probably use them themselves or give them to friends/customers they find attractive. You gotta show them their place.

But then again there are smart and generous SAs....but they're a minority.

"Remember, those people make less money than you do (or will do). They're supposed to give you samples, but they probably use them themselves or give them to friends/customers they find attractive. You gotta show them their place."

What place would that be? What does their salary have to do with how a person should treat them?

"Remember, those people make less money than you do (or will do). They're supposed to give you samples, but they probably use them themselves or give them to friends/customers they find attractive. You gotta show them their place."

What place would that be? What does their salary have to do with how a person should treat them?

Enjoyed your story. Nothing wrong with being assertive! Enjoy the samples (which I've found are much better when sprayed on).

Martin

Are you presuming that she works off of commission, or do you know this for a fact? She may have just been having a bad day.

Maybe she was having a bad day, but the way story was told, she doesn't sound like the best of people to be fair. Had the OP been wearing a flash suit, I bet he'd have been given samples without hesitation.

Having a bad day is no excuse for her rudeness. Well done Mervin for handling it so well & not sinking to her level. Enjoy your samples!

The SA needs to learn ' not to judge a book by its cover'. Anyhow looking down on customers and being rude is just not on. As Teardrop said - a bad day is not an excuse - that's when professionalism steps in.
Thanks for the sharing your encouraging story !

One could have also noted that advertising costs money as well and that most successful businesses spend heavily on it to promote and market their goods.

She sounds like the typical snotty sales rep. If you came in a suit and tie, she probably would've given you a lot more than samples lol But seriously, yes they do judge the way you dress. I've seen/know guys that dress like total bums but drive £100k vehicles. For some reason, Floyd Mayweather's uncle comes to mind! ha In fact, a lot of wealthy people blend in much better than you think (because they're usually miserly hoarders lol -- dont mean to offend, just a joke ).

Anyway, in my experience, all of the department stores are very reluctant to give samples. You are more likely to get them at independent places. Maybe they just want the quick sell? Or think you'll take the sample and buy elsewhere or online? It's doesn't seem the fragrance houses are too eager to help either. Trying finding samples of Bond no.9.

Many people care only about appearances. Once I went to NY, and visited a Lacoste store to buy shirts and trousers. I was wearing jeans, the simplest possible sweater, and tennis shoes. The sales guy looked at me with disgust and made jokes about poor brazilian people buying clothes to resell. It was only when I asked to have the hem adjusted that he began to treat me better.

I've noticed that the SAs here in CT tend to ignore me, unless I hang around for more than five minutes, in which case they give me the casual, sometimes blatantly disinterested "can I help you?" type attention. I really don't care at all what kind of attention they give me - personally I hate attention when I shop. I know I'm the minority in that, but it's the truth. Having anyone look at me and speak to me when I'm trying to make my mind up on a purchase is totally distracting and yields little in the way of help. I usually walk into a department store feeling like I know I can't make my mind up, and once I do, the only thing I need is for someone to ring up the sale.

As for the OP's experience - naturally most people prefer positive attention from the sales reps at department stores, and this particular rep was completely out of line. I don't subscribe to Ekove's belief that income should dictate how a person is treated - honestly, if I'm dealing with someone who makes $8.75 an hour, or $100 an hour, that person deserves respect and kindness regardless. That said, I do believe that a large number of sales reps in department stores carry a very strange high opinion of themselves, which sometimes comes off as blatantly conceited, and it behooves them to remember that they're working at Macy's, not the White House. If you treat every customer with respect and kindness, you increase your chances of making a commission, do you not? Just the way I see it.

I had a very similar experience at the By Kilian counter at Saks recently. I've also found that entering into discussion with people and showing you know about fragrance, even if you don't suggest you're likely to spend big bucks, makes people more willing to give out samples.

As a former fragrance sales rep, I know something about this.

She is likely to have been "tight" with samples from her own portfolio of perfumes (each rep in a store generally represents a specific perfume house or manufacturer). As soon as you opened your mouth and mentioned Creed (potentially a line NOT in her portfolio) she was glad to hand over samples from a different firm, as it did not diminish her own sample stock.

I think it unfair to immediately judge SA as "snobby" and assume she is making assumptions based on your appearance. Arent you making assumptions too?
Few people actually have an understanding of the background behind a retail space, and the companies/reps that fill it.

I agree with your point, however, if the customer perceives it as snobby (which the original poster did) then it is snobby. The customer is always right on this occasion. The customer doesn't know about what's going on in the background and that's not relevant to their experience. They didn't receive the service they expected, certainly not with a smile.

I almost agree with you 100%. There may have been an awkward standoff at first, and no smile, but the customer left with samples in hand... the purpose of his/her visit.

I will agree that this is ATROCIOUS customer service, but one cant always make assumptions about SA's and their motivations, without considering what the SA makes of yours.

Did you ask for a specific sample, or did you just ask if she had some samples she could give you?
I perceived it as the latter, and so could understand her reluctance. Sounded like you just wanted some free stuff, ya know?

Nice attitude!

I worked in as a sales rep and a laborer in a factory to pay for my degree(s). I learned a lot from that experience, knowledge that isn't taught at school. I'm pretty sure experienced SAs can see you coming from a mile away.

To the O.P: All I got from your story is that you actually can't afford to buy the perfumes you wanted free samples of (at the mo).

I tend to agree.
If you're asking for samples up front - and when denied them - you THEN disclose your intentions, is rather like putting the cart before the horse.

If you enter a retail space and have an engaging conversation with an SA, explaining your intentions, which in this case was:
"I was hoping to buy myself a new Creed but just didn't know what one to go for"
... then I would imagine the SA would perhaps be more forthcoming with information and samples.

If you ask for them up front, then you will 9 times out of 10 look like you're sample-mongering. Stating your intentions after being denied, only for the sake of 'putting an SA in their place' is just game-playing.

I think what is important to understand is that samples are SALES TOOLS, not "freebies", and there is ZERO obligation for a sales assistant to give them out unless they deem it appropriate or necessary.

Ugh, this just reminds me as to why I left retail!

No mate, she probably judged you to be a student and hence unlikely to have the disposable income to buy much. She wasn't too far off the mark was she?

Samples are intended for use at:

A. A fragrance launch, or
B. When closing a sale. The idea of adding samples to your bag after a purchase is to promote other lines that may interest you, AND build that ever-important rapport with the customer. This is how good SA's build and maintain their return customer businesses. It, in part, is what makes the difference between a good SA and a bad SA.

Is it really such a surprise that some SA's take exception to the gradual erosion of their tools?

My guess is that you were judged less for your appearance, and more for your presumption that samples were forthcoming.

But you just wanted freebies...

Couldn't agree more, that describes my experience perfectly. I wouldn't be comfortable walking in to a place out of the blue seeking samples. It's different with retailers where I'm an established customer that's invested $$$$.

I find most SA really do not know their product.

I went to Neiman Marcus and was looking at Creed and Tom Ford. The SA had me check out MFK and I fell in love with her and the line. She gave me samples and knew I would be back....she was a pro

As a Basenoter, I well understand the desire to sample. Especially with the pricey stuff. Nothing worse than buying something you liked on the test card and then found it didn't last long or you don't like the dry down. Got suckered into a few of those.

I also well understand the concept of service and the genuine concern that anyone selling something as personal, complex and often quite pricey as a scent should be able to make a sample available. But I also well understand there are people out there cadging every sample they can get their hands on so they can go post them on eBay. Go take a look. You'll find neat little Creed, Malle, Tom Ford and other vials that you know didn't cost them a cent. Think the SAs don't run into their share of those? Reminds me of the kids at sports events (and old guys too) who grab autographs just so they can sell them. Sadly, these types make it rough for those of us who are batshyt crazy for juice and who WILL be back to buy. Often a lot.

I'm generally pretty lucky with sampling. But at this point I'm a well known entity at the Los Angeles frag joints I haunt. They know I buy a lot of stuff and they know I know a lot of stuff. There's one rookie SA that makes me feel like some sort of rock star of scent.

Personally, I'd be fine if these companies would sell their samples at retail locations for a couple of bucks or so. Gift them to people with a purchase. But if they had a policy that allowed them to sell samples for a couple of bucks (like Lucky Scent) it would simplify much of the back and forth battles with SAs that often get reported here and in other forums I see.

One Basenoter I've hung with out here has a technique. She goes prepared with her own little empty vials. While the SAs may safeguard the official pre-packaged samples, they generally don't object if she decants 1ml or so from a tester. (Plus, not all companies provide pre-packed samples.)

Mervin, sorry you had a bad experience. In time, that store will get to know you likely. I also find if you engage them and chat them up a bit, show a little of your knowledge, discuss your scent collection, their perception of you starts to shift from someone cadging samples to a knowledgable potential sale - whatever your appearance. I've never worked as a fragrance SA, but if the first thing someone asked me was if I had samples, my guard would go up.

I realize this is a quantum leap of difference in price, but walk into an Aston Martin dealer after school, grab a salesman and introduce yourself by saying you want to test drive the DB9. Watch how they handle that.

The somewhat funny and ironic thing is that many of those in this thread who are calling it bad or horrible service have no problem writing off a designer frag without smelling it, and yet in principle that is all this lady was doing. Deduction based on prior statistics and assumptions instead of actual interaction. Many of those whom say she probably would have treated you better if you were in a suit and tie also probably treat niche fragrances differently, at least subconciously, even if their conscious mind denies doing so - especially those from an esteemed house or which cost a lot.

Of course I know a frag's feelings can be hurt, etc. etc., but the underlying principle is still the same and I think it foolish to assume that being ok with superficial judgment in one area of life isn't going to manifest as more superficial judgment in general.

I say this only because I think we all should look in the mirror more often than we do, myself included. Something to think about, at least; and if you find the idea ridiculous or repugnant ask yourself why?

*Also, I've seen a few BNers post stories where they more or less humiliate the SA and this is usually rewarded behavior or at least implicitly condoned by not being called out. (Thank you to gilgamesh for calling out Ekove's example, above). Again, something to think about.

**I'm not saying that Mervin is to blame or anything like that. Just making some random observations at 2am while being a bit sleep deprived. Thanks for the thread which has inspired some good chat, Mervin.

I don't walk into stores just to get random freebies but I often do enter them with the goal to only test something I am curious about on skin. That means, I usually walk out without buying anything and may or may not return at a later point (I sometimes do buy). If a SA gave me directly or indirectly the feeling of being a parasite, I'm likely to never enter that store again. Nowadays, I do the majority of my sampling via the sample services of online stores. It means that I have to pay something between 3€ and 6€ per vial but these are acually 2-3ml decants and come with sprayers. Another huge plus is that they have most niche lines available, unlike all the brick and mortar-stores near me.

Provided you're not travelling vast distances to visit your store, the tester bottle is sufficient to spritz from in order to get a feeling for a scent. They're there to be used, so samples are ultimately not required.
Go in scentless, spritz a different scent on each arm, and there you go. Return another day, spritz, repeat...

Yeah but that only works in department stores, the perfumeries, even the chains like Douglas expect you to consult SAs if you want to test something.

In my country nobody will give you free samples, EVER. You will get them if you buy full bottle of something but never before. If you want to test something there are tester bottles for that.

Good for you that you got them, but its nothing I'd be pissed about.

Same case as in my country, where designer fragrances are overpriced by as much as 2x their USD value and considered as luxuries. I'm a college student, and whenever I try to test some fragrances, SAs don't display much enthusiasm as compared to that guy in the business suit, knowing there's a slim chance I'm going to shell out cash.