It seems once again, cost-cutting has taken its toll on the promotional budgets of some fragrance houses. Parlux, among a few others, has moved away from vials and sample sprayers and has increasingly adopted the sample format just one step above those "impregnated clothes" and annoying magazine "scent strips."
Say hello to the "fragrance bubble," a blister packaged small bubble filled with .4ml of whatever the sample has to offer. No sprayer, no cap, less expense evidently.
Among the downsides is the fact you are going to end up with .4ml of the sample either on you, on your clothes, or on the floor. Repeat sampling not allowed, unless you get another "bubble."
It amazes me that fragrance houses continue to alienate potential customers with less and less useful ways to sample a scent before a consumer parts with dozens of dollars on a bottle. The free "duffle bag with purchase," or whatever else they have to throw in after you hand over your credit card, seems to continue only partly abated. But no freebies until you pay.
That leaves you stuck with the in-store sprayer, although increasingly I am starting to find those are now being kept behind the counter as well due to rampant theft in some places. If I was a retail shopper who had to ferret out an SA and wait for them to find a sample sprayer, I probably wouldn't waste my time on anything except that which I really wanted to sample. That means lost sales.
I am beginning to wonder if some places even think customers care about the scent when the celebrity endorsement seems to be (in the minds of some) what really counts. After all, would anyone buy most banal fruity florals endorsed by female stars and the latest "fresh aqua" or "clean wood" boredom labeled with the name of music, sports, or movie star "x" if it did not carry a pop culture reference?
Say hello to the "fragrance bubble," a blister packaged small bubble filled with .4ml of whatever the sample has to offer. No sprayer, no cap, less expense evidently.
Among the downsides is the fact you are going to end up with .4ml of the sample either on you, on your clothes, or on the floor. Repeat sampling not allowed, unless you get another "bubble."
It amazes me that fragrance houses continue to alienate potential customers with less and less useful ways to sample a scent before a consumer parts with dozens of dollars on a bottle. The free "duffle bag with purchase," or whatever else they have to throw in after you hand over your credit card, seems to continue only partly abated. But no freebies until you pay.
That leaves you stuck with the in-store sprayer, although increasingly I am starting to find those are now being kept behind the counter as well due to rampant theft in some places. If I was a retail shopper who had to ferret out an SA and wait for them to find a sample sprayer, I probably wouldn't waste my time on anything except that which I really wanted to sample. That means lost sales.
I am beginning to wonder if some places even think customers care about the scent when the celebrity endorsement seems to be (in the minds of some) what really counts. After all, would anyone buy most banal fruity florals endorsed by female stars and the latest "fresh aqua" or "clean wood" boredom labeled with the name of music, sports, or movie star "x" if it did not carry a pop culture reference?
