[Advance warning: this is a continuation of yesterday's rant, and it is even more grumpy and long-winded. You might best leave now and come back tomorrow, when we'll have a cheerful review of something or another.]
So. There were apparently 205 fragrance releases in 1996; this year, we are expecting 800. Perfumes are being developed and brought to market at an increasingly rapid pace, and fragrance companies are having to find ever more innovative ways to get consumer attention. But time stands still in one crucial area: retailing.
If you were to have been standing at a perfume counter in a mid-tier department store sometime in say, 1987, and through some miracle of technology and fate, you were frozen in time, only to be brought back to life in the exact same spot in 2007, you'd be more likely to suffer from boredom than future shock. Yes, your local Hecht Co. (or Strawbridges, or whatever) is now a Macy's. Yes, there is more product on the counters. But other than that, everything would look reassuringly familiar.
There are the same glass display cases, neatly arranged in a square so that the clerks can stand behind them and chat (and yes, 20 years later, they are still chatting away and pointedly ignoring you). There are the perfumes neatly arranged inside the glass cases. There are the tester bottles on their mirror trays, there are the gift-with-purchase specials, and the stacks of coffret sets. There are the bright lights, the white walls and tile floors.
It may have looked modern and inviting in 1987, now it looks mind-numbingly stale. It is hard to imagine finding anything special, much less sexy, in such uninspired surroundings, and the genericness has a kind of levelling effect on the individual brands. Yes, Chanel no. 5, with its long and venerable history, may have the right to thumb its nose at the upstart Clinique Happy across the way, but the visual display at the Chanel counter is only marginally more elegant than Clinique's. They both look stodgy and uninviting. The only way you could make the situation less congenial for selling perfume is to place the employees on commission, then offer them special bonuses for pushing certain scents. Check.
Of course, a few of the higher end stores have loosened things up a bit. Some have done away with the glass counters, or arranged them in new shapes. But even the swankest department stores do little to encourage customers to interact with the product (and the staff) in new ways. Walk into uber-hip Barneys in New York: you might as well be at Macy's. The customers are a little better dressed, and the fragrance selection is more interesting (and expensive), but there is the same familiar counter cluttered with testers, with the clerks standing behind chatting. How nice it is to step around the corner into the lovely little Frederic Malle boutique: the scent columns! The desk and chairs! The pictures of perfumers on the wall! The helpful staff! It looks different, and it looks fun. It is fun.
Of course, even in the 'burbs, we do have a few more shopping options now than we did in 1987. There is Sephora, where the perfumes are on shelves along the aisles, and you can play with the testers all you like; nobody will interrupt you to ask what kind of fragrance you like, only to tell you after you answer "Chanel no. 5" that you really must try Baby Phat Golden Goddess. The cheerful staff will make you a sample of anything you want. It is almost heaven.
Almost heaven, because let's face it: even Sephora, which seemed so refreshingly new when they first hit the US, is starting to look dated. The aisles are too narrow and crowded, the staff are not exactly experts on perfume, and the fragrance selection is pretty much slanted towards what they think a 20 year old might buy. What I want is a Sephora for grown-ups.
I saw a glimmer of hope in the C.O. Bigelow store that recently opened in my local mall. The fragrance display is almost perfect: the testers are on tables in the center. They are arranged tastefully (no clutter!) by fragrance family instead of by brand. There are actually little signs with information about the perfumes. Imagine that — providing information for the customer! The merchandise is on shelves on the surrounding walls. The selection is small, but interesting: Acqua di Parma, L'Artisan, Antonia's Flowers, Floris, a few others.
What C.O. Bigelow lacks, besides a larger selection, is personality. The store looks dull, dull, dull. In fact, it looks exactly like what it is: a conglomerate that has purchased the rights to the name of a historic apothecary in the hopes that some of the "authenticity" will convey. It comes as no surprise that the same conglomerate owns Bath & Body Works, because the stores look more alike than not, and for that matter, if you threw in a few pots & pans, you could as easily be in Williams & Sonoma, the design aesthetic is that monotonous. I want to be able to buy L'Artisan in my local mall, but I can't think it serves L'Artisan well to be sold in such a sterile environment.
Until something better comes along, I'll continue shopping at C.O. Bigelow, Sephora, and yes, even Macy's. But I'm hoping something better will come along soon, and it is hard to see how customers will be found for those 800 new scents otherwise.
Note: image of Strawbridge & Clothier department store, Philadelphia, via wikipedia.
I am hoping with you, but I don't know what that something better would be and when, if ever, will it happen. It's my feeling that the sales assistants will forever be chatting and ignoring and pushing the latest release, regardless of what you like, and that everything will always be youth-oriented, crowded and dull-looking. Forever the optimist, me. 🙂
I love your rants R! 🙂
I cannot agree more! Please rant on. 🙂
amen.
You rant all you want my dear, and bless you for finally saying what we've all been thinking.
And how right you are – all they do is chat behind the counters and act annoyed when you interrupt them after standing and staring at them for 20 minutes waiting for their attention. We ARE talking about Neiman Marcus yet again here, right? Haha.
Right on to that, sister!
Hugs!
Great post, Robin, ranting about mediocrity and homogenity is good for the soul. I've only seen photos of the new way Bendels is displaying perfumes, can you confirm it is breaking the sterile mold of the stores you cited? I mean, Caron urns, right there to be caressed! Well, caressed before they cart you off for molesting thousands of dollars of perfume 😉
I know what it could be — I can see it in my mind. Unfortunately, doubt it will ever happen! And so glad you like a bit of ranting, as we are featuring ranting this week 🙂
HA — like you don't have to hear it in person as well, LOL!
LOL — I can never decide which is better, being ignored at Neiman Marcus or having the latest fruity floral pushed on me at Macys. At least at NM, I can get a sample, I'll say that for them.
Thank you ma'am 🙂
The Bendels perfume area is beautiful, and a huge improvement over the old one (they used to be shoved into a tiny little area on a stair landing). The problem, to my mind, is that again, there is just an undifferentiated mass of testers. You have to either know what you want in advance, or get help from the staff. There is nothing to indicate which scents might appeal to you, or even to tell you more about the brands.
I just think that is a crazy way to sell perfume — a whole industry relying on the competence of the sales staff. Imagine if you walked in the Met and there were no signs next to any of the paintings and you had to ask the guard?
It would be so easy to provide visual information to help guide customers towards scents or brands that might appeal to them. What CO Bigelow is doing barely scrapes the surface.
This is excellent…and so true. These places have become my last resort for an immediate replacement of a favorite fragrance, not a place to linger and investigate. I can't tell you how many times I've gone into a box store and tested scents, only to be gawked at when I walked away without purchasing anything. Well, DUH( :D) , I'm testing the fragrance with my body chemistry. How can those who work with fragrance be surprised? Most of these places don't even carry the highest concentration of a fragrance under locks–the highest they usually carry is the EDP as opposed to any perfumes. Ok, I understand many scents are not even released under such concentrations, but Neiman Marcus, the purveyor of one-step-down luxury, should carry some rare scents in very high concentrations–they may cost $300.00+, but at least there would be the option. Most places carry loads of EDT and a handful of EDP's. Little variety, involunteerily pushy clerks and non-descript settings, make me want to buy my usual and run. These stores should be places for laid back exploring and they are not attractive enough to linger in.
1. HOW did you get a sample at NM? Do you know someone? Pay someone off? 😉 They hate me with a passion.
2. Going into Bendel in NYC a few months ago was *the most intense* sales assault I have *ever* endured, and I include all visits to Macy's. It was like being in a high-end souk. I think it's amazing I got out with my purse intact.
R: after reading the last two days' posts (full of TRUTHS) I'm tempted to hand in my resignation. I feel I need a perfume “fast”…maybe just rely on flowers in the garden and perhaps a sea breeze to “cleanse” my nostrils for a few months. The constant onslaught of new “perfumes” and scented products is wearing me down and I have enough wax in my house (CANDLES!) to carve life-sized busts of all the U.S. presidents AND First Ladies. K
Hello! As the buyer for fragrance a Bendel's, I was quite happy to read your honest response – it was clearly passionately written. I agree with your assessment; part of the challenge is the retail environment and part of the challenge is having great salespeople…we are actually actively looking for a salesperson to help us with a new approach to selling…check http://www.cew.org and Sniffapalooza for the job posting…perhaps you could apply? Best regards. Carla
I enjoy a good rant….
The number one thing that makes me really like a store or not is staff – attentive without being aggresive, knowledgable, and just nice. It's a rare thing to find an SA who can make thoughtful and on-target recommendations. I have met a few, and they have definitely earned my loyalty. To me that just makes good business sense because I go out of my way to shop from them.
What a nice offer, but even if I lived in NY, you would have to look long and hard to find someone more ill-suited to a sales position 🙂
All true. I have no idea why parfum is so hard to find any more — could be that they can't be bothered to carry it because so few people buy it? Bergdorfs in NY is about the only place that has a decent selection of the standard brands in parfum.
1. Most of the staff at NM know that the best way to get rid of me is to give me a sample. Then I'll go away. Macy's doesn't care — I have never, ever, ever, managed to get a sample out of Macy's. I just keep asking because it is sort of fun to watch them tell you they're fresh out. Right.
2. I am so surprised. I was always ignored at the old counter (although there wasn't actually a counter), but the two times I've been to the new area, I found everyone very nice, and not in the least pushy. You need to complain under the comment from the Bendel's person above!
Cracking up at the life-sized busts…but don't bother handing in your resignation, I won't accept it!
It would make sense to sell the higher concentrations, even if they sit a little longer (obviously not long enough to spoil) than the EDT's; those who want immediate access to a favorite fragrance without having to go through the mail, are likely candidates for the big buys. If someone truly adores a scent and is in the market for a luxury purchase, it would be easy for a clerk to make a sale of the pricier stuff! I've noticed “Chanel” tends to display whole ranges in-store. I wish my skin could carry “Coco”, it's so easy to find!
Well, that is just it: a good SA is rare. That is why (to me, anyway) the whole system is a mess. It shouldn't be so dependent on the personality of the SA.
That is why Sephora feels so “freeing” — you don't have to rely on the SAs. But then, there are you, with nothing to help you pick the best fragrance out of the hundreds on display. It is no surprise that apparently the brands fight over who gets on which shelf: apparently, the brands on the bottom shelves at Sephora don't sell — people buy what is at eye level.
They really ought to give me a trillion dollars, and I'd build the model perfume store.
I was in NM's a few weeks ago, bought 3 FBs, was offered a dozen or so samples several times by one of the SAs, but after examining the contents of my shopping bag back at the hotel, I found none of those promised. Wasn't that friendly? And the lack of perfume knowledge surprised me..or maybe it shouldn't have. Although I've never been to a scent bar, I think the idea (ie: Luckyscent) is great. Please keep ranting!
I am sooooooo with you! I think Bergdorf in NYC is one of the few places that gets it *right*! All the little brand nooks… the helpful and knowledgeable SAs… the parfums… Shopping there the few times I've been has spoiled me for most other places, I'm afraid. Especially places here in Delaware :~P
Couldn't agree more. It's even worse in other countries. Good for you! It probably feels great to get that off your chest.
That is too bad — you ought to get a few samples at least when you've bought that much.
I am always torn by being disgusted with how uninformed most SAs are, and feeling sorry for them — how can they keep up? There is too much product to know about all of it, unless you are a perfumista & therefore insane 🙂
I'd love to visit Luckyscent's Scentbar!
Chanel does do a better job than most of having everything in stock. But I know you're right…tried to find the new DK Gold in parfum recently, and none to be had in my mall, even though it is a new release.
The one mall I know in Delaware is simply horrible, so I can see why you prefer Bergdorfs!
Scent sampling at department stores can be fraught with peril! Last year I made the mistake of walking into the fragrance section of Bloomingdales on the Saturday before Valentines Day. I was idly interested in the new releases. Talk about onslaught! It seemed that there was a SA for every line, and they were aggressive as heck. Polite “no thanks” did not deter them from following me, determined to spray me, until the SA from the next line shoved the current one away. I kid you not! They were fighting over me. Omigosh. I scurried away as fast as I could. Did I try anything or even learn about a new scent? No way, I couldn’t get away fast enough. From one extreme (SA’s ignoring you) to another (ultra-pushy).
If I had a trillion dollars, I would hire you for sure to make a perfume paradise. Damn, that would be a great assignment to work on the design of a perfume store.
I could not agree more. I dread going into Nordstroms, lord & Taylor, Bloomingdales etc just trying to dodge the SA's armed and ready to spritz away with the same old “new you must try” fruity florals. Since I live 10 minutes from NYC I make it a point to go downtown to Aedes every month just for the ambiance and atmosphere as well as the knowledgable owners who are always so helpful and patient. Rant on!!!
Is it really? I've never shopped for perfume elsewhere…wasn't interested in perfume back in my travelling days, so skipped perfume stores all over Europe. Probably just as well, today, that is all I'd do and would miss everything else.
Is that right? Must have been the Valentine's rush. At my local Bloomies, it was dead as a graveyard this weekend. But you're so right — they seem to have a 6th sense that allows them to ignore you if you want help, and to get in your face if you don't!
Lucky you — would love to be near Aedes. It is such a gorgeous store, and such a perfect selection. I love the beauty area at Takashimaya too, although they seem to be doing more makeup/skincare, less perfume these days. But it is such a restful atmosphere.
Oh dear… I thought it was just me.. I never get samples from Macy's!!!! And even when they did hand out samples they were quite stingy or they'll hand out something like Jean Paul Gaultier like a thousand times (no offense to those who like JPG..) So now, I have new rules when I shop for fragrance:
– First I look for something to covet from online first. No pushy or inexperience salespeople. Why should I spend my money with them and not get good service.
– If I don't get any samples from them, I won't shop with them anymore.
– If I'm in a dept store or boutique that I just walked into for the first time, I will try to covet a few fragrance samples first. If they want my business they would want to give out samples. That's why they have them, right??? I think Nordstrom's is great for samples!
I think that department stores and boutiques should look to hire people who are passionate about fragrance. I think that's a step towards the fun and excitement of shopping for new fragrances again.
Thanks for the vote of confidence, LOL…and yes, wouldn't it be fun?
But you know, even if you were passionate about fragrance, it couldn't be fun to work in a Macys — or even a Nordstrom — and have to push all these random, indistinguishable new scents. As little as I like dealing with them, I do feel sorry for the SAs.
But if I'm spending money, I'll do it at Nordstrom over Macys any day — you're right that they're much nicer about samples, and at least at my mall, much nicer in general.
I wholeheartedly agree. I don't remember the last time I felt compelled to buy a fragrance at Macy's or Bloomie's. Saks, at least carries some more exclusive brands, as does Neiman's. As for Sephora, it has changed. I used to be able to buy my Tiffany and Jil Sander no. 4 there, but they've been replaced with Britney, J-Lo and Baby Phat.