Macy's and their Stingyness

Have I mentioned before that I hate Macy's? That horrid Macy's. I was never a big fan of the place, being the discount shopper that I am, I'd only go there if they were the only place that carried what I wanted. Off the top of my head,  one my last big or memorable purchase from there was Gucci Rush in 1999 and at the time it was a big "ouch" because it cost $90-it was a set with the perfume and lotion. At the time they gave you samples with purchase, an enjoyable part of buying perfume at retail price. Last Christmas my husband got me a bottle of J'Adore which in-itself was a complete mistake, and no samples, they were all out. After Christmas when we returned that bottle of J'Adore and  I purchased a bottle of Chanel Coco EDP and they said they had no samples, come back another time. More like you've made your purchase, get outta here, kid, you bother me. I just spent over $100 and they practically tell me to screw when I asked for a sample.

When I drop over $100 bucks on perfume I expect a goodie or two. Is that asking for too much? All the other stores do it. They're not stingy. When I go to Saks, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom's, Barneys' I am showered with samples-and GRACIOUS sales associates. Even Sephora will give you 3 samples. Really, the SAs at Saks are specaticular, they will give you a sample when you're just browsing. I didn't even buy anything and the SA gave me a sample of the Bond no.9 I had my eye on and told me to come back next week for their "Friends and Family" sale. And I did, and I was showered with samples with my purchase. The SA at the Guerlain counter, I would marry her if I could. She mailed 10 Guerlain samples to my house after I purchased from her. Not once, but TWO times. She decanted them herself. So now I have samples of nearly all the Guerlain line, well, 20 of them, and no crap either, as if Guerlain makes crap.* She sent me Attrape-Coeur, Chypre Fatal, Gourmand Coquin,  Oriental Brulant, Boise Torride, Iris Ganache, Muguet, Philtre d'Amour (she knows I love chypres) Quand Vient La Pluie, Vega, Rose Barbare, Liu-which I had been eyeing and testing every time I was in the store. I am still undecided with that one. After I got a good whiff of the Attrape-Coeur I went and bought it from her, hence the second set of samples mailed. I would have loved a sample of  Spiritueuse Double Vanille but I'm not complaining, she gave me a LOT of good ones.

The woman at Neiman Marcus is fabulous also. She is extremely knowledgable and was able to answer any and every question of mine. And I ask a lot of off the wall questions. She gave me a sample of L'Heure Bleue and I was just browsing. When I made a purchase she loaded my bag with samples, plus some men's fragrances for my husband, and a few things she wanted to get rid of, like a Gucci cosmetic case-which I later sold on ebay, I didn't have any use for it.

 The SAs at the the stores above, are so accodomating, pleasant and generous it makes me want to go back and buy, buy, buy.  And I'm not one who buys a lot of perfume at retail prices. The SA's at Macy's, well, I find myself shrugging my shoulders when talking to them and wanting to leave in a hurry. Like I mentioned above, I only go there when they're the only place that has what I want. The Coco, well my husband said I could spend the money we got for returning the J'Adore and I was right there so I did. Chanel is the same price at all the stores, unless I go to a discount place and I didn't know of any back then so I bought it there. When you're a perfume addict like me and someone sticks money in your hand and says buy some perfume you do.

Another thing I don't like about Macy's is they took over all the regional high end department stores. I'm sure there was  one in your neighborhood, Marshal Field's (Chicago), Kaufman's (Pittsburgh-I was in that one once) Strawbridge's (NJ & Delaware) Robinsons-May (West Coast) Fliene's and Jordan Marsh (Boston). It sucks when you're traveling out of state and you find all the same stores that you have back home. Well, whatever. It's the way things go nowadays.


*After recently trying the Narciso Rodriguez For Her inspired Idylle, I am not so sure. What came first NR or Idylle?  First impression is that Idylle smells an awful lot like a many of the "new" scents on the market, the floral, woody, musk that is too common today.  And now there's a couple of flankers. Wait, let me get a taste of the Idylle Eau Sublime before I make any hasty decisions. I really need to get my behind into the city, I'm sure Saks has got a tester of the Sublime, and I have yet to try the Duet.