I hate malls, and my neck of the woods is conspicuously lacking in fabulous little niche perfume stores, so I don't go perfume shopping very often. When I do make my semi-regular pilgrimage to the mall, my system is simple: I walk in a store, look around for any new fragrances I might not have smelled yet, and perhaps spray a few things on blotters (or more rarely, on skin). If I've got an uncontrollable lemming, I might actually buy something, but otherwise, I collect what samples I can and leave — as any perfumista knows, it's best to live with a fragrance for a few days before you invest any money. My absolute favorite stores are those that facilitate this system: namely, Nordstrom and Sephora. If I'm going to pay full retail price for something, I always try to buy it at one of those two stores.
When I shop online, I want to do pretty much the same thing: walk in, find out what's new, and determine if there's anything I might be interested in smelling. The niche stores, by necessity, cater to customers like me. Almost every niche store online offers a way for customers to see what's arrived in the store since the last time they were there. By and large, they also offer decent fragrance descriptions, and make it possible for customers to have samples sent in the mail.
Chain stores specializing in mainstream fragrances aren't quite so on the ball. Why this should be so is entirely mysterious to me given the number of customers who do most or all of their shopping online, but that's the state of things. Generally, perfumes are going to cost the same at all of these stores*, so there's no sense in comparison shopping and you might as well shop wherever it's convenient (or wherever they're offering free shipping). Here's my ranking of the online stores:
Excellent
Nordstrom: how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Nordstrom's online beauty counter is my all-time favorite. There is a lovely "What's New" page in which all the items are sorted by date of arrival (so simple! so helpful! yet nobody else can figure out how to do it). There's an easy-to-use facility allowing you to shop by brand, by price, by fragrance notes, even by "lifestyle". It's all clean, the images are clear, and it's a breeze to navigate. Nordstrom online is just like Nordstrom in brick 'n mortar — they "get it" in a way that other stores simply don't.
The one area in which Nordstrom fails to deliver is in the fragrance descriptions, which are woefully short, and frequently fail to provide fragrance notes or give any clues whatsoever about what the fragrance might smell like.
Good
Dillards: Dillards has a "What's New" facility. It isn't sorted by date of arrival so if you shop frequently, you'll have to look at the same things over and over, but still, it's better than nothing. I don't have a Dillards store near me so I don't know much about them, but they've got a pretty good selection online, including some hard-to-find brands like Mandarina Duck, Miller Harris, Jesus del Pozo and Tous, and they're about the only place where you can find Givenchy Organza Indecence in the original bottle. There is a function allowing you to shop by one of four fragrance families. The fragrance descriptions are so-so.
Macy's: I pretty much hate Macy's in real life, but their virtual store is not half bad. They do have a "New Arrivals" section (currently hidden under the "Women" and "Men" sections of the fragrance counter) but they don't appear to keep it updated consistently — sometimes new fragrances can be found under their brand page long before they appear in the New Arrivals section, and as with Dillards, you can't sort by "newness". You can also shop by brand or fragrance family, and there are separate pages for celebrity fragrances and designer fragrances. In general, the store isn't as easy to navigate as some others.
Sephora: Sephora's online store shines in terms of helping you find fragrances you might like — there's an elaborate "Fragrance Finder" system allowing you to search by fragrances and notes you like, or by fragrance family. Sephora also does an excellent job of providing detailed fragrance descriptions, and they're the only store considered here that consistently provides a list of fragrance notes. But Sephora's online store is annoying in other ways. First, there's a "What's New" page, but it only includes a seemingly random selection of their new fragrances. If you really want to know if they've got something recent, you've got to check the individual brand pages. They also have a a tendency to put new fragrances online before they actually have them in stock and ready to ship.
Sort Of Good
Neiman Marcus: There are two ways to shop for fragrance at Neiman Marcus, by brand or by fragrance family. If you shop by fragrance family, the new scents in each category are usually shown at or near the top of the list, but that means that if you want to know what's new, you'll have to check each fragrance family separately. The online store is otherwise fine, but has a sort of stodgy feel that neatly replicates the experience of shopping at my local Neiman Marcus.
Not So Good
Bloomingdales: There's no way to see what's new and there's no facility to help you find fragrances you might like: you can shop by brand or not shop at all. The fragrance descriptions are about the same as elsewhere.
Lord and Taylor: There is a facility that supposedly sorts the women's fragrances by Price or by New, but sorting by new doesn't seem to accomplish anything (to give just one example, Juicy Couture's latest, Viva La Juicy, is still listed after their first scent).
Saks Fifth Avenue: You can shop by brand or by concentration (although why anybody would want to see the Eau de Toilette and the Eau de Parfum separately is beyond me). Many scents which are carried in the Saks stores are not available online, and this is true even of fragrances which are available online elsewhere.
Ulta: You can shop by brand, or you can sort by popularity, price or fragrance concentration. To me, Ulta's brick 'n mortar stores have the feeling of a discount chain without the benefit of the discount chain prices; the online store has the exact same feeling.
And the poll: what are your criteria for a good online (mainstream) perfume store, and which stores are your favorites?
* Which is not to say you can't buy mainstream perfume at a discount online, but that's a subject for another day.
I HATE neimans simply because I have to pay with cash or THEIR credit card. The SA once told me it was because Visa and Mastercard charge them to use my card. What could it be, a couple of bucks? And they want me to pay through the nose for their crap. Unbelievable!! Do I sound like a scrooge?! Well, I too love Nordie's,in person though, me and the SA are tight there, samples galore! And in certain, unsaid terms I only purchase from her;-) Sephora is great for what it is, a massive PC beauty emporium. I really could hang out in there for hours, unfortunately my rugrats only let me stay for about 9 minutes… must be the loud music. And for that reason alone, and for the fact that given the current economic climate we are down to one car that my husband uses while I stay home with the kiddies, I do most of my browsing and shopping online. And for that my favorite etailer is Luckyscent. I have been salivating over ther since about 2003. They have raked in thousands from me over the years, though now I buy mostly buy samples. And even though they obviously have incredible copy writers over there I find there descriptions to be mostly spot on and lovely. I could read that website like some read thier newspapers on sunday. Dreamy! And they always send me emails on what's new, sometimes even before the sites been updated. Makes me feel sort of special!
Happy holiday shopping everyone!!
Wow, can't really help you here. I don't buy mainstream fragrances online unless I have explored them in person. I took a look at the Nordstrom site and I think what I would most use it for would be to see what they have gotten in so I can go get a sample (was glad to see they are getting MaDame!). Now if Nordstrom or Sephora had the same sample service online as in person, I'd be all over it, even if it was fee-based. I'm not a mall-o-phobe, though, and actually like to even go downtown to the “big” versions of the department stores now and again.
The NM “no Visa or Mastercard” policy annoys me too, although at least they'll take personal checks — it's probably the only store on earth where I still write checks.
Wouldn't that be glorious if Nordstrom and/or Sephora would send you samples in the mail? Although then I suppose I'd never leave my house…
Nordstrom is my fave online mainstream fragrance retailer. Nordstrom's & Sephora are tied for online beauty products. I love the “What's New” page @ Nordies. I can shop by brand, price, by frag notes, etc….
My criteria for good online shopping is, clean look on the page no funky background or text colors, great search engines, and preferably, the page loads quickly.
I agree about Nordstrom failing to deliver re: the fragrance descriptions. Not enough information for me.
AnnS,
So true. Developing relationships, treating the SA's well and purchasing are all part of it. The customer service is great at Nordstrom's though. I have also been able to meet some of the fragrance reps through the SA's, which has been nice.
Another thing I do is bring in a sample or two, for the SA to try. I find they really love to try something new.
I am so simple
If I'm only looking at online they must:
1)Have some sort of free shipping
2) Have reviews
Which keeps me firmly at Sephora. But would rather go into a Nordstrom. I actually like chatting up the SAs
Sephora does put things online before they have them in stock, and they pretend that they're out of stock and promise to e-mail you when they come in (“again”), and then sometimes they never do get them in stock, and the items quietly disappear from their site, leaving you jaded and annoyed, which is what happened to me with A*Men Pure Coffee, which I would gladly have bought from Sephora unsniffed but which I had to go to another province to buy (because it was limited-edition so pretty much nobody had it for sale online).
It was actually worth the trip, but I've never quite forgiven Sephora, so now I do all my online shopping at Luckyscent (for full bottles of niche), Imagination Perfumery (for cheap mass-market), and The Perfumed Court (for samples galore). They've got my number, they do. My credit-card number.
I'm afraid you're going to have to explain to me why I should ever buy mainstream perfume at retail prices. 🙂
I'll pitch in with the Nordie's chorus, though. My SA told me, proudly, that they had been trained never to push the customers when it came to perfume, just to educate them and help them explore. And then we had a very funny conversation about the perfume bottles he had recognized in various films: “I know my bottles!” I love that.
Like a previous poster – I only purchase online when I have actually tried a fragrance and then it's usually from a discounter, not always, but usually – is that wrong? I hope not. Also, what I do like about the Ulta brick & mortar store is that the testers are all out on display to peruse without someone breathing down your neck. And not that I have anything against a great SA, au contraire, I used to be in sales myself and go out of my way to be gracious – but the really pushy, relentless ones make me run away as fast as I can before I can get an idea of what I like.
It's true — Nordstrom doesn't have everything online either, although they do better than Saks, and Bergdorf's in particular has such a horrid online beauty counter that I didn't even include it (it's not a chain anyway, unless you count it w/ NM).
If you could just combine the best of Nordstrom online w/ the best of Sephora online, you'd have the perfect store…
I never buy without free shipping either — I'm a real cheapskate.
LOL — I've seen Sephora do that too (“disappear” things they never had to begin with), and can't count the times someone has said — “Wow, such and such is already sold out at Sephora!” when in fact they never had it in stock to begin with. Very annoying.
Yep, the perfect store and one broke customer!
Maybe it's a good thing that it doesn't exist….. 😛
I pay the retail price when I have had a good shopping experience. If I get a snooty SA or someone who takes one look and decides I'm not worth it (which, believe it or not, has happened to me at Nordstrom), I'll get my sniff and buy at discount. But if someone has been helpful I will buy from them. I worked in retail enough to get squeaked about people who take up hours of your time doing “research” and then go elsewhere to get the best deal. I am due to buy something from Nordstrom, actually – they have been pretty good about samples of late.
I do the same, Tama. That's why there was a smilie face at the end of my comment. That said, I get good service so rarely that I almost never buy retail.
I live overseas and only return home to the States in the summer, but I've shopped at Nordstroms and had some good experiences with SA there. Once I bought two bottles of perfume and was given two Annick Goutal give away product bags and samples too numerous to mention. If something has been out awhile I'll definitely buy online. I troll the sites for the best deal, but my most trusted site is Beauty Encounter. But my favorite online sight is Beautyhabit. Does anyone do better discounts and giveaways? If so, please let me know who it is! I love to window shop at Luckyscent and Aedes, but they never give the customer a break, other than their sample programs. But feel lucky. I live in Singapore, and they NEVER give you samples. In fact, if I spray from a display bottle the SAs swoop in and I'm afraid they're going to call security. Customer service is just a quaint concept!
It isn't wrong to me!
That's true about Ulta, but at least at my local store, the testers are often missing and forget finding anyone to help you. I'm afraid I'm not a fan of Ulta.
Popping in to giggle — I buy things at NM so seldom that I always *forget* that they don't take other credit cards, and I refuse to get theirs. And so every time, hilarity (?) ensues after they ring it up and I have to debate whether I want to go drop everything to go find an ATM and come back with the cash, or forget the whole thing. You would think after this humiliation, I would remember next time, but — oddly, no. I think I have done this four or five times now at Mazza Gallerie.
I cannot go through a week without going to Nordstrom's which is now a lot further to get to while they are rebuilding downtown. The trip is worth it because I can spend money and time at the fragrance counter alone. I do like to discount shop online on fragrances that I miss that have been gone for a couple of years -(ex) L'or de Torrente … but there's nothing like spraying gizzilion cards and perhaps one on each arm. I love Sephora but we dont have one in our city so I wait until I go to NYC to visit my daughter to spend (truly) an afternoon there. Anyone gone to Nordie's Fragrance Festivals? They are my absolute “have-to-do” adventures every 6 months!
We've talked about this before. I have sniffed so much product at Nordstrom, and had such generous customer service in several departments, and had enough free samples made for me, that I try to go in a couple times a year when I need a fragrance (usually a gift) and buy it from them, just so I can support the store, even though in most cases I could probably get it cheaper online.
I totally agree. Since I've changed careers my discretionary income has exponentially decreased …..but my faithful SAs have stuck by me and my beauty habit with samps and GWPs (w/o the 'P”) so when I do have some play-money I always go to them.
I was at Nordstrom's at the Mall of America and they had some sort of self service perfume sample bar. Unfortunately, I did not have a Sharpie with me and I was not able to write on the six vials I filled….so needless to say, I have no idea what I am wearing most days. I do remember one was Prada with Iris (?) It is very light green. Nice scent.
I like the access to testers at Ulta…but I've had issues with bad testers at my local store. Some of them seem to have been sitting out in the light a long time and have gone off somewhat. Also, the makeup samples are sometimes nasty looking and dirty – you're right, it's like a discount store without discount prices. My favorite brick and mortar store is Sephora, and I do spend some bucks there once in awhile, since they're so generous with samples.
Perhaps Prada's Infustion d'Iris?
That sounds lots like my local Ulta — it just isn't as well staffed as Sephora, and the website looks like it isn't as well staffed as Sephora's either.
Joe, wow, 85% on ebay? That's impressive. Isn't it very time consuming?
I'd have a hard time shopping in stores overseas where you can't pick up testers…
Sounds like it.
I just attended my local Nordie's Fragrance Festival (first timer). It was a lot of fun!
Hey Tama
I usually shop Stonestown, and have more of a relationship with the SA's there. If I'm downtown, I head for Barney's, their SA's are wonderful too.
A shop trip sounds like a great idea!
Is that still the policy?
I think online they take Visa. I just gave in years ago and have a N-M card that I only use about once a year for a beauty event.
To be honest, no, not very time consuming… but I can't reveal all my shopping secrets either. 😉 I'd estimate I end up buying an average of two to three bottles a month, but of course they're not always brand new. It's also an excellent way to buy carded samples of more mass-market things (recently I satiated cravings for EL Amber Ylang and Magnifique that way). I guess the point is that I couldn't afford a perfume addiction any other way!
I have the feeling that in Italy, where I live, “virtual” shopping comes pretty much after the “real” experience… For what concerns perfume, I go shopping on-line only when I can't find the “real” thing around, or when I find a good deal (l'AP on-line store is quite cheaper than the on-the counter offerings we get – so I shop l'AP online), or on ebay. Anyway, I want to sniff before buying (and sniff several times) so on-line perfume shopping isn't really my thing. 😉
It is still the policy, but in addition to their card, they take American Express.
We just recently had an Ulta open in my area, so maybe I'm experiencing a honeymoon phase! 😉
Did the sample bar have any men's scents? I don't know if you've ever been to the men's department in the MOA Nordstrom, but their men's fragrance selection really sucks.
I heart Luckyscent too! :~)
Agree that NM payment policy is ridiculous. (rolling eyes)
Online shopping is a godsend for busy moms!
Nordstrom is the best place. I do not have one particular SA at mine, as there are so many. Even if I do not see the same person every time, they always treat me well and I rarely walk away empty handed. I also try to buy there first. Unfortunately they do not carry every fragrance I am interested in, even among mainstream. From what the SAs say their selection keeps getting less diverse.
For instance, I had to go to NM for my Mitsouko in SF and was a little flustered when they turned up their nose at my VISA. I used my American Express. Thanks Robin, I didn't even think about writing a check.
Sephora is also a usual stop for me at the mall. I shamelessly ask for samples and now have practically their whole line in my sample bag at home. Slight exaggeration, but certainly have most of the scents that currently interest me. I also purchase there often, including makeup and nail polish.
For niche online, I enjoy Luckyscent and Aedes. Love Aedes samples with purchase. Favorite online discounter is probably Fragrance.net.
I really wanted to do that also SFLizbeth, but the timing didn't work out for me. I bet you came home with many lovely samples. Someday I will get to one.
I love my local Dillards for in-store shopping. Mostly because I have an acquaintance who is an SA there. Bored with retirement, she works part-time evenings (when I can shop) and is herself a perfumista. She'll call or send me a note when something I've been watching for comes in. While I realize this is a sales technique, I also appreciate the gesture.
I have an Ulta quite literally just down the street a mile. It's brand spanking new, having just opened last summer. Right now it's very bright and clean and new and I appreciate popping in there to cruise the testers on my way to the grocery store.
Like joe, I buy a lot from ebay. Yes, it's time consuming and the scores are sporadic, but the results are so worth it. Paying $12-15 for a used bottle of a nice fragrance I'm not yet sure i want a full bottle of is a real good deal for me. Plus I guess I just enjoy the thrill of the chase.
Online, I appreciate Luckyscent and Beautyhabit for their comprehensive sampling programs. I recently purchased an inexpensive item from BH's clearance section and when it arrived, they'd included at least a half-dozen samples of other goodies, just as many as if I'd purchased something at full price!
I'm also in the boondocks for local shops. We only have a small Macy's (bleh). Closest Nordstrom is at least 1.5 hours away (just opened a few months ago), Saks and Neiman's 2 hours. So, I shop quite a bit online – mostly at Sephora and Beautyhabit. I've had great success with Sephora – they always include free samples, plus shipping is free for orders over $50. I wish they carried a broader range of scents, though. There's been a lot of praise for Nordstrom here, but I have to say that I went to the Nordstrom I just mentioned, and was very disappointed in their selection. I was also surprised when the SA kept insisting that Pucci was a Guerlain scent!!!! (I did live in the SF Bay area for years, though, and like the Nordstroms out there). As to their online site, I think I've ordered through them before, but I'm also a cheapskate when it comes to shipping. I refuse to pay it, so I watch for deals before I purchase – and Saks and Neimans seems to have more free shipping offers than Nordstrom.
AND the interest rate on the NM card is 22.9%, plus you must pay 10% of the balance minimum payment per month. I don't shop there except for small items I pay cash for.
It was my first Frag Fair, I'm so glad I went. I received many lovely samples, and I fell in love with NARS Musc for her.
The Fragrance reps were very nice. FYI, Bulgari is making the soap available in-store again.
Or maybe it's just a better store than mine!
I buy my makeup at Sephora & Nordstrom to make up for all the perfume I *don't* buy there, LOL…
Drat. I'll have to wait and buy the book 😉
Wow, you're worse off than me. My Nordstrom is 45 minutes away — I can bring myself to go there once every 6 weeks or so. Shame yours doesn't have a decent selection.
NST, I used to be a fragrance SA for Dillard's about 15 years ago.
They compare to Nordies, but not NM or Saks, it seems they have gone a little downhill as of late though…
Yeah, it's a perfume wasteland up here. I've even thought of opening a shop…or trying to lure Luckyscent or Beautyhabit to open a location here (yoo-hoo!!!). The mall with Nordstrom also has a Sephora and a bluemercury (equipped with Lutens and L'Artisan), so it isn't all bad. Keeps me from going broke, I suppose, cause I rarely make it down there!!!
Thanks! The website has a kind of low-end feel to me (although not sure I could say why I think that) but the selection is pretty darned good.
If you can buy SL locally, then you're doing better than me. A CO Bigelow chain store opened here a couple years ago, so for awhile we had L'Artisan & a few other niche lines, but they seem to be cutting back on the space allotted to fragrance lately.
I agree, it does. (although all the 20%, 30% 40% off advertisements on the home page doesn't help either!)
I always try and buy from my excellent SA that I work with at Nordstrom, and the one I have at Saks too. It makes a big difference to them too. I get enough extra promotions leftovers and samples, that whatever I'm spending at retail cost, I've saved in buying samples etc somewhere else. I also assure her that by the time I'm actually purchasing that I've tested the frag, so she knows it won't get returned. Good sales help them keep their jobs too.
There've only been a handful of times that I've purchased from a discounter like fragrance.net, even though I do. I also recently made the choice to buy a Montale from a regular store (over the phone) rather than save the $10 from a discounter. I think these days especially it's important to purchase from small vendors, least they go out of business.
I've noticed that Dillards carries some Annick Goutals that are not online or in store at Nordstrom or Saks. I purchases a bottle of the one Shiseido engergize (?) or whatever it was called in the pink-salmon colored teardrop shaped bottle at Dillards in Boston a few years ago. It was a nice shopping experience. I notice that their website doesn't always “pop up” when google searching a frag name, even though they might have it on their site. That's a tech problem for sales.
True – their beauty website in general is not so good. I've only purchased from BG over the phone. When I browse thier site I always have another site like Nordstrom or Saks open to cross check all labels and color swatches for cosmetics. Actually, both NM and BG have a tendency to mislabel/mis-color cosmetics on their sites. It astonishes me with all the business to be done on-line that they don't do a better job, which is where Nordstrom out performs them. They take on-line purchasing seriously. I've answered a number of shopping questionnaires for them over the past year or so.
i have naught to contribute, being a fragrance newbie. so i just wanted to say thank you so much for everyone's input, it's giving me lots of good ideas & direction!
Glad to hear it 🙂
– have reviews
– say what is new
– ship to europe so i can actually buy things in them…
Isn't overseas shipping outrageous though?
it is, of cirse, but i want to have the possibility to buy something that is not available here, or is so much cheaper that the cost equals the cost minus shipping in here (also in my country perfume is very expensive for some reason, and i do not travel to france or the UK more often than once or twice a year, and sometimes once in 4 years:) so sometimes the item culd cost less even with the shipping
It is true that it seems much easier to find discount perfume in the US.