AIBU to think it’s strange you only get a sample if you buy a £300 perfume?

[Annmay]

I had an experience recently that I can’t quite stop thinking about, and I’m curious if this is normal now or if something has changed.

I was in a well-known luxury department store, exploring niche fragrances — just taking my time, asking questions, trying to understand what I might actually like on my skin.

I came across Maison Crivelli and was genuinely interested. The fragrances are not cheap (around £300), so naturally I wanted to test properly before making any decision.

At one point I asked if it would be possible to have a small sample — just to see how it develops over a day or two.

I was told I would only receive a sample if I purchased the full bottle.

What surprised me wasn’t just the answer, but how quickly the tone of the interaction changed after I asked.

It went from friendly and engaging to… noticeably colder.

I was there with my daughter, and she even asked me:
“Why are they looking at us like that? Can we go?”

And honestly, that stayed with me more than anything else.
Because I’ve had experiences in other places where you can take your time, ask questions and feel comfortable — and this felt completely different.

Here, it felt like I had to prove something.

I completely understand that samples can’t be given endlessly — that’s not what I’m expecting.

But for a £300 fragrance, is it really unreasonable to want to test it properly first?

It just made me question whether luxury today is about experience… or just transaction.

Curious what others think — is this normal now?

It does develop, but not in quite the same way.
In-store you’re surrounded by other scents and distractions, so it’s hard to really understand how it evolves.Wearing it properly over a full day is very different.And I do understand your point, I’m not expecting anything excessive.It just made me wonder whether the level of service depends more on how you’re perceived in that moment than it used

Surely a couple of sprays from the tester in store lets you ‘try before you buy’ and see how the scent develops?

I’m not sure why you’re surprised you didn’t get a sample to take home.

You don’t say the size of the bottle, but if it was 100ml then that would be £15 for a 5ml sample. Can’t see any shop giving that away.

Presumably they get a lot of people after a freebie. Maison Crivelli costs about £20 for 5ml, so why not buy that to decide if you want to spend the whole £300? Most high end fragrance brands sell ‘Discovery’ sets with sizes of 2-5ml. Giving away 2-5ml for free probably doesn’t make business sense if they’ve experienced it not leading to increased sales for the larger sized fragrances. Some people would be happy to continuously ask for free samples and never buy a full size.

You don’t need a sample. That’s what tester bottles are for. Also 5ml of a £300 bottle costs the company quite a lot to give away for free

She thought you weren’t a serious buyer just after the sample. I worked in boots for a while and people would do this all the time. You can tell then people who are genuinely interested versus those just after a load of freebies.

It wasn’t a large sample — it would have been around 1.5ml.For me, samples are there so you can try something properly over a few days, even after washing it off and coming back to it.Trying a fragrance in-store, surrounded by lots of other scents, just isn’t the same.That’s why I wanted to take a bit of time with it before deciding.

I don't think I've ever been offered a sample bottle in the situation you described. And that's in many years of buying expensive perfumes. A spray is fine for determining that.

You do seem like an AI, op 😄😄😩😩😩

Them being colder is probably because they hate people coming to have a sniff at the expensive perfume and not buying. I wouldn't ask for a sample but would spray some on myself and on a tester strip

Still, that doesnt excuse their offness. Yanbu, ChatGPT, hun xx

I’m so sick of this AI slop all over MN. Regardless of whether the story is true or not, when it’s immediately clear it’s been written with AI then any authenticity is just in the bin. It’s impossible to tell if it’s a bot, content farmer, troll v an authentic poster.

Going round the perfume counters collecting those tiny sample bottles was an afternoon out when my girls were in their teens!

I swear this is the poster who did exactly that until she got banned. Obsessed with samples and couldn't understand it when they'd had enough.

I understand that perspective, and of course brands need to protect their stock.But I think there’s a difference between people collecting freebies and someone genuinely trying to decide, I wasn’t looking to keep coming back for samples , just wanted to make one considered decision, especially at that price point.I had actually made a point of going to Harrods to explore the brand properly, so I was hoping for a more considered experience.Discovery sets are an option, but they’re still an additional cost, and it used to feel like being able to try something properly was simply part of the service.So for me, it wasn’t about getting something for free, but about how that moment was handled.

They do, don't they? I asked at the Guerlain counter in Harrods if they had any fragrance samples, and they said they only give them if you buy a bottle of fragrance. You used to be able to get a 1ml sample of this or that. Where I live, only the very mainstream Guerlain perfumes are stocked, not the many less well-known ones. You can get those, but you have to order them from the Guerlain website, which I didn't want to do without knowing what they smell like. I sprayed some in the store, but your nose soon gets confused in there.

Some brands now have sampler sets, which are quite good for the price. Maybe they want you to buy those instead of giving you samples!

Still, it does seem odd to hold back on samples for fragrance, when you do need to know what it smells like. And ideally, not among lots of others, and wear only that for a day. For perfumes that cost hundreds, it does seem very odd not to let you sample them. Surely sampling is how sales are made.

There are now some decant companies that will give you a sample. I just got two Guerlain ones for about ten pounds. Better than making an expensive mistake.

You absolutely did want something for free. Cut the BS OP

I agree, and they're parsimonious even when you do buy. Equally I hate it when I'm "stalked" by the concession staff, I want to have time to browse.

They're probably fed up with the high number of people who are constantly asking for samples and never buy anything.

If people kept collecting up those tiny vials they'd never spend any money.

But I don't see the problem with them spraying you, it will still develop over time. If you like the perfume you can buy it next time you're in the shop or get it from their online store?

They could make 1ml samples, though. Those are the tiny bottles without a spray.

For me, wanting to test something properly before buying it isn’t the same as asking for something for free.

It still costs the companies considerable money. More than you would expect. Especially the luxury brands where the quality is higher. I know because I work in the industry

Use the tester.

honestly the brand will have accounted for the very small loss of customers like you vs the cost of producing free testers and come to the conclusion that their target market can afford £300 without a free tester spray

I think you have to pay for a makeover now, and then if you buy anything, the cost of the makeover comes off the products. I suppose it's a way to stop people wasting the company's time and products.

I understand that might be the assumption, but I don’t really see myself in that category.I was genuinely considering the purchase, and for me that means taking the time to be sure especially at that price point.That’s all I was trying to do

How could you tell the OP's post was written by AI?? If it was, I had no idea!

I don’t know whether you mean a sample bottle or a spray there and then from a sample bottle. I don’t think it’s cost effective to give bottled samples to everyone. You should certainly have been allowed to spritz some on yourself or a card though. The little bottles are actually quite big (5ml) and I imagine people would take the piss if you could just ask for them and they would never buy an actual bottle of anything.

I’ve been using a 5ml sample I got free with a purchase (usually now it’s given as a different one to what you bought it try and get you love a new one and spend money) and I think I’ve used it 3-4 times so it’s not just a one time sample so to speak.