Smile and spritz three times: What I learned working at a Macy’s perfume counter

NEW YORK (AP) — December is a notable time for fragrance. The month accounts for one-quarter of the high-end perfumes, colognes, body mists and other scented beauty products sold annually in the United States, according to market research firm Circana.

Fragrances of all kinds and prices also have taken off as a popular purchase, outperforming sales of makeup and skincare in the first nine months of the year, the firm said.

However, many shoppers don’t want to get spritzed while wandering through a department store and don’t want a salesperson’s help picking out a perfume for loved ones or themselves. They may know what they want from hearing about social media trends like “fragrance layering.” Some enthusiasts collect scents like they might handbags and trust their own noses.

Macy’s requires its 10,000 beauty advisers to do weekly training. It covers new information from brands and the latest trends, such as the reemergence of matte makeup and “juicy fruit” fragrances. The advisers also get selling tips and tricks.

Shoppers “come in knowing what they’ve seen on TikTok, but our beauty advisers really help them discover what is the perfect scent for them,” said Nicolette Bosco, vice president and divisional merchandise manager of Macy’s beauty business.

To understand the changing retail environment for beauty products, I received a taste of sales training the week before Black Friday at the flagship Macy’s in New York City that served as the setting for the 1947 Christmas movie “A Miracle on 34th Street.”

Virginia Dervil, a business manager for Parfum Christian Dior, trains beauty advisers for the makeup and fragrance division of the Dior brand. She spent roughly 30 minutes explaining Dior’s fragrance lineup and offering advice on how to approach shoppers. On a busy Friday, I tried to put her teaching to the test during another half-hour standing in front of a Dior counter.

In that time, I enticed only three people to try out scents and didn’t make a single sale. I found it difficult — and at times frustrating — to get the attention of passing shoppers. When customers did pause by the counter, most wanted to explore alone.

Here are four things I learned:

Engage with a smile

Always smile at shoppers as they walk by and try complimenting them on what they’re wearing, Dervil said. If they moved on, I knew enough not to follow them. Remember the old sales adage about the importance of direct eye contact. It’s more crucial than ever since many customers will be wearing earbuds or headphones and might not hear a spoken invitation to sample products.

Let customers explore on their own

If customers stop by the counter, ask if they want help. If they say no, let them explore and don’t be pushy. They often start asking questions if you let them linger a while, Dervil said.

“Some customers want a one-on-one interaction the entire time that they’re here,” she told me. “And some customers prefer to have a moment to themselves and to really self-discover.”

Ask shoppers what they are looking for once they indicate they want help, Dervil said. “Are they looking for themselves or is it a gift for someone?” is a standard approach, she said. Understanding what brought someone into the store is a way to better guide them in making a selection.

Direct them to the middle range of fragrance intensity

Always direct customers first to the fragrance in the middle of the spectrum between subtle and strong. The midpoint is typically the most popular. In Dior’s J’Adore line, the favorite version is the “eau de parfum,” Dervil said. If a customer think that’s too strong or too light, direct them accordingly, she advised.

I also learned that going up or down the spectrum doesn’t always mean a more diffused or intense version of the same scent. It may lead to a different smell altogether.

For example, the “parfum d’eau” form of J’Adore smelled like a lighter version of the “eau de parfum.” But the line’s lightest scent, J’Adore Eau Lumiere, had a citrusy scent that was totally different.

Three spritzes on a test strip

Don’t spray or dab on shoppers. Instead, spritz three times on a paper test strip and let it sit for a few seconds before the customer smells it, Dervil advised. Otherwise, the initial whiff may be too overwhelming, she said.

Start asking open-ended questions about what they like or don’t like about the scent. If they want to try other products, fold the strip and place it next to the just-sampled fragrance as a reminder of which one it was.

If they’re switching from scent to scent, ask them to sniff their arm or the back of their hand to clear their nostrils for the next one, Dervil said.

If a customer likes a scent, discuss prices and bottle sizes, and hope to complete the sale.