I totally agree they have a legit reason for wanting a sample. What they don’t have is a legit reason to ignore a clearly posted sign and open box after box.
Chances are if they ask we’ll help them open it and try not to destroy the packaging. The problem is people wanting to open several packages just for the fun of trying it with no real intention of buying. Soon our inventory is destroyed.
If we try to market at great prices to people who are already familiar with the names and don’t need a sample that’s our choice. If it turns out we’re not moving enough product that way we may decide to put out samples and see how that goes. What’s not cool is for customers to decide they can open new sealed merchandise just because they think they should be able to. and then act pissy when we ask them to respect the posted sign. If they want to tell us they won’t buy unless they can try that’s legit and we’ll consider that. It’s still not okay for them to assume it’s their right as a customer who might spend money to ignore the signs and open new merchandise without asking.
In perfume and in all products when you go shopping in discount stores because you like good stuff cheap don’t expect all the same amenities you get at non discount retailers.
While true, the reason they are doing what they aren’t supposed to is that they know they can get away with it. Providing a sample is much more likely to get them to stop than trying to police everyone, and definitely gonna be better than what appears to be happening, which is nothing but whining.
It boils down to the simple “You can’t change what other people do. You can only change what you do.”
Personally, I think cosmosdan’s store should “change what they do” by rigging each box of perfume to spray a horrible, blindingly caustic acid into the face of anyone attempting to open it without the trigger having been disabled by a cashier.
It’s worth repeating for the non-retail people here that display stock is a massive black hole as far as profits go. As soon as you open the box to put an item on display, it’s either effectively written off or will have to be sold below cost (as no-one, rightly, voluntarily pays full price for display stock).
So I can see where the OP is coming from, but something like perfumes is, unfortunately, something people just need to smell to know if they want it.
It’s not just that people need to smell the perfume, they have to wear it for a few minutes to try it out. And yes, it IS rude for customers to open boxes, but it’s completely idiotic to expect to sell perfume without having testers available, unless the perfume in question is Joy or Chanel No. 5., in which case the buyer probably has a pretty good idea whether that perfume is good on her. So the management (either store manager or HQ) is expecting the customers to read and obey the signs. In my experience, customers don’t read signs. Hell, most customers don’t even SEE the signs. I’ve overlooked signs myself, when I was looking for them.
Either the perfumes should be locked in a display case, or the store should put out testers (and yes, I know that they’re going to have to write off the testers, or the store will have to have someone constantly on LP in that area, until the perfumes are gone. Because even though they should obey the signs, customers ARE going to open up the boxes, and try out the perfumes unless they are physically prevented from doing so. It’s like putting out displays of small, expensive items and expecting that they won’t get stolen. Customers WILL steal, and stores have to figure out how to prevent as much loss as they can. It doesn’t make stealing right, but expecting that it won’t happen is…naive, to say the least.
Hey, I shop at Big Lots. I’m familiar with discount stores. I shop at a couple of thrift stores, too. There are things that I’m willing to buy, and things that I won’t, from this type of shop. And then there are things that I want to examine in some way. If I can’t examine something, I won’t open the box…but I won’t take a chance on it, either.
And I really get that. As little gifts at really good prices we’re selling plenty without samples. Lot’s of folks know what recognizable brand names smell like because they or a friend use it already. Because our inventory changes we don’t have permanent spots for types of product. We have a few unique challenges because of the nature of our business. It’s unfortunate that the asshole customers make it difficult for the customers who would appreciate and respect some trial bottles. I’d love to have some cost effective way to provide samples because that’s the nature of that product. Perhaps we can work something out.
In the meantime I just came to the pit for venting. Ahhhhhhh I feel a bit better.
Perhaps you could have samples at the counter, or maybe transfer them from little breakable glass bottles into little not breakable plastic bottles? Just a thought.
