Have you ever seen the specials offered by the top ladies perfume brands when you are walking through Macy’s or Nordstrom? Usually these deals happen during the holidays, Mother’s Day or Easter. Anything to get you in the store to buy $50 worth of products in order to get the free special. I was in Macy’s a few months ago after my wife told me to go to the DKNY counter to buy a ladies perfume set. However, she told me that if I buy the set I will get some other things for free such as hand cream, lipstick, and eyeliner (all packaged together). I don’t know about other men, but I think I am a walking target to get ripped off at the ladies perfume counter. Not that the salesperson is trying to squeeze me, but they can’t help but be tempted to squeeze me a little bit. They probably figure that the ignorant customer is to blame, not the shrewd salesperson. Anyway, I got in and out of there pretty quick just to open the package of free goodies to find that they “forgot” to include the hand creme. So I went back in there and told them the hand creme was missing and they gladly put it in.
However, I can’t stop thinking that this slight “oversight” was deliberate. Maybe the ladies perfume counter is a bit behind on the sales quota and they have to nickle and dime the customer to make up for the really cheap customers who take an hour of their time but buy nothing. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate that most salespeople are on commission and they need to make sales for their livelihood. I get that. But along the way, it is important that ethics play a key role in the way they do business.