Great Testing Experience

Today I went to Filigree & Shadow in Seattle and had a great experience with the perfumer James.  My friend and I were walked through all of his scents with little anecdotes and fun chats throughout.  Most of the scents were very complex, and I should have taken notes because by the time I was ready to choose for my sampler set I had forgotten most of what I enjoyed.  I'd say my current favorite is I Made You a Mixtape which has notes of black pepper, green apple, cannabis, pettigrain, leather and ambergris.

Have you ever had a great experience like this with a smaller perfumer? I'd love to hear about it.

That sounds so lovely. I wish I had a shop like that nearby. I think I would have to travel a couple hours for something like that. 

All small perfumers in Rome and Milan are like this. In Japan, we have the Nose Shop and some other counters at department stores, but the salespeople are always hovering around and acting a little "too helpfully," which I find extremely annoying and boring. A lot of the sales staff are young people who don't know a whole lot about perfumes, and they also act as gatekeepers who don't allow you to handle and apply the perfumes yourself. I don't like interacting with them and their PanAm smiles.

The first time I walked into an Italian perfumery, I was blown away at the variety and selection and the fact that the owner allowed me to sample his amazing collection on my own. The interaction was so much more relaxed and professional. The owner said that if I need any help, he's there for me. At the end, he asked me what perfumes I enjoyed the most. When he saw the notes and profiles that I gravitated towards, he also recommended some other perfumes that fit my taste. I ended up buying two of his suggestions and one of mine. 

I wish customer service for perfumes in Japan would just evolve and stop being so controlling and suffocating.

Well, in Japan, it's a difficult experience unless you look for it actively.

I think it's related to the fact that most of the staff at department stores and nose shops in Japan are probably not full-time employees.I think they are trained to behave that way, and there are probably quotas for managing sales. And moreover, in most cases, the customers are more knowledgeable than the staff. Or they are a bit snobby. (They put too much effort into it)This is because perfume culture is not widespread. I often hear complaints like this. They may be making around 1500 yen an hour.

Yes, I know. So, when I say customer service needs to change, I mean the older managers and older people who pretty much run the show here need to look around and realize that the customer base is changing and it's not necessary to "do things as usual" or "as it used to be." It's not just perfumes: a lot of stores from clothing to cosmetics I just simply avoid because I don't want someone constantly hovering and chatting me up. But I think the older customers are used to and enjoy this.

@Raluko111  Ah, that's right... You probably won't understand this unless you try it. I've worked in Kyoto, and the style is to talk to the customer, listen to what they have to say, and then get them to buy something. It's effective with wealthy older people. (It's like a sign of affection and gratitude for them listening to you) (Well... I don't really want to say it, but it's the same as a KYABAKURA≒cabaret club), but I don't think the manager understands.
That's why I have an older style lol, As a customer.but I don't want to go to NOSE SHOP anymore because I want to be able to do things at my own pace. It's like a museum or a social gathering place.The same goes for Starbucks. They expect too much "sophistication."
So I'd like to go to a small overseas boutique！

@Chrysoptera I used to live here but I’m just visiting on a tourist experience from outside the US. It was fantastic and I don’t know anything like this in Portugal where I’ll return. Glad to hear in Italy this is pretty common and I hope I get a few more recommendations on this thread for travel inspiration

@krdent Welcome back!