It’s a jungle in there. The air is heavy with the scent of musk, citrus, spices and florals. Armed with sprays, solutions, lotions and potions, spritzers are on the prowl in department stores–trying to interest shoppers in close encounters of the aromatic kind.
And competition is fierce on the fragrance front, for there are plenty of perfumes vying for consumer dollars–and noses. Complicating matters further, many shoppers avoid spritzers, perceiving them as guerrillas with the mist.
Not so, cry cosmetic executives. Spritzers, officially known in retail circles as fragrance models, might have been trigger-happy at one time, but today there is a prescribed code of conduct: ask first, spray later.
“It’s definitely an ask-before-you-act situation,” stresses Rich Adams, cosmetics manager atBloomingdale’s in Chicago.
Still, consumers are slow to forget aggressive tactics of the past. Some scent-shy shoppers race past spritzers with eyes averted; others flatly ignore invitations to partake from the perfume flask.
“You’ve got to be able to take rejection,” says Suzi Darin, a spritzer in Buffalo Grove.
Consumers have a zillion excuses for spurning spritzers, such as “The bees will get me,” “I have allergies,” and “I already have that.”
Happily, consumers are more receptive at this time of the year, shopping for Mother’s and Father’s Day presents.
“I love when there’s an occasion to buy for; people are more open to suggestions,” says Darin.
Men are decisive shoppers, agree fragrance models, especially when they are shopping for last-minute gifts: “Men will buy anything as long as it’s wrapped,” says spritzer Barbara Tenuta, a 11-year-veteran from Tinley Park, who then mimics a male shopper: “It’s got a bow on it. Great, I’ll take it. Here’s $300.”
Women are more finicky, but visit the fragrance counters more often, and spend more money in the long run.
It’s not a breeze
Spritzing may not look particularly stressful, but there’s plenty of pressure, say fragrance executives. Part show biz, part sales and part public relations, spritzing is no field for shrinking violets.
“You’ve got to like people,” says Tenuta.
Physical stamina also helps. Marble floors may have aesthetic appeal, but take a toll on feet after a long stretch of time.
“When it’s not busy, four hours can seem like four days,” observes Tenuta.
Some other drawbacks: hours can be irregular and there are no benefits.
Yet the pay is pretty good. Rates vary depending on who’s paying and where you’re working, but Chicago spritzers earn anywhere from $10 to $16 per hour. If fragrance models work a lot, they could earn up to $30,000 per year, estimate industry insiders.
Because it’s a part-time profession, many spritzers are models or actors, looking for a steady stream of income.
Yet there are also crossovers from other industries. Darin, a former recreational therapist, began spritzing six years ago. The gap between her past and present professions is not as big as one might think, Darin says. Patience, compassion and sensitivity, all requirements for a recreational therapist, also come in handy on the fragrance floor.
“I like people watching,” says Linda Hall, a fragrance model from Worth.
Indeed, the retail forum provides a great backdrop for surveying everyone from bag ladies to celebrity spottings. One spritzer saw entertainer Prince sauntering through Field’s State Street store, and another recalls seeing actor Mel Gibson fly through her department.
Questions and directions
Because fragrance is typically located on the main floor of department stores, spritzers are often the first store representatives with whom consumers have contact. Which means they serve as ambassadors of sorts for stores. “You give a lot of directions,” says one spritzer. “Where are the bathrooms? Where are the elevators? Where is women’s sportswear?”
Paid by the fragrance companies, spritzers are considered independent contractors. And because they are not store employees, they usually don’t ring up sales. “You get all the fun of the sale and the onus isn’t on you at the end,” says Marshall Matteson, a Chicago spritzer who usually can be found at Carson Pirie Scott’s State Street store.
Like Matteson, some spritzers may settle down with one line, yet most float from company to company. “You could be working for Christian Dior today and Donna Karan tomorrow,” says Karen Shunk, an account executive in Chicago with Christian Dior Perfumes.
But good spritzers are sought after, and word of mouth travels fast in the fragrance business.
Like acting, it helps to have the right image. “Someone spraying a Ralph Lauren fragrance needs a classic clean-cut look,” explains a former cosmetics executive. For Chanel, a more sophisticated look would be desirable.
Fragrance companies sometimes provide outfits for spritzers to wear, especially during the launch of a new scent.
A consistent look helps win customers’ attention, says Lois Mander, a spokeswoman for Ralph Lauren fragrance: “The first step is to get noticed out of the throng.”
Making the sale
But looking good is only part of the battle. Spritzers are in stores to pump up sales. On a good day, a spritzer can generate an extra $1,500 to $2,000 in sales, experts estimate. Even for more expensive lines, that adds up to a lot of bottles.
Product knowledge is crucial. Models must understand what the “juice” is comprised of and educate customers on how to use it. “It’s an art. A good fragrance model can’t just stand with a bottle in their hands,” says Adams at Bloomingdale’s.
Selling styles vary. Some spritzers like to stand near the counter where a full collection of products are close at hand. Others, like Josephine Medrano, prefer to roam the store.
Medrano, a fragrance model for 13 years, believes a throng of spritzers scares off shoppers. It’s easier to engage customers in a conversation under less crowded circumstances.
Of course, the challenge then is to drum up enough interest to get customers back to the perfume counter.
“I try not to be overly aggressive,” says Medrano. “You have to know when you’re talking too much.”
It’s important to be seen as “non-threatening,” agrees Matteson. Matteson usually doesn’t hold any product in hand, but “approaches people with his voice” by greeting them and asking how they are.
Determining interest level of shoppers is a combination of common sense and reading body language. “Someone flying through the aisles on the way to lunch is not going to be a good prospect,” observes Matteson.
A native of Germany, Ingrid Wecker has spritzed on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Europeans “really love it” says Wecker, while Americans are more cautious about accepting a spritz. Ironically, says Wecker, if left to their own devices, consumers will often douse themselves with scent.
Delivering the product
Because of the negative reactions to spritzing, fragrance vendors and retailers have been exploring alternative ways to sample product. Models may offer to apply scented lotion, which gives consumers a truer read on a fragrance. A spray fragrance takes several minutes to develop into its full state.
Blotter cards sprayed with scent are also passed out. But some fragrance pros eschew the cards, explaining that scent reacts differently on individuals.
Despite newer alternatives, spritzing is unlikely to ever completely fade from the fragrance scene. It’s faster. And it’s more dramatic.
Newcomers to the business either love it or hate it.
Amanda Klingman, a Chicago runway model, dabbled in spritzing during the holidays. Yet she doesn’t intend to pick up a fragrance bottle again, except to spritz herself. “It takes a lot of patience,” Klingman says.
Kraig Kuchukian, a former securities broker, started spritzing about a year ago when he was in between jobs. The fragrance front has been so enjoyable for Kuchukian that he has been taking his time with the job search.
“It’s great money,” says Kuchukian. “And I like being around all the women. As a broker, I worked in an office with 50 or 60 guys.”
Securities and spritzing are similar in that both are a “numbers game,” Kuchukian says. “I don’t let anyone walk by without trying.” Still, there’s a difference between an assertive approach and hard sales, he warns: “You might push someone to buy something, only to have them return it later.”
Veteran spritzers say the job has gotten tougher over the years.
Consumers have less time to fritter away in stores. And they are more demanding.
Often, the first thing shoppers want to know is whether there is a gift with a purchase. “Customers want everything for nothing,” says Wecker.
Shoppers often instruct spritzers to “put a lot of samples in there (the bag)” when a sale is made. Actually, fragrance companies have cut back on the number of miniature vials distributed to retailers. “But consumers think we’re holding out on them,” Hall says.
Despite new pressures, fragrance is still a pleasure to sell. “It’s not like you’re out there selling fertilizer,” says one fragrance executive.
While many consumers couldn’t care less about a new scent, other folks are always on the lookout for something new. One spritzer recalls the time a new mother stopped at the store. Literally on the way home from the hospital with her newborn, she couldn’t wait to buy her baby’s first fragrance.
Indeed, fragrance fever can be contagious. Once you start wearing it, it’s hard to stop.
Kuchukian didn’t wear fragrance until three years ago when he started dating a woman in the cosmetics business. Today he has a collection of about two dozen different fragrances and actively wears 10 of these. (Not at the same time, of course.)
“Fragrance is something that makes you feel good about yourself,” says Kuchukian.
“It gives people a lift, it makes them feel more positive,” Darin says.
“I wouldn’t go to the gas station without it,” says Tenuta.
