Thread: Sniffing And Sampling Etiquette?

Self-explanatory.

I'm new to straight-razor shaving -- I haven't even bought anything yet -- and I'm pretty shameless about smelling bath soap and shampoo at the supermarket, but was wondering whether there are any suggestions or caveats about burying one's nose in a $20 cannister of shaving cream.

Also, does anyone know a shop or storefront that is liberal with samples? What's the best way to go about getting a nice handful of stuff when one buys nothing or relatively little?

i hadn't thought of this.. is there an etiquette to this? i personally am the kinda guy that walks into a rite aid to buy an ice cream cone and goes ahead and slaps in some extra brylcreem just cause.. i guess i just spent too long being poor to really break any habits..

some places will include some samples of other products when you buy something.....but thats a really good question. personally i dont see it wrong to open a jar and see how it smells. granted im not going to open every diffrent jar on the shelf either if i see something i may like ill open it and give it a smell. i dont think anyone could blame you for that i dont want to throw 20$ at something i dont know that i will like or not. it would be nice if the mfgs made more samples for store owners to pass out. that way you could see how it performed and smell at the same time.

If there are not samples to try, I just ask the staff for samples. Usually they are pretty good and some will even give you little testers to take away and try..!

Hello, DerekW:

A genteel way of experiencing the fragrance is to open the lid and, with your free hand, fan the fragrance toward your nose. I learned this from wife and two daughters and it works.

Regards,
Obie

Originally Posted by Obie

Hello, DerekW:

A genteel way of experiencing the fragrance is to open the lid and, with your free hand, fan the fragrance toward your nose. I learned this from wife and two daughters and it works.

Regards,
Obie

That's the old chem-lab trick Obie so you don't get too strong of an inhale of some noxious gas.

Most stores or at least better ones do have test bottles you can sniff and apply to your hearts content. If they don't you have to be careful since many items made for sale have seals on them.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

That's the old chem-lab trick Obie so you don't get too strong of an inhale of some noxious gas.

Most stores or at least better ones do have test bottles you can sniff and apply to your hearts content. If they don't you have to be careful since many items made for sale have seals on them.

Hello, thebigspendur:

Yes, they do, and you can spray the fragrance on a strip of thin cardboard. I'm a pro at the practice, having accompanied my wife and two daughters on many shopping trips, where they have to smell every perfume made on earth. And that's fine with me, since fragrances set me on flights of fancy. Naturally, they put the little cardboard strip to my sniffer, too, for my humble opinion. Amazing how much one can learn from the gentle ladies.

Last week I was in Chicago and visited the Truefitt & Hill store on Michigan Ave. I love Truefitt & Hill products. The store (more of a storefront for their products and razors, really, with the rest of the space dedicated to their barbershop, where you can get a hot towel straight razor shave for $60) is a wet shaver's paradise. So many products to choose from.

They have their own line of products as well as those by Castle Forbes and others. There were samples of the aftershaves and colognes with the little cardboard strips for sniffing. Naturally, I graced my nose with every sample bottle in the store. There were also sample tubs of shave creams. I have used most of their shave creams, and knew their fragrance. For the ones with which I was unfamiliar, I used the hand-fanning routine, as I am never comfortable sticking my beak into a sample jar of anything in a store.

Ah, my good man, there is so much lovely stuff out there. Stay well.

Regards,
Obie