Hey, I'm a total fan of L'Occitane, and when it comes to making a purchase, I always go for online shopping.
I mean, I've written a review of their online store already (check it here), but I wanted to share my thoughts on shopping in-store too.
For me, online shopping is the way to go, but sometimes I do pop into the store just to get a whiff of all the amazing scents.
There are only two L'Occitane stores in my city, and one of them is in a nearby mall, so I don't have to go out of my way to visit it.
The store itself is tiny, but the aroma is incredible – just walking by is a treat.
L'Occitane StoreThey recently changed the sign, and now the store name is written in Cyrillic – it looks pretty cool.
I used to love the old name, L'Occitane en Provence – it just evokes this sense of French charm, you know?
By the entrance, there's a yellow bike decorated with flowers – they sometimes change its design, which is a nice touch.
L'Occitane StoreAt the entrance, there's a sign with info about the brand's charitable efforts and commitment to its employees – nice to see a company that genuinely cares about its values.
L'Occitane StoreThe store's interior is styled after Provence – wooden shelves, wicker baskets, and metal buckets with dried lavender bunches – it's like stepping into a French village.Everything's packed tightly on the shelves, and there's not much space in the store. Products are organized by line, so on one shelf you might find face care, body care, hair care, and perfumes – it's a bit overwhelming, but in a good way.
L'Occitane StoreI didn't see any testers on the shelves, but if you need one, the staff will get it from a storage bin – they use flowers from packaging paper as blotting papers, which is a nice eco-friendly touch.Each product has a price tag, and items on sale are marked with a discount percentage sign – it's easy to see what's a good deal and what's not.
L'Occitane StoreI visited this small L'Occitane store and found only two sales associates – since there were hardly any customers, they were overly attentive to me. It got a bit annoying, to be honest – they kept offering me samples of fragrances without asking, telling me about new products and sales nonstop.
L'Occitane StoreMy only purchase at this store was a gift for my daughter – a Rose and Vinous Pear perfume for New Year's. I was hesitant to buy it, but since it was a limited edition, I was relieved to find it still available in-store.The sales associates were super helpful when I finally decided to buy the perfume – they handed me a gift box without me even asking.
The gift box was nicely wrapped, and they even sprayed the packaging with a fragrance sample from the tester – it made the gift even more lovely.
L'Occitane StoreHowever, when I asked about getting a sample with my order, the sales associate hesitated and said they could give me one... but only one. Normally, they give you two samples on their website – they ended up distracting me, and I completely forgot about the sample.To make matters worse, they put the gift box in a small package like this.
L'Occitane StoreI visited the L'Occitane store about six months ago, when they had a sale with discounts up to 40% off – I wanted to try out a new fragrance, so I went to the store to test it and buy it if the price was the same as online.As I was walking to the store, I checked the website and saw an extra 10% discount for online purchases – so, I only tested the Neroli and Orange Blossom Eau Intense in-store, but ended up buying it online.
I also bought lip balm and a gift set with it – they gave me two free samples and discount cards for my next purchases. They also include gift wrapping, which is nice – they use bags and envelopes.
Online Order from L'OccitaneWhat I like about the L'Occitane store is the atmosphere, interior, and scents – they nicely package the purchases. However, I don't like the pushy sales consultants and the lack of testers on the shelves – maybe you need to ask them more persistently.I still prefer online purchases with free home delivery – it's just so much more convenient.
I do recommend visiting the store, especially if you're looking for a L'Occitane fragrance – it's worth a trip.
You might also be interested in reviews for other L'Occitane products:
L'Occitane Karite Hand Cream;
Karite-Malish 2 in 1 Baby Cream-Gel;
L'Occitane Lavender Body Scrub;
Verveine Agrumes Body Milk;
L'Occitane Citrus-Verbena Shampoo;
L'Occitane Karite Moisturizing Balm.