Perfume Emporium

Full review
I discovered Perfume Emporium while doing a search for a perfume that the online perfume store I normally use (Perfume Worldwide) didn't carry.

Overall, the best way to describe how I felt with my Perfume Emporium experience is content. Not ecstatic, not displeased, but definitely content.

This company, as it explains on their website, was started as a sort of 'bare bones' company in order to provide low prices on genuine brand name perfumes. And, even though their website is very nice looking, and even advanced in design, don't expect much more than what they explain themselves as far as personal service or attention.

The good: As I've said, their website is nice, IMO. There are lots of pictures and descriptions of most of the fragrances, and the search function is incredibly simple (you start typing in the name of the perfume you're looking for, and a link to the product automatically pops up before you even finish typing it, kind of like an auto-find feature). In addition, they even have a fragrance forum where you can do additional research on the product you're thinking of purchasing, and read about others' experiences and opinions of that fragrance. I thought that was very helpful!

In my experience I quickly found the perfume I was looking for, was able to select from several different-sized bottles to choose from, and check out in a matter of minutes. Also their shipping charges are reasonable, $3.95 standard shipping for the first item. Their checkout process is straightforward, and you're done before you know it. Also good, I received my purchase only 4 days after the day I ordered it. That was great!

In addition, they have a special discount program, called Beauty Bucks. You do have to 'officially' join, even after placing an order with them, but it's a free program, and basically you can earn 'bucks' to spend on their products each time you order something. However, you can only spend the bucks when you have enough bucks to pay for the *entire* total of the product you're ordering. Perfume Worldwide has something similar, but you're able to 'cash out' at any time, and apply even just $1 towards a purchase if you want to. With Perfume Emporium, if you want a product that's $35, and you want to pay for it with Beauty Bucks, you have to have 35 Beauty Bucks available, you can't just pay part cash and part Beauty Bucks. They do also give out the bucks for referrals, but who really wants to do that. Still, it's better than nothing!

The bad: Immediately after placing my order, I looked around the website for a place to 'log in' to my account just to review the order, and see if they gave any additional information on shipping, processing status, etc. There is no such link on their site! I was really surprised. I even went back the next day to double check. But, no, with the 'no frills' approach, there is no way to log into the site and see your order history, any personal information, the status of your order, or anything like that ... a first for me as an experienced online shopper. I can't think of any other site that does not have this kind of a feature, and I was a little concerned when I realized it didn't have that! They did email an order summary to me, which was just as vague as the order confirmation page that popped up immediately after ordering, but at least it put my mind somewhat at ease. However, I did not receive any other email saying that my purchase had been shipped etc. until the day it literally showed up at my door. On the day I received my order, ironically enough, I got an email stating that my order had shipped 4 days earlier. I really would have liked to receive a shipping confirmation email earlier than the day my order arrived at my house. I was left wondering how long it was going to take for my purchase to arrive (they give you an estimate of 5-10 business days) so I had given up and expected to wait 2 weeks.

If you're expecting customer service I'm guessing that this is not the place. The only information regarding customer service in the order confirmation email gave strict instructions to only contact CS after waiting the full 10 business days after you order, and to only contact them via email. Maybe good, maybe bad, I just felt my "proceed-with-caution" flag tipping up after reading that.

For example, I felt more confident in my previous orders from Perfume Worldwide than this order with Perfume Emporium, for the simple fact that PW keeps you in the loop, sending you a confirmation email, an email on the *day* your order is shipped, with a tracking link. No such luck with Perfume Emporium, and their prices are not any less than Perfume Worldwide. I just used them because PW didn't have my product. Also, PW's emails seem a little more "user friendly," for whatever that's worth! And, you can log into your account on their site, and when reordering, that's especially helpful.

All in all, I did get my perfume (and it was indeed the genuine product as far as I can tell) for less than I would have paid at a brick and mortar shop, and I did receive it quickly. So I was happy. The only downside is that their "no frills" approach leaves you kind of wondering when or if your product will arrive, and with the feeling that if it didn't arrive, it might be tough as nails to get someone to respond to your situation personally. I fortunately didn't have that experience, but the tone of the confirmation email sort of sends that message IMO.

So, my order was a successful experience, but nothing that left me with any "warm fuzzies."