Perfume testers - like stealing?

BadTichelDay

Thu, Apr 27 2023, 8:04 am

Didn't know where to post this, so I'll try here. Let's say you find yourself in a sweaty situation, suffering from deodorant failure and far from home - do you reckon it is okay to jump into a random perfume shop on the way and give yourself a hearty whiff from a tester? If you are quite sure in advance that you are not going to buy anything? Or is that a little bit like stealing? Hiding

Elfrida

Thu, Apr 27 2023, 8:09 am

I don't know the halachic answer, but on a practical basis the combination if sweat and perfume is a lot worse that just sweat.

Why not jump into a random pharmacy and buy a new deodorant, instead? They are a lot more common than perfume shops!

imaima

Thu, Apr 27 2023, 8:11 am

BadTichelDay wrote:

Normal. Noone will be selling the tester anyway

Fave

Thu, Apr 27 2023, 8:14 am

I don’t think this is stealing. You might love the smell and decide to buy this perfume in the future as a result of using the tester.

Wouldn’t recommend putting on perfume when sweaty. It will make it worse.

cbg

Thu, Apr 27 2023, 8:19 am

Elfrida wrote:

And a package of wipes to first freshen up and then the deodorant

BadTichelDay

Thu, Apr 27 2023, 8:20 am

Elfrida wrote:

At some point deodorants just stop working. I always have one in my bag for fresh-ups but running around with a heavy backpack in the heat (like me today) makes even repeat applications useless.
Personally, I think perfume plus sweat is somewhat better than sweat only.
The point is, can one use testers for personal reasons if one isn't interested in buying anything.

BH Yom Yom

Thu, Apr 27 2023, 8:28 am

Keep alcohol wipes in your bag—much better for killing the germs that cause BO (sweat by itself is odorless, it’s the bacteria that create the stink).

Another vote that perfume on top of BO is worse than just BO.

zaq

Thu, Apr 27 2023, 9:55 am

AYLOR. Really. Don't ask Rabbi Imamother. There's an inyan of genevat daat asking a vendor about a product you have zero intention of buying. OTOH, if the testers are out there and the vendor doesn't see you using them, genevat daat may not apply since you're not falsely getting his hopes up about a possible sale. Relying on testers as a regular practice, as opposed to a one-time emergency, seems unethical.

Blessing1

Thu, Apr 27 2023, 9:57 am

Well, it's definitely better than people that spray a drop of Deodorant in to the can cover to smell it & then deciding which one to buy.....

mikayla18

Thu, Apr 27 2023, 10:00 am

They have testers for people to test. That's the reason they exist and you mayyyyy eventually buy a perfume that smells like that. I wouldnt say it's stealing. That's why they're there

Amarante

Thu, Apr 27 2023, 10:04 am

As others have posted, it might not really mask the smell. It would depend on what the issue is especially since most people can't smell themselves until it is a really strong odor. Is it possible to carry baby wipes for this kind of emergency.

In terms of theft, I don't think it is because the testers are there to be tested and many people use them out of curiosity - you never know. This is especially true because perfume should ideally not be bought immediately because you want to know how the perfume actually smells after the top note has vanished. I used to regularly go to the perfume counters and spray two scents (one on each wrist) and then see how I liked each of them over the course of the afternoon - I would do this during a lunch break. Then I would make a list of the perfumes that I liked and I would actually keep testing them until I got to my few favorites which I would buy