L’Occitane

They are not very customer friendly. I wanted to exchange a product given to me for a gift certificate but they do not allow that as does every other store that I have returned products to. And when I had less than 2 dollars left over they would not give cash back, so I either had to have a 2 dollar credit or spend more money. There is nothing that you can get there for less than $ 15. I will not be shopping there again for their overpriced soaps.

I love L’Occitane but the workers at this store are extremely annoying!
Every time I come here there would be one person following me around or standing beside me while I browse for products, and another one staring from afar (from behind the counter, for instance). They would never let me just browse alone or read the descriptions and ingredients on the bottles myself. Whenever I pick something up, a sales associate would always start going «so this is the new cream, it’s has a lavender aroma but no added fragrances, it’s good for moisturizing and fortifying, it’s best to be applied in the morning, yada yada yada.» Then they would apply some cream or lotion on my hand and make me feel like I need to buy at least one because they’ve already let me test them out.
More than once I said I am only looking at the new products because I will have someone buy them for me in France (cheaper + tax refunds = significant price difference when I’m buying a lot), and the sales associates were unhappy about it.
This is the store I go to to get the L’Occitane products I love, so I’m hoping upper management can fix their customer service soon.

Even though I’m reviewing the Bell Square L’Occitane store, I’m certain that my observations would be the same at the Pacific Place L’Occitane, or at ANY of their locations in the Seattle area (and probably beyond).
I recently discovered this store (within the past year). And I love it! I had been hesitant to try out this place in the past, and honestly, I felt no real need to, as all my lotion/​potion fixes had been met by Bath & Body Works or the Body Shop. And, don’t get me wrong, I love these other lotion/​potion stores, too! But L’Occitane fits the bill when I want to indulge myself with something special, or get a special gift for someone. Thier merchandise is higher end quality than the other stores, the creams are much richer, the packaging and wrapping is gorgeous, and the products are from France. So, yes, they all DO cost more. But they’re more indulgent. It’s like comparing a nice Gap sweater to a cashmere Norstrom’s sweater. They both serve their own purposes, but of course you’d expect to pay more for the cashmere and the Nordie’s experience and packaging.
Back to L’Occitane… their hand creams are known to be the best around, for good reason. Super thick, and now in a variety of scents. There’s a lovely lavender line of products; I’m partial to the almond line. Oh, the men’s products are amazing! My hubby is super-​picky about scents and products, claiming most are too floral/​frou-​frou/​wierd for guys. But L’Occitane has this scent, the «L’Occitan eau de Toilette» that he went nuts for (first time ever, for a scent). It’s a complex, nutty, peppery, smoky, lavender-​y scent (sorry, I’m not good at describing scents that well!). Anyhow, it’s wonderful. And my mom tells me that my father (who’s in his 80s) also loves this scent (which is so wierd for my dad!). I can only theorize that this is a great scent that is popular with men of all ages. It really is special.
I’ve ordered sets online and they ship them with incredible bonuses for me, at no charge. Whenever I go into the store (here or at Pacific Place), the staff are friendly but not intrusive or pushy. This is a quality store, with a high quality line of product. ‘Nuff said!

My doctor told me to quit using Ivory soap because it dries my skin. My wife suggested another «pure» soap from L’Occitane. I don’t want all the fragrances and BS. She was right, they have a very good gentle soap that does not have any of the BS. But why is it so expensive. It’s just soap.