To be furious with the way I was treated at Zara?

[VeryAngry]

Right, so how many times have you seen women at Zara (or any other store for that matter) trying on things like jackets or coats over their shirts in front of one of the store mirrors? I see it all the time.
Do you always take a coat/jacket into the fitting room especially if it's the only thing you want to try on and there is a long cue? I doubt it.

So today at a Zara store, I was trying on a jacket over my T-shirt in front of one of the store mirrors. I was not the only one doing this, there were at least 6 other women in the same store trying on things outside the fitting room.
An extremely rude zara employee came up to me and told me that I couldn't try anything on unless I took it into the fitting room. Despite her tone and rude manner of speaking, I politely assured her that I was not interested in trying on any dresses/blouses/jeans etc., I only wanted a new jacket which I could easily try over my T-shirt. She said it was against the rules to try anything outside the fitting room "for security reasons". This was completely odd to me as I have tried on jackets on the store floor several times in zara and I've never been stopped. Nevertheless, I let it go and carried on browsing.

Not even 5 minutes later I saw a woman trying on a skirt in front of the same mirror and the same Zara employee said nothing to her. Another woman came and tried on a top and wasn't stopped either.

I was upset. Firstly, I was unaware of any such rule at any store and secondly, if such a rule did exist why was she stopping only me? Why not the others? i have no issues with such a rule as long as it is enoforced on everyone and not selectively.

I approached the employee and asked her why she didn't stop the lady who had tired on the skirt and jacket on the shop floor instead of the fitting room, if it was indeed against the rules. She started addressing me very rudely and began a torrent of arguments saying it was for "security reasons". Now this befuddles me! Do the "security reasons" apply only to me? Did I look like a thief to her? I told her I didn't appreciate her tone and that she had no business speaking to me so rudely. She even snapped "Do you want the clothes or not?" I asked her to explain herself calmly and politely. Instead, she said that if I didn't "stop", she was going to call security . I was fuming by now. I told her to go right ahead and call security. While she did that, I asked another employee that I wanted to speak to the manager.
Throughout this time, people kept trying on various items of clothing on the shop floor and nobody stopped them. I thought this was blatant discrimination.

The manager was completely unhelpful and she wouldn't even give me the employee's name so that I could lodge a complaint. She kept saying she would have to see the CCTV footage herself before she could take any action. This was extremely insulting because it made me feel like I was some kind of liar- which I most certainly am not.
I told her I wanted an apology from the woman who spoke to me so rudely and insulted me in front of other customers. She said she couldn't arrange that unless she had heard the employee's side of the story. She told me that if I was that keen on taking action I could wait until the store closed. This was at 4pm. Zara closes at 9pm at westfields on a saturday. Interestingly, not once did she confirm that the employee was right and that zara did have any such rule regarding where jackets could be tried on.

What galls me is that all this time women kept trying on clothes in the store instead of the fitting room and and nobody said a word to them. I have been shopping at Zara for years now and never before have I been made aware of this rule.

[thenightsky]

Never heard of this rule. I always try jackets on in front of the shop floor mirrors. My friend holds my bags etc or, of I'm alone, I kind of shove my belongings between my knees.

I've done this in Zara in Leeds, Nottingham, Sheffield, Edinburgh, and the Spanish ones in Barcelona and Madrid.

[SchrodingersMew]

Email their head office?

I have never heard of this either and I try all sorts on on the shop floor.

[GnocchiNineDoors]

Primark dont let you take coats and jackets into the cganging rooms.

Surely its sensible to try these items on the shop floor.

[WorraLiberty]

Never heard of this...what's the point in having mirrors on the shop floor if you can't try on a jacket?

Personally, I wouldn't have let it wind me up that much and I would have put it down to very poor staff training, but that's just me.

[WhereYouLeftIt]

I would contact their head office and make a formal complaint.

[jubilucket]

I don't think I've ever come across a rule like this anywhere. Sounds like a nasty case of inexperienced Saturday staff.

[VeryAngry]

You'll never believe that the woman who behaved like this with me was the supervisor at Zara Westfield's.

Her tone was so insulting and she was so rude.

[mollyslovely]

What shop was it again, think I might have missed you saying?

[nancy75]

Were you near the door?

[VeryAngry]

mollyslovely

Eh, Zara? It's mentioned about 10 times in my OP ;)

Unless you are referring to the branch, in which case it was Westfield's London.

[VeryAngry]

nancy75 No I was further into the store quite a distance from the door.

[nymets]

i always take things into the changing rooms at zara

[nancy75]

It sounds like they thought you were going to put it on and walk out with , unfortunately it happens alot

[HipHopOpotomus]

I'm always trying coats on in shops without issue?

[HipHopOpotomus]

No idea why I put a ? There

[TheHouseOnTheCorner]

Yanbu. I was treated shoddily in there once when I tried to return a TINY dress which was meant to be for a 5 year old but wouldn't fit a 2 year old...the woman was snotty and suspicious because I had no receipt. I won't go in t here at all now.

The quality is shit anyway...write to head office and name the branch and the day...the maneger will get it in the neck...epecially if you mention that your friends on MN have also said their customer service is bad.

[VeryAngry]

nancy75 Yes, I got that. Why exactly did they think I was the only one who was going to do that? Why not the dozen other ladies who were doing exactly the same thing?
Secondly, I used to work for Mango and trust me it is not so easy for people to just put something on and walk out. All zara items have the security alarm on them and their is security at every door to check the bags that beep.

[nancy75]

It is very easy to walk out with a tag on, I was a retail manager for 15 years and I saw it happen a thousand times! Did you have lots of bags, a big coat or a pram with you? They could have had a report on shop radio of a person weraing similar things to you stealing from another shop, or the girl could just have been over zealous. I'm not saying you look like a shoplifter by the way!

[ravenAK]

OK, so employee asked you to try on clothes in the fitting room. You thought this was unreasonable. At this point, you could've just taken your custom elsewhere (she was pretty obviously insinuating that you looked dodgy & might do a runner with the jacket - I'd've taken umbrage). So, so far, yanbu.

However, you then confronted the employee because you thought other customers were being treated differently - at this point, you aren't going to get anywhere, really. Let's face it, a substantial part of her job is balancing 'not upsetting customers' with 'not allowing the merch to waltz off unpaid for', but she can hardly say to you: sorry OP, you looked like a shoplifter but that other lady doesn't.

Equally you can't expect her manager to give you her name! You can quite easily make a complaint to head office without it - they'll just contact the manager who will be able to tell them who you were talking about.

Nor can she, really, make her staff member apologise there & then - the employee has just asked you to try things on in a changing room. If you find that unacceptable/insulting, you are free to spend your money elsewhere. You say she was rude to you when you confronted her - she obviously felt you were being pretty rude, if she ended up needing to call security. The manager is left with an irate customer who has upset one of her team at this point - you can hardly blame her for not automatically assuming that you're in the right!

Honestly, I'd let this one go. I might decide to boycott them in future if it happened to me, but I certainly wouldn't expect to be able to take it further.

[BBMs]

I had an issue like that in once of the partner shops in Madrid years ago...
Personally, I would file an official complaint, I would mention the time you were in the store and a description of the manager and shop assistant. Describe how they made you feel and how extremely disappointed you are of their costumer service.
Someone needs to teach those disgusting women how to bloody treat clients!

[AgentZigzag]

I'm not meaning this in a shitty way Angry, but the bottom line is it was their coat and they asked you to try it on in the changing room of their shop.

That's a reasonable thing for them to ask.

I know it seems unfair, but what the other people trying stuff on were doing isn't anything to do with what they were saying to you.

Having worked in a shop you must know that if you've seen 10 people leg off with clothes then you're going to try and avoid that if it's possible.

It's not nice you feel insulted by what they said to you, but if you'd just said 'OK ' it wouldn't have escalated.

[AgentZigzag]

Hardly 'disgusting women' BBM, just women trying to earn a crust on their feet all day dealing with sometimes difficult customers.

[Cabrinha]

To be honest, you sound like a nightmare! She asked you not to try it on, you were unhappy but let it go - but then went BACK to her hassling about her not speaking to other customers (perhaps you'd scared her off?) and even told her to explain herself 'calmly and politely'? By all means before that speak to a manager (but I think you were over reacting) but telling her to try again calmly and politely - patronising, much? I'd be calling security too! I'm glad her manager said she wanted to hear both sides - too often retail managers don't stick up for their staff.
Who knows why she asked you. Hell - maybe, through no deliberate act, you just looked suspicious.
She asked you to use a changing room. Fine to politely query that. Not fine to return to badger the poor woman about other customers. If it was annoying, then mail head office and put a 'FFS' on here. Anything else - over reaction.