Do you feel uncomfortable in some shops?

[chomalungma]

Killing time yesterday with DS and we were wandering through some car dealerships. Ford, Volkswagen, briefly in the BMW garage (they were all next to each other).

But we didn't go in the Jaguar one. It seemed off putting and not the kind of place to casually stroll through looking at the cars and making comments...about the price. I think we would have been really out of place.

I was thinking about that scene from Pretty Women.."All that commission".

Do you ever feel out of place or uncomfortable in some shops and just don't go in?

I like Lush. I go there a few times a year and get a personalised shopping experience. You walk in, say what your budget is and what the person likes and they build you a gift basket.

They might just be arseholes Awks. Rather than it being what you look like. See up thread where three of us realised we've had the same snooty crap customer service in the same bridal boutique. I always thought it was because of looking young (at the time!) and not being dressed 'posh' enough. Turns out they were just crap.

I booked an appointment at a wedding dress shop and the lady was so rude. She started huffing and puffing because my elderly grandma needed a chair and wouldn't let us touch any of the dresses. I had to explain to her the type of dress I wanted and she went through the rails and selected them rather that me being able to have a look myself.

I did find a dress I loved there but tracked it down 45 minutes away to buy it there instead as there was no way she was getting my money. The shop is no longer there so I bet she put a lot of people off.

I also find myself being followed in Waitrose when I have a pram with me.

Really expensive shops. Especially if they have hovering staff.

another I think Hollister is dark so you cannot easily see the price tags or escape easily and your dc persuades you to buy them something

Probably, EnidButton. Thank you , they did make me feel a bit crap even though I knew I shouldn’t let it affect me.

I think I’ve been in that bridal shop, too! I was with a friend who just bowls people over with her confidence so the woman was sort of bounced into being pleasant to her, and I was trailing behind like a slightly Goth teenager, feeling very out of place.

@Dowser is this it?

Yes, I also think that Hollister is dark to prevent the people paying for the clothes (adults) noticing that the garments chosen by their teenagers are (1) jaw-droppingly expensive in view of (2) the poor quality.

My stepkids just wanted stuff from there. Any stuff, just as long as their friends knew it was from Hollister.

Awk honestly some of the worst shops I've been in were bridal ones. I was pretty shy back then too so maybe that's it. That York one was just snobby though. I looked at the reviews earlier and the poor new owner was trying to do damage limitation and telling everyone they aren't like that now.

Hollister is hilarious. Like trying to buy clothes in a club. Complete with bouncers on the door.

*damage limitation = prob the wrong expression as the new owner hasn't done anything wrong. It has a new name and everything. I'm sure it's lovely now. The replies to the bad reviews (for previous owner/staff) were very good. Just to be clear.

Any shop where I am hassled! I despise it. I love to browse but this makes me turn around and leave. Why do they do it? I mean I know the shop assistant don't have a choice & I feel sorry for them but the shops themselves must realise it's really bad for business. I went into a candle type shop last week & within 1 minute there was an assistant beside me with a tray with a hot green tea offering it to me I couldn't get out of there quick enough. Please shop keepers don't do this, it's the number 1 way of making sure I never set foot in your store again

Flannels - it was like the sales assistant really didn't want to sell my daughter a pair of Vivian Westwood shoes 🤔. He was so rude and dismissive- I think it was my Poundland carrier bag that did it 😂.

In Flannels, and shops like it, the ONLY strategy is to stride in as if you could buy anything in the shop. Give them a cheery “hello!” as you walk in. Then browse, deploying a look of disdain when it suits you.

SanJuniper Me too. There’s nothing more likely to send me bolting for the door than a shop assistant invading my space while I’m trying to browse.

Lush and Body Shop, not that I go in either much these days. Too in your face and treat you like you're not capable of browsing or asking for help IF needed.
Anywhere posh and expensive really, as its obvious I'm not going to buy anything

@Popchyk

It is like It's a Knockout but with fake tan.

here come the Belgians!!
😆

Not so much uncomfortable but I hate places like Claire’s, Smiggle, The Works etc. Every bit of space crammed with merchandise which DD drags with her in her wheelchair or frame. Then the DDA desk is merchandised and unusable.

More annoying because I know the store designers have given plans of how to make it accessible then store managers come in and just put shit everywhere.

I am rarely particularly well turned out although always clean and neat and have never suffered this. One exception was taking dh's service book to be stamped by his garage. When they looked at the old gimmer as though she had shit on her shoe. And then did an abrupt volte-face when she said Mrs .., his wife. "Oh I do hope that wasn't too much trouble" "it's lovely to meet you, would madam like a coffee".

Lush!! I just want to browse, have a smell, read the labels etc and not have someone come up to me every 5 seconds to ask if I need help, or start telling me everything about a product I just looked in the direction of. SO annoying.

I got followed round a Joy, really blatantly which has put me off for life.
Also our local health food shop...god knows why as I was wearing pretty good clothes and didn't have a tatty plastic bag or anything. Wish I'd said something now.

I really hate being followed round shops.

Lush can be quite amusing if I’m in the mood for their slightly wild-eyed enthusiasm. Was in there once innocently browsing bath bombs and one of the staff members pounced with a bowl of livid-hued froth and announced ‘hmmmm- smell the herbs!’ in a tone of voice more usually associated with invitations to get to know Jesus.

All Saints in my neck of the woods can be a discomforting experience for the mature woman. The response last time I strayed in suggested they wanted to give me directions to the nearest M&S.

Harvey Nics (a northern outpost) - I’m just not affluent enough and go in for the Nars concession (cue embarrassed requests for an orgasm )

I find honesty works, with a pinch of ‘duck you’ and a tiny bit of ‘you work for me’.

I used to find these shops intimidating. I don’t shop often nowadays.

I do occasionally go into very posh shops on principal.

I took my then 8 year old DTs into a vey posh luggage shop on Bond Street a while ago. I told them straight up we wouldn’t be buying, but that my DS was interested in luggage as he’d recently seen ’Fantastic Beasts’ and the magic suitcase Newt Scamander has. They told us all about he history, showed us some old luggage, told us what to look for if we went vintage shopping: They were bored...

I had to go into a Screwfix recently and I've never felt more out of place or awkward in a shop than I did there. I shouldn't have done, it's basically an argos for tools but man I couldnt wait to get out

I’m made to feel uncomfortable when I visit a long-established haberdashery (!) shop in my town. The woman in there obviously feels it’s below her to serve other people and only cracks a smile for third generation customers.
I was making large, expensive curtains and wanted a very specific style of heading tape that I’d only seen in a magazine and didn’t know the name of. “Oh well madam, if you don’t know what it is you need, how can I be expected to help you?! (headtilt)”
I looked at her very slowly and answered: “If this is the type of service you give, your customers will leave and not come back.” turned around and left while the people waiting behind me were nodding and murmuring in agreement!

On the other hand, last week I went into a very high end fashion designer boutique near Piazza di Spagna in Rome. We were footsore, overheated and scruffy but it was the only chance I had to see a certain object I ^might^ buy in a year. I told the assistants/manager,/security (they were all listening as we were the only customers) and they couldn’t have been kinder. “We’re here for that, too.” was a phrase I remember.
In other words it’s counterproductive to scare off potential clients.