to want Christmas sales staff to back off?

[MardyBra]

I was browsing for stocking fillers for the DC in Hawkins Bizarre (as I like to think of it) yesterday, and every time I so much as touched a product, one of the staff members came up and told me how much fun it was and how it was their favourite thing in the shop, in an attempt to get me to buy it. In the end, I had to request that they back off, because my peri-menopausal head couldn't cope with all their chatter when I was trying to work out what tat to buy.

The same thing happened in Body Shop last year. I was happily browsing the gift sets and I had 5 or 6 approaches in succession from staff members desperate to help me in my purchasing decision. I just wanted to look, compare and think ffs. I'm afraid I lost it and snapped at them to be left alone in the end.

I know sale staff are under instructions to be chatty and help. But if a customer has been approached once, surely that should be enough.

it is quite annoying but the people approaching you and trying to sell you stuff probably hate doing it more than you hate experiencing it! They have managers breathing down their necks and giving them a bollocking for not interacting enough with customers. I have NO IDEA how the big bosses haven't worked out that 90% of customers hate being harassed like this but YABU if you get snappy with the staff as it's not their decision. just say 'I'm fine thank you' and smile, ain't difficult!

yes, booky - you're right, it has been scaled back - when the new Mystery Shopper came in, my friend said she felt like leaving, but since then, they have listened to the complaints and made it a bit less intrusive.

And I totally agree with your comment about people wanting to chat to booksellers ( :( about that lady's year)
I often have customers talking about stuff to me over the counter - it's usually their memories (because I do local history books), and there are some great stories. :)

Perhaps the big shopping centres could design a 'badge' system where you can put a sticker on if you don't want to be accosted by staff. Then everyone would know where they stood.

I'm having a rough time in shops at the moment anyway, aside from upselling - everybody is asking me when the baby's due, and I really have lost count of how much it seems to be everybody's business it comes up in conversation.

In a way, i don't mind so much when it's my customers that ask, because I'm there behind the till in a children's bookshop, but when I'm out and about, it's getting tedious.

It's the part of my job that I like best! That, and the tins of sweets and packets of biscuits that we get at this time of year from our 'regulars'!

bookymcbook - I also work for the same chain as you. Love not having to 'mirror' customer's behaviour and offer them linksaves!

I do think bookshops are slightly different to other shops in that you can browse in there for hours if you want to and, consequently, you do have your regulars. On the other hand, at this time of year, many people who would not normally set foot in a bookshop are going in to buy presents. The majority of these actually seem to welcome someone coming up to them to ask if they're looking for something in particular. Bookshops can seem quite intimidating if you don't come from a reading background.

I agree that it must be annoying being 'stalked' by shop assistants. There is no excuse for this in a small shop but in bigger shops there can be no way of knowing if a customer has been approached or not. We don't have time to phone each desk and advise colleagues that the woman in the red top has been asked if she wants help already.

What bugs me about these threads is the implication that shop assistants are annoying and stupid (unless they work in an independent(!)), and that it is perfectly OK to snap at them/report them to Head Office at the first opportunity. It is a shop assistant's job to assist and give good customer service and it can take time and experience to get this just right - just like any job. There are some awful shop assistants - to these people I would say change your attitude or ship out - but unless you are on the end of some really dire service, please treat people with respect and not like a piece of dirt on the bottom of your shoe just because they serve behind a counter.

Madamehooch - now I'm curious as to which branch you work in - PM me if you want to tell me! You are absolutely right about how intimidating bookshops are for people who usually shop on the internet don't come from a reading background, and I've lost count of the number of people who have said that they don't need any help, and then ask for help

I think Sparkling's idea of a badge saying "Leave me alone to shop in peace" is a good one. I'd wear one!

Sadly there are many annoying and stupid 'shop assistants' - not surprising when the pay is crap, the hours long, and it's not seen as a longterm career. I wish more people would send letters to head office when they have had good service, rather than when they perceive that they have had bad service.

But since our bookselling chain regularly appears at or near the top of surveys of stores that give great customer service we must be doing something right!

I would say that I normally get great service in your book chain booky and madamehooch. Nice friendly assistants who leave me to browse in peace when I want to, but are helpful when I've asked for assistance. I find the mirroring behaviour highly suspect though (will be on alert for this now!).

Btw I did suggest the leave me alone badge earlier (see post of 13.33)

YANBU - People have managed to shop for decades before upselling came along.

And if it drives people away to shopping online, many of those NMW jobs are going to be lost aren't they? Just like with the self-checkouts etc.

But people shopped for decades in shops before the INTERNET (plus the big supermarkets) came along and changed the way people shop. The High Street is dying on its arse, and retailers are looking for ways to increase shoppers' spending. Approaching customers is one way of trying to get them to spend with you; but that is different to upselling which is more the "do you want fries with that?" approach.

If that IS driving people away then I think you have a valid point. But I believe what is driving people away from the high street and to the internet is price, the range of products available and the convenience of ordering online.

It'll be interesting to see what happens to prices and availability online when the high street is full of coffee shops and charity shops and there are no retailers left.

If asked more than twice I say "I have been asked twice I AM NOT SHOPLIFTING"

booky I prefer shopping on the high street, I just don't want to have to talk to anybody while I do it

To be honest, if I had the OP's Hawkins Bazaar experience (and I probably will shortly), I wouldn't go in again.

I disagree though that online prices would ever rise as a result of high street decline - the main reason being that there are virtually no 'search costs' involved in internet shopping.

Sorry Mardybra I didn't read it properly. . You make the badges and I will chase people about getting them to have one!

MardyBra and Sparkling - I'll hand them out in my shop!

CountingDown321 - actually, it's not online retailers that I have a problem with: it's the supermarkets who only take the topselling lines of each type of non-food product and ask for crippling discounts from their suppliers, in order to undercut the competition. If I was Prime Minister I'd stop the supermarkets selling anything that wasn't food.

The badges could be reversible. One side could say 'I'm fine-just looking' and the other side turns round to say 'please help me'.

Holland & Barret!

No I would not like to buy a 'Mens Health' magazine. Do I a 25 years married, age 48 bloke weighing 11 st 3lb wet through look like I need 'Ten Step Workout for Abs That Drive Women Wild?

Well do I ???!!!

My local Waterstones are fab to me in this respect. I am on first name terms with the regular staff but Christmas makes me giggle when the temps try the upselling with me. Once the manager ran across the store to prevent a young temp from approaching me after I'd declined help already, he told the young chap "this lady knows more about our stock than I do so best not embarrass yourself mate"

I chuffing love our Waterstones

Interesting opinion. I work in a luxury retailer. I am well paid (management level will probably suprise you what you can actually earn) and trained in the specific products we sell. We ask people of they need help because most people are using the incorrect one. I hate people wasting there money and unfortunately lots of people do. We upsell, but it's your choice weather to take it or not. Im just showing you options. I do ask people about there day. But you can tell by someone's reaction of they want to chat or not. It makes my day pass with a smile and MOST people want a chat. I agree about asking people more than once is annoying. But shop at high end places. You get the service you pay for. My teams understand who has asked who and who is browsing as we have systems and ways in place to ensure that people feel comfortable. Lush ect are high-street and higher temp/high turnover staff so training levels arn't as high. Fwiw, I am pregnant and people are so rude about when it's due, is it planned ect, also, especially at Christmas, we work horiffic hours and are often spoken to and shouted at by stressed shoppers. We take alot of abuse with a smile. We are up on last years takings so don't hassle for money. Spending is good as alot of people, we're finding, are having less treats but really getting something special when they do. If you arn't happy with the service you receive, write to the head office. This up to them to train their staff differently. Not the staffs fault. In the mean time spen your money somewhere where you get good service. But look at your own behaviour aswell.

Glad to see my employer hasn't been mentioned yet

We are told to smile and make eye contact (this also cuts down on theft apparently) and then if they are browsing go up and ask if they need help. If the answer is no then we would not ask again.We do not have targets and we are not specifically told to "upsell" but we are encouraged to gently "close the sale" if the customer is dithering

I prefer our approach to H&M which always seems to be unstaffed!

Anyway - give shop staff a break, tis v low paid and this time of year they will be temps hoping to be made permanent (they won't be )

'Gently close the sale'. Don't like the sound of that. Must remember to not dither.

I repeat "just browsing thanks" with a smile. This seems to work vair well so far - i'm guessing it's sufficiently vague that it doesnt give anyone a "point of entry" to offer me any specific unsolicited help.

booky/madameh - I'm usually v pleased by the service too, it's pretty low key. I tend to get a lot of the "can I help you" at the game stores, as I guess I look too mumsy, so they assume I will need [help].

tocha - yes, I always get the staff looking at me rather pitifully in the game stores. I actually work in IT so am not so behind the times where technology is concerned but know very little about gaming.

Where are you all shopping that you can actually find staff? Everywhere I have been to recently has seemed so short staffed that no-one has any time to be upselling!

I used to work in retail and hated all that 'approaching the customers, upselling lark' it used to make me cringe so I would feel very sorry for any member of staff being forced to do this by managers/employers!