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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have been really irritated by this woman's sales technique...even though it wasn't directed at me.

26 replies

BlueFergie · 15/04/2012 20:11

I was out shopping for new sunglasses today after my last pair were accidentally crused by my car (don't ask). For the first time in years DH got a bonus. Most of it will be going into his pension (boring accountants) but we have agreed to keep out a couple of hundred each to buy something for ourselves. I was using mine for sunglasses. This is relevant because I was buying nice sunglasses so was in a posh shop.
The shop I was in is a very well known up market department store in Dublin. The sales assistant was a very pushy type. She was over to me immediately and interrupted my conversation with DH to see if I needed help. I politely declined and she moved off. DH then went off with kids to stop them breaking the ?300 glasses give me some peace.
As I was looking I became aware of the fact that the sales woman was persistently badgering another shopper. She was trying to persuade her to buy a certain pair of glasses. She was literally following her around dismissing everything else she picked up. Telling her that these ones looked best, that she (the sales person) knew best. That she could leave it but she wouldn't get anything nicer etc etc. The customer clearly was unsure and wanted to look at what else was available but wasn't being let. She seemed quite unsure of herself and fragile and not one to tell her to back off.
Normally I wouldn't pass any notice really as its nothing to do with me but at one stage the sales person was talking to me as I had found a pair I liked and was looking around for DH to see what he thought. While she was distracted the other lady tried on another pair. Immediately she leaped on her. 'oh no they are no were near as nice as the other pair. It's up to you of course but they don't suit you at all. Look this girl will tell you. Show her'. And she made her try on the pair for me and wanted me to tell her how gorgeous they were and how she should buy them.
The customer was a lady probably in her sixties. She was fairly typical of a lot of the women that shop in this store. Very well dressed and well spoken and I imagine quite wealthy. She seemed a bit shaken and upset by the whole experience. This constant pestering had being going on for about 20 minutes. I asked her what she thought of them did she like them? She said she wasn't sure. So I told her if she wasn't sure she shouldn't buy them. That they cost a lot of money and there is no point in getting them if she didn't like them. Just take some time to think about it. She replied yes that's what I thought. The sales woman was not impressed. She told the lady again that she was mad not to get them. That anyone who told her they weren't nice were just jealous! Anyway upshot was customer went off with sales woman insisting that she would hold glasses for her.
As I was buying my pair the sales woman told me that she knew the woman to see from her church and that 'she has not been well'. Not sure what she meant by that but was surprised by her passing me that information.
Anyway it has been bothering me all day. AIBU to have been intensely irritated by the bullying approach to a fragile woman by this person?

OP posts:
JoyceDivision · 15/04/2012 20:16

That is just the sort of situation where I would have told the sales person what a nasty badgering piece of work she is and ask for heer head fficedetails to comaplin about her bullying tactics and gossiping in her work riole while representing her company about other customers. Something to do while you mull over whether or not to buy the glasses.

BTW, I use Fossill sale sunglasses, v cheap and v nice Grin

TheSockPuppet · 15/04/2012 20:17

I can't get past you spending so much on sunglasses :-O

Original poster
BlueFergie · 15/04/2012 20:24

Yes my sunglasses are pretty much the only extravagant thing I own! I shop in Lidl, I drive second hand cars, I don't do expensive shoes and handbags. But until I was 30 my vision was 10/20 and I got laser eye surgery which changed my life. I promised myself a nice pair of sunglasses after that as I could never wear them before. That's when I got my dearly departed first pair!

OP posts:
HexagonalQueenOfTheSummer · 15/04/2012 20:26

I would have told the sales assistant what I thought of her so called sales technique!!

hermioneweasley · 15/04/2012 20:28

Bluefergie, you do not have to justify how you spend your money. Enjoy your sunglasses!

Original poster
BlueFergie · 15/04/2012 20:28

And although the glasses I got today were expensive they were still considerably cheaper than buying eyeglasses used to be as I used to have to pay to have the lenses thinned out which cost hundreds. They had to be made of glass so it was a disaster when they broke. Which they did from time to time.

OP posts:
mayorquimby · 15/04/2012 20:31

such carry on in Brown Thomas Shock

MrsKittyFane · 15/04/2012 20:34

YANBU. You said/ helped as much as you could though :(
I don't like pushy sales types either. I hate people saying "you look like you've got good taste, treat yourself" (buy this £1000 bag).
Hate it.
YANBU. I'm feeling annoyed on this poor woman's behalf now.

MrsKittyFane · 15/04/2012 20:35

(The fact that I couldn't afford a £1000 bag is another issue!)

MrsKittyFane · 15/04/2012 20:36

Should say £100... Getting carried away with 0s

TheSockPuppet · 15/04/2012 20:38

I'm incredibly clumsy and would end up sitting on them within a week! Blush

Original poster
BlueFergie · 15/04/2012 20:52

mayorquimby I know. I had never seen it before in there. Although tbh I don't shop there much.
TheSockPuppet Me too but I have plenty of practice looking after glasses. I have had pairs since I was 7. Although not enough it turns out to prevent DH dropping them under the wheels of the car!

OP posts:
Original poster
BlueFergie · 15/04/2012 20:58

And thanks hermione. I will all I need now is some sun! I swear it clouded over today as soon as I walked out of the shop!

OP posts:
scuzy · 15/04/2012 21:00

i hate brown thomas! i was once going out with a guy that worked upstairs in BT and met himduring the day in my usual casual atire, jeans tshirt kinda thing. i was running low on a mac makeup stick (my only luxury makeup wise and is now discontinued) and was glancing through while waiting on him to go for lunch. i was waiting and waiting, got glances up and down, sales assistant too busy doing own makeup ... thought fuck em and didnt buy anythin.

that night i came back to meet him after work and head straight to dinner. i was dressed up, hair done, make up done, black coat and heels and then nearly tripped over themselves with samples of perfume and hi would you like to try .... walked straight by. felt great. real Pretty Woman moment. but i hate their attitudes.

a friend went for an interview and they required a full length photo and it had a big impact on the possibility of employment.

Oeufman · 15/04/2012 21:06

Never shop in "BT"..... Last time I went in there was followed around by the security guard watching my every move - almost gave him the business card of our family business to assure him that yes I could afford to shop in there!!! now I just choose not too - vile staff!!

HalfPastWine · 15/04/2012 21:07

Personally I would call the store manager and complain about the woman's harrassing sales technique. I could handle a person like that myself but I'd hate to think of a vulnerable person being bullied by her.

RedHelenB · 15/04/2012 21:13

Well, she chose to shop there & she could have said no. I suppose the sales staff are on shit £ & rely on commission!!!

mayorquimby · 15/04/2012 21:14

I used to shop there a fair whack because they had one of the better selections of casual Hugo Boss wear/jackets where as everywhere else only seemed to stock Boss for suits etc. now that's not the case so not much cause to head in there.
Poor selection of mens clothes, over-priced compared to proper tailors if you're looking for a decent suit, over-priced compared to on-line shopping if you're just looking for casual stuff and even over-priced compared to other shops if you're doing a bit of wandeirng around shopping.

startail · 15/04/2012 21:17

I have £100 sunglasses, but that's because I'm horribly short sighted and they are prescription ones.
I'm deadEnvy of people who can walk into any chemists and spend £15

kickmewhenimdown · 15/04/2012 23:17

Surely thats her job though? To sell? ?

Original poster
BlueFergie · 16/04/2012 00:02

And like I said in my title it was her technique I objected to not the fact she was trying to sell. I mean she was strongly discouraging this woman from even trying other glasses. these other glasses were also on sale. It was like the customers opinion didn't matter at all.

OP posts:
FuckedOfftotheFarSideofFuck · 16/04/2012 00:08

I hate BT too. I used to work there and grew to hate it more and more!

Where I worked, the department boss used to get really annoyed if she didn't see a staff member go and ask every customer if s/he needed help. I would always ask a customer if they needed help after they'd be in the dept for a few minutes and then melt away if they said no thank but if boss then wandered onto the floor and saw an unattended customer, she would insist that poor customer be asked again..

I don't think YABU. It sounds like maybe the assistant was trying to be nice and thought the glasses would be retail therapy for her but was just missing the mark totally?

FuckedOfftotheFarSideofFuck · 16/04/2012 00:12

Oeufman not all the staff are vile, honest! But I guess that the job does tend to attract people who are a bit shallow and into looks and designer goods more than is healthy!

I am very lovely and very deep. Oh yes.

osterleymama · 16/04/2012 00:13

I worked there when I was a student and still get chills when I walk by it now. It was a horrible, bullying atmosphere and mangers were generally rewarded for treating staff like shit.

MadameMessy · 16/04/2012 00:23

I worked there too for a while, and in Awear when they were owned by BTs, and I hated every minute of it. Every one I know who worked there hated it too. We were told constantly about how we should always engage the customer, and offer input, and comment on choices etc. We were watched to ensure we did it.

Nothing I've read on here about sales technique is any different from what we had to do, and it's really horrible knowing people think you're harrassing them but having to do it as otherwise it'll be brought up informally and used as a black mark against you if you make it to annual appraisals.
Can't think of anyone in there in management who would give a shit if you did complain though