To have not wanted this assistant to ask me to buy some tissues for charity?

[hiddenhome]

I was in the garden centre today buying a few plants for ds2's mini garden. The guy serving me asked if I wanted to buy a pack of tissues for £1 for a charity and I declined. He was quite sniffy about it. I do give to charity, but didn't want these tissues for £1 and didn't want to contribute to this charity.

He had also asked the woman he was serving previous to me and she bought some.

I felt a bit mean, but don't like being asked for something like this when I'm just trying to buy my stuff

He got sniffy about tissues?

He did indeed

dh also asked him for a bag/box for the plants and he gave us a box and he was sending subliminal messages to me (via telepathy) that I should buy his tissues in exchange for the cardboard box. I could feel his sniffiness and I didn't like it!

and

he took a small liverwort out of the buddlea bush pot that dh was planning on saving. He asked for it back and the bloke had to fish around in the bin for it

I should have bought the tissues shouldn't I?

He stole your (incidental and free) liverwort too? Leave the bastard. I mean yes, you should perhaps have given a pound to charity. However, its your money and I do not like aggressive charity pitches. What was the charity?

Clair's always try to sell me extra crap at the counter, as do WHS. DH explained to me it is "upselling" and the way to go.

Help For Heroes charity.

WHS try to sell chocolate bars at the counter. Claire's gave me an ear infection when I had them pierced so they can naff off!

Did you specifically not want to contribute to this charity? That's how it comes across in your op.

If someone asks me to donate to a charity 9/10 i wont. I give to who and when i want i give plenty to charity without being asked to..
I wuldnt hav bought the tissues n i wuldnt feel guilty bout it either. Mayb the guy had targets to meet, we hav that in the charity shop i work. We hav 2 sell so many stickers, badges, raffle tickets, give out so many donation bags a week.

I avoid shops that do this. One less shop to go in and waste money.

If you don't want to buy extra crap at the til don't buy it.

I can guarantee the assistant didn't give 2 shiney shites. He offering because it's his job not his calling.

(oh, and Claire's didn't give you an infection. That's impossible.)

YANBU. I don't like it when my local BP station asks me every time if I want to buy a bag of three doughnuts whenever I go in there. If its not doughnuts it's creme eggs. Or those little Olympics coins they are doing.

Just sell me my petrol and fags and be quiet!

Not really sure what the big deal is, he was just doing his job! So what if he sold them to the woman before you? Maybe she was abit 'sniffy' too.

HomeSense do this. 'Would you like to make a donation to..... as they are serving you. You feel soo mean.

I work in a shop and we are instructed to do this. We are videoed by the mystery shopper and and we don't do it a telling off we get.

I have had to try and sell dishcloths, washing up bowls, sun glasses cases and a whole load of other stuff. I do it its my job if the customer says no fine im not bothered.

They are only doing their jobs, just say no thank you, it's not hard is it?

I think it's ok as long as you get asked nicely and the staff accept a 'no thanks' nicely.

So, he asked, you declined and then you projected all sorts of meaning into his actions...?

YANBU to expect them to politely take no for an answer. But some collectors do seem to employ the "make them feel guilty" tactic. It won't be just you!

I would imagine in many cases the management have given the sales staff targets too.

I work in a shop and just want to say its our job to "upsell"
We take a whole load of shit from management/head office if we dont hit or targets
We get monitored all the time to make sure we ask every customer!
Please have some compassion for the poor bugger just doing his job
If you dont want to buy just politely say no thanks

What PissesGlitter said. DH used to work in M&S and had to try and sell all kinds of crap that no one wanted at the till. If he didn't and was spotted by a manager, or the 'customer' was in fact a secret shopper, he faced getting the sack.

The actual sack.

Please just politely decline if you don't want something; it's not the fault of the poor sod on the till that they have to offer it to you.

YANBU but honestly the best approach (usually) is just to smile and say no thanks. 9/10 times the assistant knows that they're offering something no-one in their right mind would want and will smile back.

But I know with Help For Heroes sometimes if you don't want to/can't give, people look at you as if it's the blitz and you've just written "This way to the dockyards" and an arrow in tealights in the street.

But the OP did politely decline. And the salesman got sniffy about it.