I know they are only being polite. However....

[C999875]

I am being unreasonable to feel somewhat patronised when I buy myself clothes ect and the cashier says "Are you treating yourself". Does anyone feel like this or am I a strange comodety.
All thoughts and opinions welcome.
Thanks in advance for your responses. xx

Not in the sense of course that I must tick the box that 'Jill' (or whoever) asked me to, just that she would either have had to really really annoy me or really make me feel guilty in order for me to bother filling out the survey in the first place.

That's exactly it treaclesoda, it's bollocks and we all know it, which is why we all resent it so much! I work for one of the retailers you've mentioned and its just another stick to beat us all with, frankly.

I know the score and I still don't fill in the surveys for other shops either. But if you do, please make sure you tick the 'strongly agree' box for good service as the 'agree' box counts for nothing

I used to work in retail and would always chat to the customers. Admittedly it was a little local farm shop so many of the customers were regulars so you would get to now them. However I would make an effort with all customers because I enjoyed c.hatting to people. Also I treat people how I would like to be treated myself. There is nothing worse than going in to shop and being ignored. But when I chatted to the customers I meant it. I did not do it because it was expected.

YANBU and everyone who has to perform this inane pantomime of chummy interest with strangers has my deepest sympathy.

How about a "Quiet" till for those who don't want to chat, like on trains?

Well I would much prefer that than the shop assistant in Superdrug the other day who said My 'God! you look so tired!!'
Cheers, thanks a lot!

The next shop I went into the lady on the till was talking about the bank holiday etc - just pleasant chatter -much better

Reminds me of working in Woolies...
We had to ask of a customer wanted stamps when they bought a greeting card. Me: would you like some stamps"? Customer: "Fuck off bitch"
I Hated talking to the customers!

I can't remember where I had this... Exact same words. Except I was buying some bog standard undies and some vests. I think my response was "erm, not really?"

God, I hate the 'are you treating yourself' line too. For God's sake, it's a £3.50 t-shirt, does it look like much of a treat? I don't mind general inane chat though - "I've got one of these, they wash really well", "that's a nice colour" type stuff. Just as long as it's vaguely appropriate to the purchase.

I do feel sorry for the staff having to do it though.

I hate "Doing anything nice today?" it's just so dumb. I should say "No...I am a working Mother of two and I will be wiping shit streaks off the loo later. What about you?"

I don't actually mind if it's actual conversation and relevant. But the 'treating yourself' line is tired.

Tell me who to complain to. I'll complain. Happily!

I had a woman in Boots ask me whether I was hoping for a positive or negative result to the pregnancy test I was buying. That's not small talk, that's just rude!

That's right Tee...I'm up for a bit of a blarney with anyone...love the local shops where you get actual gossip because they talk about real things.

I'm a mystery shopper and the stuff those poor sods are expected to day and do is ridiculous. Retail management expects them to say and do all manner of pointless, idiotic things for their minimum wage.

I tend to just fill out the forms claiming they've done it all as long as they're polite and helpful but not every mystery shopper is as kind and the staff can face disciplinary action if they don't give the right responses to a mystery shopper.

The idea being that if you associate the particular shop with a treat you will feel happy and link that to the brand, come back again and spend more!

Fuck me. This is one of the most absurdly stupid things I have ever heard in my life.

I hate the 'have you found everything you were looking for?'.

What if I said no? Would I then have to hold up the whole checkout whilst they looked for it? It's a stupid question.

I do hate sales staff who ignore you on the till, I like a hello and thank you and bye. My local Boots are terrible, the staff just chat amongst themselves on the till, they ignore the customers and are so grumpy. I've been tempted to email Boots to say how terrible they are.

I do hate sales staff who ignore you on the till

I actually love it when the person on the till ignores me. I hate it when they speak to me, although I don't blame them because I know they're being forced to do it. When they ignore me I love them twice: once for leaving me in peace and once for sticking it to The Man.

I just want self checkouts everywhere.

Can I have that?

Or...yeah, let me at 'em Neo!

My daughter was painfully shy when she got a seasonal job in a clothes shop - it actually helped her address her shyness, having to make little bits of conversation with strangers. A couple of years down the line she now works in customer services, dealing with complaints and is super-confident. I think her 6 months of having to talk to people she didn't know, about the items they were buying, was really useful.

You should go to a Disney store, then 'crossbuy'. ddonly likes the toys in the boys section, and all their lines assume that I'm buying for a boy,

so, excited dd - long hair, wearing pink, gets to front of line & excitedly handing over HER new toy (herself)

Sales: ooh, that's nice, do you have a son or nephew this is going to?
Me: No, it's my daughter's, she likes Star Wars
DD: It isn't fair that the best toys are in the boy section. I don't like blue, why is this room blue? Haven't you guys even heard of a tomboy? (With the full disdain of a 9 year old). I'm not a girly girl and I never play with dolls. The girls toys are all boring. You shouldn't make things just for boys or girls ... (and on, relentlessly, until I cover her mouth)
Sales: Erm ...
Me: Have a nice day! (As we leave) You tell them, dd. They should know better.