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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to walk out of the shop

126 replies

loveareadingthanks · 06/03/2015 14:04

Popped into Savers, cheap chemist/toiletries chain shop, in my lunchhour to buy a tube of toothpaste. queue at till (one queue, 2 servers). One server took ages with the person they were serving - picked up perfume pack and tried to sell it to her for mothers day 'this is on special offer, wouldn't it be a lovely present for mothers day' when the customer said no she kept on about it being a good mothers day present. Then she gave up, picked up another gift pack and tried to sell her that. Eventually just processed the items the customer had brought to the till. The other server wasn't doing any of this stuff, just ringing up the customers purchases.

So...I end up getting her as well. She started. She picked up item one, started talking and I interrupted her politely with 'no thank you'. She picked up item 2, started talking, I interrupted her politely with 'no thank you'. and thought ok, now she'll serve me. Well, she then picked up a third item and got as far as 'would you be interested in...' and I just walked off. As I got to the door she sort of shouted in a cross way at me 'Excuse Me! and waved my toothpaste at me 'Your toothpaste'. So I said I hadn't come in to be told to buy this that and the other, I'd just wanted toothpaste, and now I was going somewhere else. She looked like this Angry. The other customers in the queue looked like this Shock.

YABU or YANBU?

OP posts:
ifdaryldiesweriot · 06/03/2015 15:41

Customer 2 looked like a drug user (my brothers are druggies)

Oh so because your brothers use drugs you are allowed to pass judgement and assumptions that other people you know nothing about use drugs.

What fantastic logic.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 06/03/2015 15:42

oh bum. You reminded me. I forgot to buy a Mothers Day card.

YouBetterWerk · 06/03/2015 15:44

YANBU that would drive me mad.

curlyweasel · 06/03/2015 15:45

YANBU. This is very much the sort of thing I would do.

I've now also decided to walk out of supermarkets when I can't get to items because of click and collect filling baskets being in the way.

Am pretty sure that nobody gives a shit though!

Topseyt · 06/03/2015 15:46

I hate it too. I never buy the extra stuff they try to flog.

Must say though, I am tempted to respond with "Only if it's free". I know someone who used to, and it seemed to work well. Can't imagine why. Wink

LurkingHusband · 06/03/2015 15:50

What really annoys me is being asked my postcode/details when buying something, because they want to add me to their mailing lists.

There's no law that says you have to tell the truth.

SW1 1AA works quite well. Grin

(There's also no law that you have to be honest when supplying "Mothers Maiden Name" when asked. I use the registration number of my first ever car. Good luck to any scammer whose managed to find out my Mums maiden name Smile)

missusdaly · 06/03/2015 15:50

DH haaaates this.

I think if I were in that situation I would let the person behind me go to the upselling lady and only move on when the other lady called 'Next'. That would confuse the people behind me though.

Then I'd write a nice friendly email to HQ to let them know how annoying it is when cashiers try to upsell. I doubt it would do any good though, if this sales tactic works even sometimes then Corporate will tell cashiers to keep at it.

26Point2Miles · 06/03/2015 15:52

sebs new laws coming in mean all carrier bags have to be purchased....like in wales.....most shops are doing it now in preparation,not to annoy the customer,but to comply with the law

ImperialBlether · 06/03/2015 15:52

Why do people keep saying the server has to upsell or lose her job when the other server wasn't upselling at all?

fridgepants · 06/03/2015 15:57

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the user's request.

spudlikeschips · 06/03/2015 16:01

Imperialblether I guess the other server had perhaps either done her targets for the day or does what I don't do occasionally and completely ignore my targets because we have a queue! Grin
You manage your sales targets how you see fit. for example I work full time so can do all my upselling when it's quieter, if this lady only works 10-2 she'll have to do her's during busier times. It's a difficult situation on both staff and customers and I agree this lady was over zealous so can understand OP's, and other posters, stance. To be honest I hate being upsold to myself.

ImperialBlether · 06/03/2015 16:02

A woman in PC World a couple of years ago wouldn't sell me a printer unless I told her my address (so that they could send me crap.) I refused and there was a stand off and I left the shop. She'd already rung the item up on the till. I know I could have made up an address, but wtf is going on, where you try to buy something and they refuse?

CarbeDiem · 06/03/2015 16:09

The other server could have been her superior and doesn't really have to. Or like a pp said maybe she reached her targets that day.

It really is crap when you're pushed to sell things and even more so when you constantly have the threat of not meeting targets.

I personally found it better to say a customer ''Have you seen our reductions here today'' Which covers everything on the till area, rather than asking about each individual product.

CarbeDiem · 06/03/2015 16:11

Meh! that doesn't make sense.

My reply was to Imperial and should say - The other server could have been her superior and doesn't really have to sell.

Tobyjugg · 06/03/2015 16:19

Your walking out was the only possible thing to do. A "polite but firm refusal" will not register with anyone in the shop. A lost sale - or better still a run of lost sales - almost certainly will.

morethanpotatoprints · 06/03/2015 16:25

They do this in savers, poundstretchers etc.
YABU, I'm sure they get fed up of having to ask.
Didn't it put you out as you only had your dinner hour?

keepsmiling2015 · 06/03/2015 16:38

YANBU to walk out but it sounds very dramatic the way you did it in fairness.

Original poster
loveareadingthanks · 06/03/2015 16:46

Why dramatic to just walk away?

OP posts:
Roussette · 06/03/2015 16:49

I wouldn't have walked out without the toothpaste and inconvenienced myself, but I would have joked with her and my NO.

The most irritating is Superdrug - would you like to buy some stamps?? Why the hell do I go to Superdrug to buy stamps, no I don't, I go there for disposable razors or make up or whatever, so when they ask "would you like to buy some stamps with that?" I just say, (brightly with a smile), I thought the Post Office was down the road!

It's like going to Greg's for a sausage roll and being asked if you want some antifreeze for your car. Grin

Or going to Timpsons to have your shoes heeled and asked if you would like to discuss savings accounts while you wait Grin

Or...
OK, I'll keep quiet now Grin

CalicoBlue · 06/03/2015 16:51

YANBU - I would have done exactly the same.

AmserGwin · 06/03/2015 16:52

YABU, I know it's annoying but they have to do it. I have to do it as part of my job, but think I'm pretty good at reading if they are interested or not straight away and don't push it. We actually have a mystery shopper come in once a month to check up on us, and we get marked down if we don't offer to up-sell on certain items/deals.

Carpetcrawler · 06/03/2015 16:53

I bet she flicked the V at your back as you walked out.

LurkingHusband · 06/03/2015 16:54

I had a great one in PC World a few years ago. Only one till open. I was next in line with my £6.99 mouse.

Customer in front had some sort of issue with his payment cards. Whatever it was, it baffled the cashier, and after a few minutes he called the manager. By this time, there were 2 more people queueing behind me.

Manager immediately dived into the payment problem (?) which took another few minutes - clearly it wasn't a simple issue.

After 10 minutes (yes, I counted) the manager realised no one was being served and told the original cashier to open up the next till. He then pointed to the back of the queue, and asked them to start queuing up (i.e. in reverse order - last come, first served).

I called him out on this ("Excuse me, I've been waiting longer), and was told "what does that matter ?".

The next thing the manager said (well shouted Smile) was "you can't leave without paying !!!!!". To which I replied "I can if I'm not buying." - as I left. At which point the person behind me complained ...

(DS found it pants-wettingly funny - he was about 10).

LurkingHusband · 06/03/2015 16:55

... and people wonder why I prefer shopping online ...

SnottyCowbag · 06/03/2015 16:56

YANBU - I wouldn't have walked though. I would have explained that I found it irritating to be asked so many times and that I'm sure they are just doing their job but it's annoying. I would have bored them into submission...

If I shop at somewhere where I know they up-sell I immediately tell them that I don't want anything else as I hand over my shopping. Up selling really irritates me.

I also refuse to give my address or postcode unless it's a return. I am polite but I just say 'no' when they ask me. I could say I was from overseas but I think a straightforward 'no' is better. I wish more people did the same.

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