Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have wanted to throttle this shop assistant?

105 replies

hyperhypermum · 18/12/2016 19:33

DD & I went to the toy department of a local department store to look for a gift for her cousin. We'd been there a couple of minutes and were happily browsing the shelves of possible gifts when an assistant came up & asked if we needed any help.

Me : No, thank you very much.
Her What are you looking for?
Me: A gift for my niece.
Her: How old is she?
Me: 8
Her: (holding up something quite unsuitable). What about this?
Me/DD: Er, no.
Her: What does she like doing?
Me: Lots of things, we'll know the right thing when we see it.
Her: Well, what about this? Or this? (following us and holding up more things that were not particularly enthralling)
Me: (a bit curt, but polite). Look, I think it's best if we just look ourselves.

We then moved swiftly to another aisle. She followed from a distance and continued to hover. It made me feel really uncomfortable. Thankfully, some young girls came along who seemed more grateful for her "help"so we were able to finish our shopping in peace.

I'm all for a bit of customer service and get that she was probably told to actively help customers and generate sales, but fgs?!? I think if she'd persisted any more I might have exploded!

OP posts:
DearMrDilkington · 18/12/2016 20:03

And the customer yelled 'NO' at her and put her hand in the assistants face

JesusShock. That's dreadful.

Jellybean83 · 18/12/2016 20:04

I'm with you OP, very annoying.

Satisfactorylemon · 18/12/2016 20:07

It is very annoying but they are told to do so repeatedly otherwise they wont meet certain targets. Send an online complaint so they can stop the poor workers from doing this, bet she hates it too but has to in order to stay in employment.

KurriKurri · 18/12/2016 20:09

I think if an assistant asks what you are looking for and you don't want their help you need to say 'I'm just browsing thank you', then they will generally leave you alone.

CherryChasingDotMuncher · 18/12/2016 20:10

I hate it too, but I think they're made to do it and probably being scrutinised/mystery shopped a lot so I feel sorry for them mostly.

It's why I never go into lush any more. I love smellies and they do the best ones but I feel bad when the assistants use a whole bath bomb as a demonstration in the silver bowl thingy (despite me never once asking) and I feel I have to buy it!

PunkrockerGirl · 18/12/2016 20:14

Yy to Body Shop. I won't go in there any more.
But I appreciate that this is what the sales assistants are told to do.

NotStoppedAllDay · 18/12/2016 20:16

You wanted to 'throttle' her?Hmm

Awwlookatmybabyspider · 18/12/2016 20:17

She probably relished it herself, but. She's probably been ordered by her powers than be, that. She has to try and sell so many of the said toy.

I understand you finding it annoying though

VQ1970 · 18/12/2016 20:20

I agree with the comments about the Body Shop. Do you need any help? No thanks. Did you find everything you're looking for? Yes thank you? Did you know these are three for two, did you want some more? No thank you. Do you have a loyalty card card? No I don't. Do you want to sign up for one, it will only take a few minutes. No thank you. You'll make various savings on your purchases? No thank you. Do you need a bag?

Just sell me the fucking moisturiser for fucks sake and let me get out of here.

Runny · 18/12/2016 20:21

I hate this kind of thing, if I need help I'll ask for it. I don't know a single person who likes this approach and I don't know why shops insist on making their staff do it?

Puddington · 18/12/2016 20:22

I actually hate feeling hassled in shops too but at my job (and I assume at many others) we are mystery shopped twice a month and if we don't get a 100% feedback score our managers get their asses handed to them by the area managers, they take it VERY seriously and as staff we are told we must approach all customers and ask every customer individually if they need help etc etc etc, as there's actually a section on the company-supplied feedback form for that and if the customer isn't greeted or instantly helped they automatically dock 10 points. The system is grim Sad

Puddington · 18/12/2016 20:24

Also a few times a year the company runs a campaign to try to get people to sign up for their online shopping site, we are told to ask every single customer at the tills if they want to sign up. Most people don't want to and some get very rude about it (a colleague of mine had the card thrown back in her face) and I HATE asking people but the managers are made to keep track of how many we get and each staff member gets asked throughout the day how many they have gotten and it's a nightmare. Again, a head office bright idea!

Waitingfordolly · 18/12/2016 20:26

My friend does this to me (she's not a shop assistant!) - it drives me nuts and I end up too distracted to actually shop.

Original poster
hyperhypermum · 18/12/2016 20:34

Thank you Bloodyteenagers, that's exactly what happened, bit Hmm by some of the replies!

OP posts:
CookingCabbage · 18/12/2016 20:43

What annoys me, is that this behaviour assumes you can be easily influenced and swayed into buying things - even things you absolutely make it clear you do not want. Its as if they think you are weak and a bit thick.

Actually, I am intelligent enough to realise that you are trying to hard sell me things, which is a turn-off, makes me angry and less likely to buy anything from your shop.

Shops that use this strategy need to up their game and stop using out-dated, obvious, crude sales techniques that do not work.

glitterazi · 18/12/2016 20:49

I hate it when shop assistants do this. YANBU in wanting them to leave you alone,but from working in a similar type of environment in the past I totally get that they're only doing their job and would get told off if they didn't approach the customers!
Even if customers half the time just want to be left in peace to browse. I know I do. If I have a question or need help, I'll bloomin' ask for it, thanks! Smile

DixieWishbone · 18/12/2016 20:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

intrusivethoughts · 18/12/2016 20:53

This is exactly why I never shop in Maplin, the over enthusiastic assistants drive me crazy!

FizzySweeties · 18/12/2016 20:55

I hate this too. A well-known department store perfume department has people who pounce on you, I'm pretty tolerant and I know they are only doing their jobs - and they would be very helpful if you needed it - but they do follow you around, making suggestions and telling you all the ingredients of a perfume you wore in 1998 and now hate and would never wear again - but they don't stop to ask, they just chunnel on with their sales yap.

Can't stand it. Even if you say "No thank you, just having a browse and sniff! I'll come & find you in a bit if I get stuck!" they still carry on with "oh is it for you or is it a present?" etc etc.

pictish · 18/12/2016 20:55

I agree that the assistant holding up random items that you can see for yourself and asking, "What about this?" is really fucking irritating of her.
I have experienced this myself. It gets to the point where you feel like you're just being bloody awkward for not going along with her suggestions even though they're not what you're looking for. It's a pushy and instrusive tactic and I hate them for it.
Go the fuck away!

Notagainmun · 18/12/2016 20:57

I left retail as the manager would watch us on cctv and ring the shop floor if we were not hounding customers and tell us off. Hate it myself but having been on the other side I do have a little patience.

GetTheeBehindMeSanta · 18/12/2016 20:59

It's very easy to let an overbearing assistant know that you want to be left alone. "I'm fine browsing by myself, thank you. I'll let you know if I need help."

Entering into conversation about what you're looking for, for whom etc is not necessary if you'd rather not have assistance.

SpringerS · 18/12/2016 21:02

I worked in a hop once that had an insane policy like this. It was awful. The shop was split in three, with a front shop, a back shop and floor above the back shop. I used to love the shop as a customer but rarely went into the back shop even though my favourite stock was in the upstairs level because of the woman who worked on the lower level. She was an absolute nightmare who just wouldn't leave customers alone and followed them all over chatting and making you feel under pressure.

When I got a job there I discovered that she was the manager and all staff were expected to approach customers like she did. The staff in the front shop got away with doing the bare minimum as she was in a separate building to them but I got placed in the level above her and had to learn from her. One of her rules was to never as if the customer needed help as then they could say no and you'd have to leave them alone. Instead I was to strike up a different conversation and keep telling them about our stock. "That's a lovely skirt you are looking at, the colour would really suit you. Oh you don't want a skirt, well I have some jackets in that colour, there over this way, come and take a look. You don't actually like purple, no problem we have black and red too. And we have these great new dresses in the same colours. Are you looking for something for a particular event? No. Well these would be great for a wedding, a Christmas party even just a night out, so you don't need to have an occasion in mind............. etc, etc"

We weren't supposed to accept that customers generally don't want to be put under pressure to buy like that. Her area stocked very specific items that were hard to find elsewhere so she made good sales in spite of her sales techniques. While very few customers ever came to my floor as they didn't want to risk her seeing them. (Many of those who did make it up there told me just that and the staff in the front shop told me they heard it all the time from customers who wanted something from my area but didn't want to go back there but they didn't want to risk her attentions.) In the end I lost my job as I couldn't make enough sales, with an example that was given for my lack of success a day where I sold nothing though on that day, I had literally one customer come to my floor and the manager followed her up to 'help' me make a sale.

pictish · 18/12/2016 21:02

In fact, I had this just last week in Next shopping for dd's party dress. The assistant accosted, asked what we were looking for, then proceeded to fetch and show me every dress on the rails that I could quite clearly see for myself. I had to say no thanks about six times! What an absolute waste of her time and an intrusion on mine.

If I want help I'll ask. Retailers...stop forcing your staff on us.

Littledrummergirl · 18/12/2016 21:05

That happened to me in a local clothes shop. Dh and I were in the shop for less than a minute as I really don't like being followed and made to look at totally unsuitable stuff.
I spend the day avoiding the dc clamouring for my attention, when dh and I get time together without them I have limited patience for strangers demanding it.

After a "no thank you" "we're fine thanks" "we are just browsing for now" in response to her I told her we were looking for an outfit for the Christmas party but as we are unable to choose without being hassled we were leaving. Then we left.

I hate it.