sales assistant sniffs clothing I returned to the store

[shethinksistink]

I have namechanged for this as I find it very embarrassing.

I went shopping end of last week, found trousers and a top I liked, wasn’t sure of the sizes and couldn’t be bothered trying them on, so took both items in 2 sizes. At home I tried the bigger sizes on first, they fitted great so didn’t even bother trying the smaller sizes. Bagged up the 2 smaller sized items and set them aside to return yesterday.

Friend arrives 9am and we drive into town and my first port of call is to bring my returns back. Shop assistant packs out the two things, looks at my receipt, starts checking the numbers off against the tags then picks up the top and sniffs at it. Not in a discreet way, the exact same way you’d sniff at the armpits to check if it needs to go in the wash, blatantly! She didn’t look happy. I hate to do the exaggerated “I was shocked to the core” mumsnet thing, but I was. I have genuinely never felt so shocked, embarrassed and dumbstruck in a shop in my life. I am hyper vigilant about personal hygiene and the thought I would return smelly items made my recoil in horror. But I hadn’t even tried them on, so I was totally confused. There was a queue a mile long behind me at the desk. Everyone could see and hear this.

In a total fluster I ask the sales assistant what the problem is, she replies in quite a disdainful tone “I just thought I smelled cigarette smoke”. I don’t smoke and neither does anyone else in my house but I was just massively relieved it wasn’t a BO smell. So I jump in and say that it can’t be smoke as I don’t smoke and my house is smoke free. And she again replies disdainfully with “well I can definitely smell it” with a kind of roll-eye facial expression. The whole exchange had a hostile kind of undertone to it. At this point it dawns on me my friend smokes in her car all the time, just not when others are in it. No doubt she’d smoked 2 or 3 on the drive down to my place. The bag with the items had been in the car for around half an hour. Yes, they no doubt had a second hand stale cigaretty smell to them.

But even at that. I was appalled that any sales assistant would sniff an item of clothing in such a blatant manner then bemoan the fact the smell wasn’t to her liking. 40-a-day smokers are actually allowed to return clothes. As are dog owners, chip pan owners, curry cooks, people who cook fish in their homes, people who don’t shower daily and so on. While I sympathise with stores who no doubt get some ponging items of clothing returned, I have never ever witnessed a sales assistant do an in-your-face sniff test in front of a long queue of onlookers. AIBU to find this an appalling lack of manners on the part of the store/sales assistant?

If things must be sniffed, shouldn’t it been done discreetly? Then again, I doubt stores can refuse to accept items of clothing that have been stored in the houses of smokers or pet owners or people who own a chip pan or fry fish or are painting the skirting boards with gloss or people who wear cheap crappy perfumes. So why the hell did the sales assistant sniff my fucking top? lol

For the record the whole thing knocked me so sideways I didn’t say a word to the sale assistant. I just left the store as quick as I could. Checked with my friend and yes she had smoked in the car that morning (and it would be fair to say she smokes daily in her car as she spends 3-4hours per working-day on average on the road, wouldn’t surprise me if she smokes 50 ciggies a week in her car). My mood was so fucked up I abandoned my shopping trip and came straight home.

Calmed down in the afternoon, and called the head office of the store. They were appalled and assured me it would be dealt with. I had the name of the sales assistant as it was on the return receipt. Asked me to put the whole event in writing and send it to the head office, which I have done and they’ll get back to me in the new year. I then called the actual store and spoke with a manager who was equally sympathetic and horrified, apologised on behalf of the sales assistant and assured me it would be dealt with and wouldn’t happen to anyone again.

So AIBU to consider having a little trip into town tomorrow morning, finding the sniffing sales assistant and just politely ask her if she meant to be so rude she meant to spoil my day and embarrass me to the core then she should be wholeheartedly congratulated as it worked a treat. And tell her that I hope after head office and the store manager are finished with her that she feels half as rotten as I felt yesterday morning. Then just wish her a happy new year and smile and leave.

Or am I just being childish and petty and should leave it at the written complaint and the 2 phone calls?

Really?

You have already complained to the head office and the store manager. You wanted to get her in trouble. Well done. Now you want to attack the sales assistant personally?

I might have more sympathy for your ruined day, but you admit the clothes did smell! I wouldn't want to buy your smelly cast offs.

You could go public and do a Daily Fail sad face article - might get some vouchers that way. And don't forget to add the adjective "devastated" to how you're feeling, horrified and shocked to the core just aren't enough for those Fleet Street hacks.

Oh and by way of inoculating this thread - the Daily Mail is a fascist rag.

Actually, if you are returning clothing for a change of mind, it must be returned in saleable condition, so if it stank they are not obliged to take it, and you acknowledge that the clothes had indeed been exposed to smoke so how exactly is the sales assistant in the wrong?

When I worked in retail we used to smell jewellery for perfume smells and check for make up marks that way we knew if it had been worn or not

Yes you would be hugely unreasonable to do that. The sales assistant I am sure will be dealt with appropriately after your double-barreled approach. I totally think you are overreacting. Spoiled your day? Embarrassed to the core? Feeling rotten? Jesus it's not like she ran over your puppy.

I'd let it go & not give it another thought.

Leave it - 2 phone calls and a written complaint is 3 complaints - that's enough. They'll presumably have a word and the assistant won't do it again.

I think you were UR to let it ruin your day - I'd have just left the store, thought 'what a knob that sniffing woman was' and laughed about it with my friend. We'd have been jokingly sniffing at each other afterwards.

And as it happens your returned clothing did smell of smoke as you admit. Maybe if it smells they have to get rid of it and can;t resell. I doubt anyone wants to buy a smoky top. And if she just slung it in a heap of stuff to be sniffed later it would make everything smell.

You reported her to the shop and head office I don't know what else you expect to achieve to seek her out comes across as your looking for an argument

Jeez, chill

What do you do when something really bad happens?

How very dramatic.
I wouldn't want to buy clothes that stank of fags

Unbelievably childish and petty to go in to the store just to tell her off face to face - your official complaints are more than enough.

Leave it now.

They don't have to take it back, OP. It's a courtesy to you and/or marketing. You couldn't be bothered to try it on before buying, so it's your risk when you take it back.

Suspect it was, as other posters have suggested, to determine whether the item had been worn and then returned (as if new) for a refund.

A very 'first world' problem.

You know shops are under absolutely no obligation to accept returned items that are not faulty, right OP?

I've seen some over-reactions on Mumsnet in my time but my God, complaining to head office then returning to the shop the next day to hunt down a sales assistant and give her a public dressing down because she sniffed an item of clothing is up there with the best of them.

You have far too much time on your hands.

YABU for buying two sets and expecting to return one of them smelling of smoke, there is no legal requirement for stores to accept returns on this basis.

A Daily Maid Sadface would be epic.

And you could go on Jeremy Kyle and properly have it out.

I'll admit I only got half way through your OP before losing the will to live.

You did better than me.

I didn't make it beyond the second paragraph.

Bloody hell, calm down.

Are you trying to get the assistant sacked?

She only did what many others are told to do because believe it or not, customers do try to return things they've worn.

And just so you know, no shop has to give refunds on anything UNLESS it is faulty.

You really need to let this go.
Can you pin point why this has affected you so much?
It was rude of her but you've taken it so badly, are there other issues going on? Self esteem/confidence? It's not good to let other people, especially strangers have such power over you and your feelings.

Op - you are being utterly ridiculous. The assistant was checking the clothes were unworn and ok to re-sell. Probably one of the busiest days of the year on the refund desk. Let her do her job.

Are you for real?
Is there a particular reason that you are this angry about a complete non-event?

Give your head a wobble.

Why do you doubt that stores can refuse items of clothing stored in smelly houses? Of course they can. They are under no obligation to accept anything which is returned because it doesn't fit. They do it as a gesture of good will. Most shops I've worked in won't extent that good will to items returned in poorer condition than when purchased eg stinking of smoke.

Yabu it's not a personal attack on you.