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?

as of yesterday afternoon said sales assistant has been moved to a non-customer facing role

Ha! Result!!

There are no non-customer-facing roles in shops. She's been promoted to the office!!

Good work OP.

i'd let the thread drop if i was you op, it's getting silly that you feel the need to keep banging on about it, let it go, and act a little more dignified, many pp are suggesting it was abit of a drama over much of nothing in the grand scheme of things, and there has to be a reason for that.

Gosh. I often think people here are too harsh. But.

Whatever changes have been made to the shop assistants life, you are still who you are, with the character traits you have You come across as truly vile.

Have you looked at An Inspector Calls? Just Google the synopsis even..

Hmmm. When I worked in retail as a Sales Assistant, everyone had to spend time doing non-customer facing roles after Christmas, for the sales. It wasn't for punishment, it was just staff rotation to make sure stock areas were kept organised. So I doubt this is in response to the OP's issue because it's a complete waste of money to hire a sales assistant and then take them off shop floor at a busy time of the year, it doesn't make sense. If anything, she'd have been spoken to and given a brief bit of training. Moving someone permanently to a new role requires a different set of skills and training, doesn't make sense that they'd do that because someone didn't like them sniffing clothes.

They have probably had to move her as a duty of care measure.
This thread has gone from amusing to painfully embarrassing. Please seek help for your problems Op.

First world problems...

I think this is a wind-up.

There are no non-customer-facing roles in shops. She's been promoted to the office!!

Are you really that naive ? In a store that employs dozens of staff, covers multiple floors, you think you either work in the office or with customers? Really? I know what job she has been switched to, I won't put it on here as it has no relevance. But it's not office and it's not shop floor.

I still think it's weird that sales assistants sniff returns.

What about items that people try on in changing rooms, they might smell of perfume etc.

Also, there are items which have been tried on and have make-up stains - the shops still try to sell those! Even though they haven't been bought and returned, a logical follow through with this approach would require the woman who accepts the tried on items to also sniff and inspect - and this never happens IME.

I have not RTFT, just skimmed, so apologies if I am missing something major.

Sorry my last post was sexist - it is not necessarily always a woman who accepts returned items, but usually is if in female changing room IME.

OP I recommend the book 'change your thinking with cbt' by dr Sarah edelman. It helps with perspective and appropriate reactions to situations that occur.

Don't believe you for a second, far too quick a turn around.

But, if it were true, and speaking as someone who has worked in retail a long time...

The lucky lucky cow!!! Same money but not having to deal with shitty people like you? And all she had to do was sniff a few clothes?

Right, I'm off to sniff a crotch or two. Unfortunately my store doesn't sell clothes, but the effect will be the same, right?

Next she's gonna tell us the woman has been demoted to cleaning the toilets or bins...

Just think OP - that poor shop girl probably never thought twice after you left then got told a customer has complained to head office so we're moving you off the shop floor to the office/stockroom for a few weeks.

Whereas you have made yourself out to be a highly unreasonable drama ridden self absorbed individual who clearly has no respect for her friend and is now arguing with the internet.

Are you really that naive

Lol, are you? I think you're living in a fantasy world if you think your complaint carried that much weight.

If she had just politely said "look sorry but I think these things stink of fag smoke" then I would have laughed..."

Based on your PP, OP, I sincerely doubt you'd have laughed away a comment like that. More like an instant slap down methinks!

You ignored my question op

our not the poster who went to the hairdressers with dirty hair which hadn't been washed for 5 days plus and wanted a dry cut then was annoyed because the hairdresser asked you to wash your hair next time? Who then went back and confronted the hairdresser and was told yabu by her the manager and everyone on the thread.Your attitude and entitlement is very similar to that thread..especially confronting the person who wronged you.

I'm surprised other posters haven't picked up on similarities of the two threads unfortunately it was pulled but that op continued to go and on and wouldn't accept that she was wrong.

Well at least her non-customer facing role will keep her safe from self-important customers like you. The bliss of the stockroom or some such place.

You did get your knickers in a twist, didn't you.

Op did it ever occur to you that maybe everyone here is right and your wrong? You can't ask if your being unreasonable and then refuse to be told you are in fact being unreasonable.

Result for the SA, she's probably in the stock room doing transfers or sale mark down where she can sit down, probably have the radio on and not have to talk to customers.

Commendable you haven't mentioned the store OP.

The whole situation has taken up a lot of headspace though, and must have been discussed and written about a lot until the ripples finally found a tenuous link to another store employee.

So I have to ask you, was it worth it really?

Beautiful thread OP! Made my morning!!! Creative writing at its best!

I once returned a sofa to IKEA and they have professional ha dålig klang employed there to see if I had farted on it!

I wrote a strongly worded letter to Sir Ronnie Corbett and I got a voucher for a BOGOF at Subway and IKEA dropped 2pts on the FTSE

On the off chance this is true please tell us the name of the store so I know never to go there because of how they treat their staff

Jinnan

You've done her a favour if she's in the warehouse/ stock room. That's the best bit of retail! You get a stool, a radio, usually another person to chat with and in all my retail experience are nearest to the kettle. You've really shown her OP! Bet she's livid

Not read the entire thread.

I've only ever encountered this once, as a teenager aged about 16 or 17.
I'd bought a top from one of those cheapo high street stores (I think ?Bay Trading) who presumably are no longer in business.

Didn't try it on til I got home, it was too small/I didn't like the fact it showed too much midriff.

So a few days later I took it back, the sales assistant made a big show of smelling & sniffing it, then scowling that it had already been worn- to which I protested that it hadn't. I had the original label but had cut it off in my haste...I didn't want to keep it as once I got home I realised it made me look like a slapper (good 90s word).

In the end she refused to take it back or refund me, I gave in and slinked away- definitely wouldn't have put up with that shit nowadays.

Think I gave it to my younger cousin in the end who wore it many times.

After this ramble, I think my point was meant to be that- it is quite rude of sales assistants to do this so obviously.

In my case, I should've stood up for myself as I hadn't worn the bloody top and was being told I had done.