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?

In the past, i've gotten worked up about stuff like this too and let it ruin my day.

I have learned though, that it says more about me and my mood, than the other person and their behaviour, if something like this causes me more than 2 mins if annoyance.

Learn to let these things go. Or understand why it has bothered you and then let it go. Complaints or otherwise taking it up with the individual will never bring any satisfaction, because they arent the root cause of your angst.

I think this was appalling behaviour by the sales assistant, but I think you have dealt with it appropriately. I would just leave it at that, and well done for calming down and reporting it in the right way.

You're lucky you got a refund.

If I bought a top and got it home and realised it smelled of cigarette smoke I'd be furious.

I know some women at work who buy clothes, tuck the labels in and take them back to the shop....don't even wash them. So if sales assistants want to sniff the armpits of returned clothes they have my blessing and to be honest I wish they'd do it more. I don't want skanky second hand smelly clothes.

This is an enormous over reaction by anyone's standards. Can't believe you were stunned you abandoned a shopping trip. Have you ever received some really bad news? I can't imagine what you'd do.

you seem to be saying in your first post that the clothes DID smell of tobacco because they'd been in your friend's car; and then in your second that they would weren't smelly because they'd been adequately packaged.
Which is it OP?
And do let us know when you plan to go all Liam Neeson/Taken on the sales assistant.

You should have thought of that before taking clothes to be returned in a stinking car.

many people treat clothes shops as libraries, especially at this time of year. So the honest ones get hassle.

And the head office and manager agree with me

Have you ever worked in retail? They don't agree with you, they just wanted to shut you up! At worst, they will tell the assistant to be a bit more discreet in future.

You admit yourself that the clothes smelled of smoke once you'd realised you'd been in a smokers car.

It's a total ballache to get the smell of fags off clothes, they can't simply go back out or people won't buy them because they smell and because they think someone's worn them.

You've done enough to get the assistant a major bollocking already, so your work is done.

Shall I tell you about the dress I had returned to me that the customer swore up and down hadn't been worn? When I turned the dress inside out, not only was it covered in fake tan (which is anticipated) but she'd quite obviously scratched her very unclean arse which was a nice bonus for the ladies in the queue. Turns out their reaction meant I didn't need to decline the refund after all.

Hahaha!

It would be childish and petty to go back in tomorrow, but being devastated, cancelling a shopping trip, contacting the store manager and head office isn't? Wow

Agree with everyone that says that managers just agreed to shut you up. This is the kind of thing that retail workers laugh about later.

The poor shop assistant was just trying to do her job.

Oh, YABU.

In her defence I used to work in retail and you wouldn't believe the smell of some clothes that have been returned.

The sales person was right though, the items will have smelled of smoke - even more so from being in a smoky car than in a smoky home.

She was just doing her job - they have to sell those items now - I wouldn't be impressed at trying on a smoky-smelling item in a shop.

'The bag was only exposed to second hand smoke for about half an hour' - it will have stunk!

Please don't go to the shop tomorrow and harrass her.

I think you have overreacted massively here! I can't believe you even complained. Its absolutely normal to smell clothes that are being returned. They are going to be sold as new, and I wouldn't want to buy something that smelt (of anything!) to be honest.

You will be forever used in interviews as an example of the pain in the ass customer that needed dealt with in a professional way.

Mounting the counter and taking a shit on the clothes - Core shocking.

Giving clothes a small sniff to see if they have been worn - Non-event.

You need to take a deep breath and calm down.

OH get a bloody grip OP. At this time of year loads of clothing items are returned having been "worn" for the evening and returned "unworn".

The staff have to check for this. Have done for donkey years.

If you returned clothing smelling of fag smoke then how are they meant to sell it on to another customer??

YOU should have ensured the clothing was returned in an acceptable condition and you didn't.

She was doing her sodding job, and now, because she had the balls to say your returned clothing smelt like fags, your whole world has fallen in so you want revenge?

Grow the fuck up woman.

1st world problems.....

You're lucky she accepted the return if it smelt of smoke.
Shops do not have to accept returns on goods that are not in a saleable condition - this can include smelling.
I used to work in a shoe shop and the amount of people claiming to have only worn them in the house, with scuffed heels and muddy soles was laughable.
People would get visibly irritated by me turning shoes over to check soles etc. but it was my job to check!!

Sadly most retail stores are happy to bollock staff for following their own procedures when customers complain. So no doubt the employee will be chastised for doing her job

You actually abandoned a shopping trip because of this!!

Ikr very little could get me to cancel a shopping trip.

Someone is about to lose her job, I should think, and you want to stalk her? YABU for that.

You've made a complaint. Let the company follow its procedures.

The shop assistant was probably doing what she is required to do, because - sadly - people "buy" clothes, pretend they haven't worn them, and bring them back. It's no better than stealing I worked my way through university as a shop girl and some people take the utter piss

She shouldn't have done it in front of you - she should have asked you to wait while she checked it somewhere else, but she didn't do anything wrong, except treat you less than politely.

As far as I know - well, this is what I was trained in when I worked as a shop girl - no shop is obliged to accept returns on the basis of the clothes not fitting. That they don't fit, because you couldn't be bothered to try them on, isn't a case of the clothes being unfit, damaged or otherwise requiring a refund. THe shop took them back from you as a goodwill gesture only.

YABU if you stalk/harass the shop assistant. She was doing her job. The clothese did smell of 2nd hand cigarette smoke.

A relative worked in a high-end department store decades ago and I remember him saying they had to sniff the armpits of all returned items in case they'd been worn.

Get a grip. A courtesy return (ie when it's not faulty so you're not legally entitled to it) relies on goods being resellable.

define "smokey clothes"?

You've already defined that yourself OP when you said...

Yes, they no doubt had a second hand stale cigaretty smell to them.

I don't get what you're trying to gain from this whinge-fest when you admit you made the clothes stink?

YABU and completely OTT. You should feel embarrassed that your returned clothes smelt of smoke. No way would I want to buy those clothes that you took back. Yes of course smokers are allowed to return clothes, just as long as they have made sure not to get the smell of smoke on them.
I live with a smoker and am in no way anti smoking - people can do what they like as long as I'm not affected.
She was just doing her job & you are being completely unreasonable to complain in the first place, let alone track her down.