To be tired of being asked so many questions for even small things in shops?

[Iris65]

I went to ask for a passport renewal form and was subjected to a three minute sales pitch about check and send. When I said no thank you I was asked where I was going on holiday and when, then they tried to sell me travel insurance. I went through the same 5 minute ordeal to post my passport form the next day.
In a department store every time I buy anything I am asked whether I want a store card, what my name and address is, whether I want to give my email for offers advance notice of shopping.
When I buy painkillers form the chemist they give me a three minute speil asking whether I take other medicine, telling me how often I to take them and other advice. Then they ask for me email to send me offers.....
I appreciate that in the chemist they have to give the info and it's fine. I just say 'OK, thank you.' But when did it become OK for every purchase to involve dealing with long sales pitches and dealing with requests for personal information.
I had one assistant ask for personal information saying 'It's not sensitive' and following it up with wanting my name, address, phone number, which bank I used - including sort code and account number! I told her it certainly was sensitive and walked away.

I used to work on behalf of a retailer who used to collect postcodes. Not so they could see if they could open new stores in promising areas, but to analyse what sort of people shopped in that store. They'd actually look at every bloody postcode, trying to decide if you were from an affluent enough household to then attempt to sell more products to, and if you appeared to live on the local council estate, they'd leave you alone. It was a really weird marketing exercise. I believe they do it every year still, to ensure the right sort of clientele is being attracted. They do things for that period like putting all the most expensive products in the windows to put the 'poor' people off going in. All based on sodding postcode collection.

This is why I don't go in Lush. I really like their products but can't cope with the insistent perky interview the moment I walk through the door, where they don't give up even when I say "I'm fine thank you. Just want to browse on my own". I now purchase from them once a year and if they didn't insist on grilling me I'd be buying stuff there weekly. Sometimes my kids want to to buy birthday presents for their friends from Lush and I have to take them elsewhere because the constant questions make it just not worth it

Another I find annoying is the constant 'are you alright?' Instead of 'let me know if I can help with anything' etc.

Seems to be the standard greeting in any high street clothes shop.

The Lush thing, yes! I enjoy getting into conversation with shop assistant & loved chatting when I worked in shops myself. But organic, not contrived. It's actually ruining the art of conversation.

And, in fact, I'd be more likely to buy from a nice shop assistant who was talking about the weather / Big Brother / Donald Trump rather than merely pushing product.

Pets at Home annoys me. It's like a large pet supply supermarket, so you get a trolley or basket, or pick up a little armful of things. Then load everything onto the counter which is scanned. At the end the cashier asks "Is that everything?" Do they honestly think you've got something else hidden in the lining of your jacket?

I refuse to give my postcode, telephone number or email address. It's none of their business, IMO.

I wanted to buy DD some Benefits products in Debenhams for Christmas. As soon as I looked at the shelves to choose something, the assistant swooped on me. No matter how many times I told her I just wanted to browse for some Christmas gifts, she persisted and wouldn't leave me alone. In the end I walked out in a huff, so Benefit lost out on a fairly large sale and instead I bought other products online. Silly person!

Hopefully some of those people who are responsible for coming up with such ridiculous practices may read this thread and see that it can actually discourage sales.

I agree that the constant badgering in LUSH especially is beyond. I went to the Oxford Street store just before Christmas and it was relentless. As soon as one gave up another one would swoop in. I ended up rushing and leaving earlier than I would have done if I had just been left in peace. One assistant asked me if I would like to see a charity product, I said yes, she then showed me a soap in the shape of a hand grenade and looked most affronted when I declined to buy it. Who the bloody hell wants to be given that as a present?

In fact that's one of the things I also hate. Being asked to tag on a charity donation with your purchase and then if you politely decline the shop assistant gets all huffy and looks at you as if you are personally stealing from a homeless person or something. I have worked for charities for more than 20 years, donate on a monthly basis and have years and years of volunteering under my belt. I bristle at some 17-year-old raising her eyebrow at me because I refuse to pay a pound for a massive ugly linen bag to carry home a packet of Christmas cards.

GuitarGirl - deffo re the charity thing. Clinton Cards always seem to ask if you want to buy a pen to support cancer research , and if you say no there's the split second of awkwardness where you feel like you're the worst person in the world.

YANBU

In Holland and Barrett once she read out my whole address in front of a shop full of customers. So much for customer privacy. I wouldn't mind but I since found out if you don't use their points in 4 or 6 months (can't remember) they disappear - don't know if this has changed.

After buying a present in a Jo Malone shop the other day, I was asked for my postcode in a way that implied that I was obliged to give it.

If the assistant had said ‘May we have your postcode?’ I’d still have said no (as usual) but it wouldn’t have annoyed me - or not so much anyway.

And if a phone number is demanded when I’m ordering something online - which it often is - I just make one up. I don’t want them ringing me! They have my email address - just use that if necessary.

There's very few things you can't do online now which overcomes the whole inquisition you get in shops. I had no idea you were asked for your postcode when buying clothes - I'd just say no anyway. The post office is hardly needed now as you can order a passport online with a pic you take yourself, if I do send anything by mail I just weigh it and print out the postage at home.

Some of you have really made me laugh!!

I work in retail. I am late 40's, and I was called a 'disgrace' last week by some jumped up bimbo in head office. All because I had not signed up enough customers to complete the online survey... About how they hate being asked for their details.

Seriously, we take shit from some arsey customers (smart arse comments really only make them look and sound pathetic) and we get crap from board level management.

A polite 'no thanks' honestly does the trick. Then we can all get on with our day. 👍

Nb email and sign up requests won't stop. High streets are competing against the Internet. If anyone has any suggestions as to how the high streets can be saved without trying to engage potential customers, then by all means patent your ideas! 😜

I know this is a zombie thread but three years on nothing has changed has it? I was in Superdrug today and was asked if I wanted perfume or to top up my mobile phone. Does the self-service till in WH Smith get the sack if it doesn't sell chocolate to one in four customers :)

After listening to the salesman exulting the power and performance of the one that I had chosen (presumably, because it was expensive), he then proceeded to tell me about how I would be taking a massive risk in not taking out insurance with them - effectively telling me the laptop I was about to buy was unreliable and likely to breakdown the moment I took it out of the store

I had that when I bought a £200 TV. The insurance was £80. Sales guy was really annoyed I wouldn't buy it. I wish I had been quick enough off the mark to say "well if it's that unreliable I won't buy the TV, either".

If anyone has any suggestions as to how the high streets can be saved without trying to engage potential customers

(a) have enough staff to serve people quickly and who have queries

(b) don't employ staff purely to hassle people eg Lush and Benefit

@HopelesslydevotedtoGu

Unfortunately they have to ask. Any of the people in that queue could be a mystery shopper and if you don't follow the script you get moaned at/store drops in ranking/whatever.

I love that shops like mothercare, hobbycraft, clothes shops and whatnot all do paperless receipts now because it feels more eco friendly. I also love having them easily accessible for returns as my email is on my phone and I don’t have to dig through piles of old paperwork to find the one I need to take something back.
What drives me crazy is the amount of times I’m questioned for Rewards cards and whatnot. I only purchase make up once in a blue moon for the stage, I don’t need a bloody Debenhams beautify card, or a stamps card for costa or a rewards card for Superdrug. I do rarely use them that by the time I visit again the “points” I have accumulated have been wiped anyway, so it’s pointless, just give me my cup of tea and upsell to someone else?

I pre-empt it.
I only want this please nothing else.
Til at JL - no JL card
I don’t want my receipt emailed....etc

It’s bloody tedious.

I see this is a zombie thread but still relevant today I think. I just returned to retail after 20 years as a sahm and one thing I hate is being pressured to ask customers to sign up to our newsletter. We have a target of email addresses that we are expected to collect and I hate it to the point that I think I will give the job up.