To have not spent my bday vouchers cos the staff pissed me off?

[ILoveMillhousesDad]

Recently had a big bday. From family, if anyone asked what I wanted, I asked for boots vouchers so I could treat myself to some make up I wouldn't usually buy for myself. Ended up getting a fair few quid and armed with my vouchers, headed for boots, ready for a good old browse and a bit of spoiling myself, which I do not ever do.

Well, fuck me, could I pick a foundation sample up without a 'can I help you', no thanks just browsing. 'would you like a colour match', erm no ta, just having a look at the moment.

So I move on to the next make up thing. 'Hi, would you like a hand', no thanks, just having a look

Moved on to next stall. Barely approached it 'would you like a hand' 'no thatnks, just looking'

Repeat ad nauseam.

Must have happened nearly 10 times.

Fuckin hell, the experience was ruined. I ended up walking out, with nothing.

It was bloody overwhelming. And believe me, I am no wallflower!!

It has put me off going again now to spend my most gratefully received vouchers.

Aibu to wear a badge saying LEAVE ME ALONE UNTIL I APPROACH YOU.

Having worked in retail I can tell you, the staff hate having to do it. And as I customer I don't like to be bothered. But its policy higher up you have your beef with, not the staff.

I avoid Lush and bodyshop especially because of this. I tend not to get bothered so much at posh make up stands as I must look as if I don't buy expensive stuff

i once bought more than I had planned at an Yves San Laurent counter mostly out of sheer admiration of how good at sales the woman on the counter was. She'd clearly decided Not Today to a script, but probably mentioned all the things she was required to cover. But she was so great! Not pushy, listened to what I was saying, loads of product knowledge and basically waved things in front of my face that I was likely to buy. If you want to buy stuff, sometimes it's quite helpful to be sold at: especially if you get someone who basically just does personal shopping for you.

Some stupid overpaid dickhead with a useles qualification in sales who works in head office will have enforced this shite. It will have been invented originally by some stupid overpaid consultant. None of these paper pushers live in the everyday world. They are corporate morons. They fail to understand that people don't want to be pressured or intruded upon whilst they are browsing. They fail to understand that staff don't want to do this either. Assholes.

I solve the problem by putting in earphones and turning my music up loudly.

It works.

OP book a No7 makeover and they will help you find what suits you - they are free and you don't have to buy. They will just advise about colours etc. I wish I had had it done years ago.

As a beauty therapist/mua when it comes to buying makeup, especially from the girls at counters I'd take their help. They aren't trying to be annoying, they are being helpful. Can give you samples & colour match you properly.

My mate recently went and spent about £80 at the benefit counter without asking for help. Having one look at the shade on the packaging I new she'd choose the wrong things. We went back, she went for smash box again. Left with 2 samples of primer to see which one she liked best & was colour matched to her jaw line not her hand 🙈.

I agree with doing some research online and then going in to the particular counter you have chosen and getting advice. I usually find the staff quite good.
Having said that, I was in my local Boots this weekend and would have liked a bit of help, but ended up leaving empty handed. I promised myself I would go back though.

I've been driven away from bricks-n-mortar shops for this reason. I can't seem to keep my zen up with the constant inanity from shop assistants.

If I'm forced to shop on foot rather than online, I walk in with my phone to my ear and just smile and point to my (sometimes invisible) conversation when they talk to me. If they persist (they often do) I put my finger to my lips like 'shhhh'.

If I get more than 2 asking me the same damn thing, in the same shop, in the space of 2 minutes I say (rather pointedly) 'I've already been asked' with a raised eyebrow.

I recently had one fling open the door to the change room, exposing me to the world, to check 'how I was getting on'. I immediately handed her back everything and explained why, in fairly clear language, I'd wouldn't be back, and would be contacting her HQ. This was in a pricey boutique.

If they can be given permission to be rude, then so can I. And thus does our society continue to hell in its handbasket.

Just learn a few signing gestures. Point sadly to one ear before using a few. They vanish like spit off a hotplate if you do that.

Repeat if necessary with any further approaches.

Browse to your heart’s content.

If I'm forced to shop on foot rather than online, I walk in with my phone to my ear and just smile and point to my (sometimes invisible) conversation when they talk to me. If they persist (they often do) I put my finger to my lips like 'shhhh'.

How patronising. They are just doing their jobs.

I work in retail and I never get badgered because a simple "I'm fine for now, just browsing - but if I need anything, I'll give you a shout. Thanks!" in response to the instant accostment.

I used to work in Next and one of the rules for colleagues is that you must approach a customer and ask if they need help within 20 seconds of them entering the store. You have to ask them at least one question about their purchases - "Are you looking for anything in particular?" "Can I help you find anything today?" - and try to engage them in a conversation. You should only back off if they give off clear signals that they want you to leave and even then you should stay nearby (you were usually assigned a specific zone of a few rails/shelves to constantly "tidy" anyway) so that you can jump back in if they look like they need help.

It's overbearing, the customers know it is, the staff know it is, the manager knows it is but Head Office have set that as their standard and if a mystery shopper doesn't get questioned as per the script HO have set out then the store receives a bad grading and their mystery shop frequency gets upped. This then directly affects staff bonuses and if you get more than 2 bad grades in 4 mystery shops (most stores get mystery shopped monthly but it can get as frequent as weekly if they get average/low mystery shopping ratings) then it is a disciplinary offence and people can, and have, lost their jobs over it.

First of all Happy Birthday!

I am so over Boots. I've not been in for years after applying online for a Christmas P/T filling shelves kind of job and getting an email saying 'sorry you are not suitable'. After reading your post it's now become clear why.

I hate it it does put you off but but I get their just doing their job and that's what they were taught in training so I usually just reply "not yet thanks just having a look" but today was a different story for me.

I was in the Disney store today and I walked in the entrance with my DP, DD and DS abs the lady said straight away "do u need help"I said "no thanks" and she followed me and said "we have cuddlies for £10 will I get them one each" so still remaining polite but a bit firmer I said "no thanks not here for that today" and walked away she came back again and said "if you want 2 just let me know" so I said "thanks" I smiled and walked away.

20 seconds later I get tapped on shoulder "can I help you" I replied "no thanks that lady just asked but thank you" I continued talking to my DD who was asking about a toy got tapped on shoulder again "can I help you buy a toy or a cuddly we have them £10 each today I can get you 2" me again "no thanks I've already been asked I'm ok she wants to choose her toy but thanks for the help" and about 5 mins later someone else approached me I had enough by this point and said "no thanks I don't want any help or cuddlies" and she just smiled and walked off it was ridiculous. I should have lost my patience but I had just had enough.

I love No 7 but cant always afford it. They are currently doing the No 7 vouchers again so ive been in to browse a couple of times. Recently i was browsing the nail polishes on the stand for a friends birthday (i dont do nail polish as DH has emphysema) and one of the assistants kept asking if i wanted any help.

When youve not got much money to spend and/or can only afford one item at a time, it does feel a bit pressurizing.

i chose the Vivid Violet nail polish in the end as my friend loves purple. Shes the nail polish addict. Im the lipstick addict

Go wearing headphones

As someone upthread said, don't shop in the US! I've lived here for years and you are practically hounded by sales staff! It's horrendous and totally encourages online shopping! Ditto waiting staff in restaurants. Just let me eat rather than interrupting ten million times to ask how my food is. I don't know as you won't give me the opportunity to eat it!

You can't use boots vouchers online, which I think is rubbish

We should all be emailing store head offices to complain about the intrusiveness that they insist their sales staff have to do.

DSD works part time in The Body Shop and has to ask customers three times if they need help. She finds it about as excruciating as the customers, but as PPs have said, staff are monitored to make sure they do it.

Headphones.

I'm in retail and we have to approach and speak to a customer within 30 seconds of them entering the store. The latest is a ban on closed questions (are you ok?/d'you want any help?) in favour of open (how can I help you today?) so now we all sound like parrots. Even if someone declines help we're still meant to explain offers. I feel really pushy doing it and I think it puts people off.

Skittles

If they persist (they often do) I put my finger to my lips like 'shhhh'.

Have you tried to get help with this? It's not normal not to be able to tell an assistant 'no, thanks' without the aid of prop toys and condescending behaviour.

I feel exactly the same. I had birthday money to spend recently and wanted to splurge on a new perfume (haven't chosen any myself for years and years). I was looking forward to a rare hour of peace & quiet while sniffing my way around Debenhams.

My god - in the space of 15 minutes, I was approached by 6 different sales people all spouting the same schtick. I'm a confident person and not at all paranoid, but I felt like I was being watched and tracked round the whole department. I was polite to start with ("I'm just browsing at the moment thanks" but by the time the 6th person came up asking what kind of perfume I was looking for (I DON'T KNOW - I JUST WANT TO SMELL THEM!!!!) I had to pretty much tell them to back off and leave me alone.

It really spoiled the whole experience for me.

I nearly left, but this was my only child free opportunity for weeks so I persevered and managed the obviously incredibly difficult task of choosing myself some perfume on my own.

The GHD concession in John Lewis, Sheffield was the worst ever. Went with DM to buy DSis some GHDs for Christmas and we left knowing EVERYTHING about GHD's to PhD level. We were there for ages with this sales lady boring on and on. It was abysmal; we'd said we would be buying regardless because, John Lewis innit? so she had nothing to gain from sharing her extensive knowledge.

Worst thing was DS didn't even appreciate the ruddy things grunting and tossing them aside on Christmas day.

I can no longer shop in Lush because it really stresses me out the level of myther they give.

Oh my God mejl that is crazy and hearing that an assistant in the bodyshop has to approach each customer 3 times makes me want to never go in there again.

My first thought was Lush when reading the OP. I hate the way they try to initiate conversation. It makes me feel like an socially inept twit when I can't think of a way of politely fending off some inane conversation starter when all i want to do is browse.

At least I know why they hover so much. I thought it was because I looked like a shoplifter.