Shop assistants asking if I need help

[blueskypink]

I probably am just being an intolerant bitch but I wish shop assistants would just leave me alone.

If I'm standing in a shop looking around with a puzzled/confused expression THEN, by all means ask me if I need help. IF, however, I'm walking purposefully towards some merchandise, am deep in concentration studying a label or an item, or have literally just walked through the door (avoiding eye contact and keeping as far away from you as possible) could you please just leave me alone?

If I want your help I'll ask for it.

I also don't want someone saying hello as I cross a threshold and saying 'bye - thank you' when I leave 5 seconds later because I've realised very quickly it's not my sort of shop.

I presume assistants are obliged to do this? Or maybe everyone else likes this sort of attention and doesn't snarl the way I do? I'm being unreasonable aren't I? But after a day's shopping I just wanted to scream "leave me the fuck alone!!"

ive worked in retail. They definitely have to do it. It’s part of their targets and if you happened to be a mystery shopper they’d be marked down for not doing it. Trust me, staff don’t like it either!

I hear you. I just say I don't know yet but I'll let you know if I do

They have to do it. I don't mind, it takes seconds to say no thank you.

Not worked in a shop for 37 years but i do remember that we had to approach all customers and offer help.

Hated it as most people had a fair idea of what they wanted and where it was in the shop.

Yep they have to do it, they can get in trouble if they don't do it. The chances are they don't want to disturb you any more than you want to be disturbed.

They are told to do this. Just say no thankyou. It can get annoying.

Worked in retail and yes. We have to do it. Get a bollocking if you don't.

I hated it.

Believe me, it’s far more annoying for them having to say it 15 million times a day to customers they know don’t want any help and getting grumpy responses back most of the time. #ihateretail

I have to do it because it might be a mystery shopper checking up on me. Seriously.

As an ex shop assistant we were told to do it. We pretty much all hated doing it and most customers hated being bothered.
I thought I could get away with just making eye contact with customers and smiling, thus making the customers feel welcome and then they'd feel happy to ask me for help if they felt they needed it.
I was told this was not good enough and I had to bother people.

Yep we have to do it! We had targets of greeting within 1 minute and approaching within 3 minutes.

We then had ro re-approach on buying signals, such as looking at labels etc.

So do any of you who work in retail ever feed back to management that people don't like it? I'd actively choose a shop where I knew I would be left alone over one where I'd feel irritated by unwanted attention.

Can't the people in charge let staff use their judgement? ie - customer looking around for someone to ask advice = approach. Customer head down deep in thought = leave alone?

My ex got quite irate on holiday in the US when we went on a shop and this guy kept saying "tootsie roll?"

Him being of the type to argue first ask questions later got quite aggressive until I pointed out he was offering him a sweet.

Crikey so many reasons why he's my ex!

You have to do it. Then if you do purchase you may get a review asking about your experience. A lot rides on your score. If you are indifferent, please don’t fill it in if it is something outside of the team’s duties.
Working in retail is getting harder.

I feel really concious when im asked this, which i know is totally irrational feel like there asking in a can i help you or are you thieving sort of way. 9/10 puts me off and i walk out

That's why I do most of my shopping online these days.

As PP have said, it comes from higher ups and they are told to approach customers. In fact if they don’t approach they are sometimes bollocked for ‘ignoring’ customers.

Being asked this makes me want to leave the shop asap, so for shoppers like me, it's counter-productive.

I’ve noticed in the body shop they do this loads. I like their products but I feel I have to ready myself for their pounce before I go in!

Sparkle socks - but why not tell management how bloody annoying people find it? It's never going to make people more inclined to go to a particular shop is it? But it's certainly going to put some people off (me).

Drives me nuts. I don’t mind the hello as much as the thank you - because the thank you makes me feel guilty for not buying anything and weird that they’re thanking me for not wanting their merchandise. Asking if I need help is annoying too, because if I haven’t asked for help then I don’t need it?

In the Swarovski shop they always say “Welcome to Swarovski!”. My mum and I play a game where we see how long we can avoid being welcomed by avoiding the assistants and not making eye contact. I think the record is about seven minutes

Clark’s are particularly bad at this.
I got asked THREE times in 5 minutes by three different people. On the third time I just said “I just wanted to be left alone to shop” and walked out. Really frustrating. I emailed Clark’s telling them this and they said they would take it on as feedback 🙄 I just don’t go in the store any more.

We have to approach within 30 seconds and ask an open question. It's awful. Also indifferent responses to customer feedback surveys are treated as negatives.

Nothing makes me exit a shop quicker than this. I also hate the feeling of being watched by sales assistants or when they bloody follow you around.

I was always interested to know if they have some statistical evidence proving that in the long-term it gains more sales...because as I said, it makes me actively choose not to buy anything from those stores.

Urgh, and also those salespeople on the beauty counters in department stores - I wish they'd learn to take cues off what the customer wants, rather than risking insulting them (I've had some asking me if I'm looking for anti-ageing cream, when I'm clearly by the lipsticks. Or asking me if I want foundation when I'm having a bad skin day.)

Problem is, it doesn't annoy eveyone. Some people like getting attention and moan if they don't. The poor worker can't win.