AIBU to find it massively grating...

[littlemisscomper]

When checkout workers in shops do a hard sell, as you're PAYING!! In Waitrose today the lady beeping my items through kept commenting 'What great value!' and 'You can't complain about that price can you?' and '£2? That's not bad is it!' for every single bloody thing!! I started out politely ignoring her but by the end I was giving her The Death Stare. Clothes shops are the same. Every single time you have 'Ooo yes I've got this at home! Isn't it a lovely fabric/colour/pattern and such wonderful value?!' It makes me want to scream! I am BUYING the damn thing!! There's nothing further to convince me to do!

I also hate the way they set upon you as you walk though the door 'Hello there! Can I help you at all today?' No, piss off and leave me alone. If I were to need assistance I would be quite capable of walking up to you and asking you for it.

Don't get me wrong, I know it's not necessarily their idea and I do have some sympathy with them for that reason. In fact the clothes shop pouncers are usually trembling teenagers with a boss lurking somewhere in the background and you cant help but feel sorry for them, because you know that they know that it's maddening, but they have to go ahead and pester you if they want to keep their jobs.

IANBU am I? Please tell me you feel the same way! Or am I just a grump?

I used to work in retail and I think to an extent you have a point.

In regards to commenting about your purchases. I would do it because I genuinely liked the product and wanted to express that. But your experience does sound like overkill.

With regards to asking if you want help. We hate doing it too but not everyone is confident enough to come to someone working. I have that anxiety so I hate going up to people working and asking for help. We can't read minds and know who is comfortable enough to approach us, so we have to ask. We won't ask twice if you've already said no.

yanbu but you’re right about this

I know it's not necessarily their idea

I’m certain that the people who are responsible for ‘customer service rules’ have never worked in customer service and have no idea what customers actually want. This applies to most places, not just retail!

Everywhere I’ve worked, I’m always told to ooo and aaa with every customer, whether it’s appropriate to the conversation or not, to show empathy and ‘develop rapport’.

I work in commercial repairs now, so I deal with break ins and such, and the scenarios are really stressful for the business owner. They dont care if I sound like a unicorn, they want to know what I’m doing to sort their problem out.

My company is focusing on the ‘fluff’ in conversations, and making sure I’m saying their name throughout the call (which I think is only natural if you’re telling someone off!), and not actually focusing on the real issues we have with contractors etc.

I have to prolong the conversations unnecessarily, with words that have no substance, just because someone is (over)paid to make things look and sound pretty.

We hate it as much as you!

I think when you are already buying the item they aren't trying to convince you to buy it, they are probably just trying to make conversation.
I've commented on stuff people have been buying in the past if I genuinely think it's a bargain or something I might want.
I've worked in several different retail shops and no one has ever told me to make comments about what people have already decided to purchase, it literally makes no difference at this point. If someone was trying to make conversation with you and you got more and more pissed off with them for the attempt that seems a bit weird.
You even yourself say there's no point trying to sell you an item when you've already decided to buy it, so not sure why you would assume that's what they were doing.
The "can I help you?" Is irritating. But people aren't doing it because they absolutely want to have a conversation with you and waste everyone's time, they are doing it because it's their job and how they pay their bills. Maybe just cut them some slack .

Not bothered about staff commenting when they are putting my purchased items through the till. At least they are trying to make polite conversation, which is nice.

I dislike it when they don't even acknowledge that you are there and they are gabbing away to a colleague, while completely ignoring you and scanning your items through.

I don't even mind when they ask if you want help when you walk in. It's not their fault they have to do it, but a polite 'no thanks, just having a browse first', will suffice.

I agree with Positive. In Clark's the other day both assistants were too busy chatting to help me. I ended up having to interrupt them to ask for help and then I got The Attitude from them and was advised it was better to order online! And people wonder why the High Street is dying ...

I think if you are buying it already then they are not trying to sell. They are being friendly. I like it when the shop assistants engage in conversation- especially whilst I'm on Maternity leave! I think a deathstare might have been a little mean. Poor people can't win sometimes because if they didn't speak, they would get a complaint for unfriendliness.

Haha, I got the opposite in Waitrose a few weeks ago...

I was buying one of those pizzas with a spinach base and the young man on the toll handled it like it was about to detonate, gingerly picking it up by the corner of the box and scanning it as though it was covered in faeces... whilst commenting to his fellow till mate 'ergo, what is is, spinach base? Who would buy that, it's disgusting', also making gurning faces.

Erm. Me. That's who! I felt the need to point out that actually it was quite nice, hence I was buying it, and perhaps he should try it before knocking it... He looked suitably put out.

I don’t like it when cashiers comment on my food shopping. Surely you work there and know what they sell? I work in retail and have to say hello to a customer within 3 seconds and approach them within 3 minutes. The amount of people who don’t even have the decency to even look at us Because they think we are being a nuisance but the truth is, if we don’t we get pulled up by our management

I don't mind the chatter at the till so much but i get the rage when I'm trying to buy water in WH Smith at the station and they try to make me buy a daily mail for the "free" water instead. If i wanted a daily mail, I'd buy a daily mail. As it is I'm not a scared, dribbling racist who hates women so i have no need for that rag.

I bought a jelly belly candle and the girl on the checkout smelled it and then said, "yuk, that's vile" then went really red. I laughed, because the person it was for had specifically asked for that fragrance, and said, "well, we can't all like the same things!"

Poor thing was so embarrassed!

It wouldn't bother me if she commented on one or two items if they actually were a bargain, but not every item! However I don't think this is upselling, just makinh conversation.

I dislike the shops like whsmith where there are impulse items around the till and the cashier always says "can I interest you in xxx for £1" today. They must get so fed up saying that a million times!

It's a very American way of doing business. Have you ever been shopping in New York? The second you walk into any shop you are pounced on! So I think these shops in the UK are trying to mimic that and/or are ultimately owned by an American company who have filtered down how they want things done.

I can guarantee you that the assistants don't want to do this, but if managers are in earshot and don't hear them following the rules, it could lead to a disciplinary. I say this as someone who worked for a well known US company, and my manager in the UK used to have regular training in the US on how they want their retail assistants performing, and target schemes etc.

I was actually a senior team leader at one point and I used to have to secretly listen to my staff (hide around corners) serving customers, Mark them on a point sheet and if they scored below a percentage 3 times they would be pulled in by our manager for a warning about performance.

The worst is when you go into savers and buy a 75p bottle of budget shower gel and they try to upsell with a £20-£30 bottle of celebrity perfume. Yeah Janice I’ve just paid for my shower gel in 5 and 10p’s but let me whip a couple of notes out so I can smell like some bird of towie.

That doesn't bother me, it's the 'up-selling' at the till that winds me up, particularly in our local 'Savers'. Can I interest you in; Beyonce perfume, David Beckham aftershave, long life batteries, dish washer tabs? etc. The women there are not too bad but there's a bloke who won't readily take no for an answer. "Dishwasher tabs?" "No thank you", "Do you have a dishwasher?" "Yes", "Well these are really good value". On and on. My heart sinks when I'm called to his till.

Hahaha @dancingforthedog great minds grate alike

Santander annoys me.
We have all out bank accounts at NW except this particular one that we use as a Christmas Account,
I regularly pay in cash. Every bloody time do they want me to change accounts to them for a 'better deal'..Or they can give me a better deal for house insurance,,,business account deals etc.nag nag nag.
If i wanted to change banks Id do it....

I don't mind making conversation with the people on the till. The ladies and gents at my local Asda are all really lovely and a couple of the checkouts I go to regularly they remember so much about you and they ask each time about my DDs and things we've discussed previously.

The thing that winds me up is when they have kids at the end of the checkout (Guides or such like) who want to pack your shopping for a donation. I get that it's a way for them to raise money, but I am very particular about how I pack things and don't want them squashing stuff so I give them a donation to leave my stuff alone .

When BHS was on the go,, I went to pay for something and the cashier wouldnt shut up about the store card,,,
When i say No,,i mean No....She went on and on ,,
I took the money back and left.
I know stores have to push these things but surely one NO is enough.

I don't like it when cashiers comment on what I've bought. I don't really care if they like it or not - that's why I go to the self service checkouts.

It sounds as if Waitrose aren't doing a great job on training - the cashiers should know that they shouldn't show disgust your purchases! It's ok if they comment that they really like the odd item, but I wouldn't want a continuous dialogue on what I am buying.

Perhaps the idea is that it makes it more friendly?

I can’t bear clothes shopping as I always get asked what am I up to today by someone who is IN NO WAY interested in me. I like a quick chat over the till if there’s genuine rapport and I’m usually pretty friendly but I hate hate hate forced conversations about my day.

And I do appreciate the shop assistants are made to ask and probably find the conversation as awful as I do.

That said, I did enjoy it when I went to Sainsbury's and bought a load of gin to make lots of sloe gin.

My trolly had 2 huge bottles of gin and a single packet of biscuits. The cashier looked like she was tempted to comment on my healthy diet but managed to restrain herself.

I just hate the constant "can I help you" when I have just walked in and simply want to browse in peace. It makes me feel under surveillance and is more likely to drive me out of the shop than entice me to buy stuff.

I usually shop online so if I do make an effort to go to the store it will mean that the purchase is important and requires extra consideration. Which means that i know what i want to find and so always ask for help - or accept it if offered - as it saves time and gets you good advice.