To think this is dam cheeky of Clark’s shoes

[Lilylay]

We there yesterday to get Ds measures for school shoes and buy some. We have not got a lot of money but I have e put some aside to get DS these shoes as we have found Clark’s last longer so are better value in the long run.
When we got there the women came over the measure Ds feet and also asked him to tap his favourite colour on the screen. He got measure and we picked out some shoes
When the women came back with the right size she had three other boxes with her and took out the school shoes and put them on Ds. We were happy and said we were having them.
She then turned to Ds and says look at these wonderful green trainers and if your mummy and daddy get you these as well as your new school shoes they will get 20% off the trainers.

Now lucky for us we had just been in sports direct and get DS some trainers from there so Ds just say “I have got some new ones thank”
I am not at all happy with the selling technique and say to the women that I know she will a been asked to do this by her boss but could she feed back Clark’s have now lost a sale due to this tactic. We walked out and I have ordered some shoes online that have good reviews and are guaranteed for a year.
Incidentally there was a child having meltdown but his mum was saying she could not afford the trainers. The mum looked so upset.
AIBU to think this is not one at all

That’s awful!

Appalling behaviour. If that's company policy their customers will not return. I'd have done the same.

No, that’s not acceptable at all. It’s a few years since I bought Clarks’ school shoes and I do remember some upselling of trainers but they only spoke to me, pointed to the trainer racks and didn’t involve my DS.

That's horrendous.

They tried to get me to buy my toddler more than one pair of shoes. I just said no.

Perhaps feedback via twitter etc too.

I normally hate selling techniques like this but I think your issue should be with the girl/store not Clark’s overall. We also got some school shoes today and our experience could not have been more different. Yes there is an offer of 20% off trainers but it was worded in a very different way. I simply said it’s fine we’ve already got some, purchased the shoes we were buying and walked out.

I will feedback on Twitter yes. So mad especially as some parents will only have the money to get the school shoe but might feel pressured to but the trainers as well

Not great sales technique but she was probably told to say this and someone will be looking over her shoulder to check to does, and tell her off if she doesn’t.

That’s interesting ihearttc. It was not just the women we had, the other staff were doing it as well but it may be that store that have been told to do that by there manager and others haven’t

They tried this with us too. Fortunately MIL was with us ad gave the sales woman a suitably shrinking MIL glare. It's a decent discount and all, but the delivery is awful.

brighteyeowl17 That’s why I asked to to feedback to management and I said to her I know you will have been told to do this

Feedback on social media and to the company, I hate techniques like that. I always remember watching an episode of the apprentice Will they had to sell sweets at the zoo. One of them would go around enticing children into the lollies and putting it into their hands and then asking the parents for the money. It’s just putting pressure on parents who may have the money for these things children are being encouraged for.

Yanbu that's awful. When I worked in retail we would get points taken off us if the mystery shopper came in and we didn't ask them if they were interested in whatever we were promoting that month. It's awful that clarks head office are using children in this way to try and sell trainers.

I had exactly this experience in Clarks, I wondered why they asked my son to pick his favourite colour then out came the trainers ! I was appalled also

We didn't have any issues with this at all. Saw the signs up everywhere re: 20% but nobody tried to up sell it to us

I stopped buying kids shoes in Clarks after the sales assistant gave DD a rucksack with toys in it from the display to "play with" while they brought out the shoes and told her "ask Mummy if you can take this home with you". We walked out (sadly with an upset child who couldn't understand what had happened and thought she'd been naughty).

I would feedback to Clark's, in all honesty at the company I work for employees have a habit of "going rogue", thinking they are being clever doing things that are not company policy, or are even against company policy. It is annoying.

That is so mean of her! I hate it when they target the kids rather than the parents. I have taken both of my DC to different branches of Clarks, and both of them brought out a pair of trainers. One showed me them at the start explaining why she had brought them out, and then didn’t mention them again. The other just mentioned he had brought out some trainers because of the offer, and I told him we don’t need them for year R, and he never mentioned them again. Those selling techniques I don’t mind, but I would have been really annoyed in your situation.

I think this must be new company policy as I had the same thing a few weeks ago. They also always annoy me when I specify no light up shoes, or whatever, then they bring them out regardless.

I usually pop in when it's quiet to have my dd measured at the start of the hols then order the style we want online from Very or Next.

We go to the Clarks factory outlet and just get whatever is going. Cheaper and no upselling crap.

It's been a few years since ds work Clark's shoes. This is awful. I would put in a complaint to head office and social media.

Ugh that's dreadful. Not quite the same, but this reminds me of those vendors in Italy who will go up to women who are a part of a couple, pitch/give them 'gifts', and then try to get the men to pay for said 'gifts' as part of a 'romantic gesture'.

We saw the signs for the 20% offer but had no hard sell when we went last week.
Out of interest, where have you ordered school shoes from that have a year guarantee? We could only find one girls style I liked in Clarks and they didn't have her size so we still need a pair for dd!

They always do it - bring plimsolls and trainers as well as the shoes. It annoys me and I always say no thank you as I think it's very cheeky but I guess they must get decent results from doing it.

That's absolutely outrageous behaviour by Clark's.
I thought that the pressure to by an inappropriate pair of school shoes for DS was horrendous and told both the manager and staff exactly what I thought about it (I mean who would buy an adhd asd child patient shoes ffs)
We ended up at a local independent show shop and got perfect shoes I will never go back to Clark's again

They've been doing this for years. Well at least since my DC started school. The 'good' thing I suppose is that my kids are quite fussy and every pair that's been brought out by the assistant has never matched the specifications of my DC! A polite 'we don't need trainers thank you' has always been sufficient.

There's no point complaining to the staff directly. It will have come from up high. The staff probably won't want to ask either but have to because they're on commission etc.