To find these retail practices annoying

[Mistlewoeandwhine]

1. Having to pay 10% service charge added to the bill (with no pre mention of the fact) in Yo Sushi - which is expensive enough for what it is anyway. I only noticed when I read it on the receipt afterwards. I always tip waiting staff 10% anyway but I give it in cash to the actual server so I know they get it. If Yo Sushi want to pay their staff higher wages, they can do it themselves.

2. Lush - I know some people hate it but I don’t. I like their products but I can assure you that I buy FAR LESS when some stranger is standing beside me, disturbing my rare moments of peace and making me smell stuff I’ve no interest in.
   Stop it Lush!

Two bit staff member? The ones helping run retail shops so you can buy products?

Yes, the useless ones in the marketing teams. Why, do you think everyone in marketing adds value, is great at their job, understands the customer experience etc? Who is responsible for all these useless steps that we're all complaining about then?

Whoever brings in marketing teams to implement upselling/addons etc. I expect is directors and people high up within these companies.

Whoever brings in marketing teams to implement upselling/addons etc. I expect is directors and people high up within these companies.

Somewhere down in the Marketing function there will be a permanent team. Down and down there will be upsell initiatives etc dreamt up in wacky brainstorm sessions. Usually they bring in some low-range consultant who says they specialise in "upselling" and "add ons" and "incentives" and "loyalty". Overall responsibility will be the Marketing Director but they usually don't get involved in the nitty gritty. If they're any good, they would just see this doesn't work and scrap them. Unfortunately at some level, some of these things work, because some customers fall for them, that's the trouble. So they get encouraged and continue to find more ways to ruin our shopping!

There's a vast amount of shit marketing managers and equally shit directors keeping their marketing managers in their twi bit jobs

If I could be sure that I was being served by one of the people directly responsible for making these silly policies (maybe trying to give a live demonstration to the poor put-upon regular assistants who they're training and expecting to do this), I would be very tempted to meet their upselling attempts with my own 'downbuying' efforts. Maybe badger them for a discount or for free stuff and see how they like it.

"That's a very popular item, good choice. Can I interest you in one of these fantastic pens as well today - just an extra £2 for this brilliant useful pen?"

"Yes, they do look very nice indeed! Tell you what, why don't you throw one in free for a good customer - and why not a 25% bulk discount as well - special offer as I'm already buying six of these gift books? Actually, maybe I don't need six of them - they aren't cheap at £6.99 each, are they? I might just take three of them and a pen. No, I'll just have the pen and leave the expensive books. Ooh, you're confusing me now with too much choice! I think I'll just leave it all today, actually - thanks anyway, bye!!"

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll
Except these people training are most likely staff who HAVE to do this also, who may be disciplined if they’re not showing new staff these things so not really achieving anything.

I love using my card for small amounts. Contactless is so quick. Hate faffing about with cash.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll
Except these people training are most likely staff who HAVE to do this also, who may be disciplined if they’re not showing new staff these things so not really achieving anything.

Yes, I know - I would only do it if I could somehow be certain (which I couldn't) that the hare-brained idea had originated with them.

You're right, though - they usually have a chain of command, so an also-beleaguered supervisor would be expected to do their dirty work for them. It's probably even worse having to enthusiastically teach others to do it than to just grumble and have to do it yourself.

Life is like that in so many ways, with people having 'fantastic' helpful ideas for other people to have to actually do.

@purpleme12

You get disciplined if you don't hit the targets?! But you can't make customers do it.
I can't believe the managers get a bonus but you don't!

They get round the customers who don’t give their email address our buy add-ons at the till by poaching target figures from the sales assistants that shift who did reach their targets, so that an overall fairer score is achieved by the whole team of staff.

Yep, the managers get the bonus from this. Zero incentives for till staff other than the big one: they get to keep their job as long as they meet targets.

I get irritated by the John Lewis click and collect service at Waitrose where they insist on seeing the card you paid with and check the last four digits.

I don't always have the right one with me and they can be incredibly obstinate about it. I once had the audacity to lose the card in between purchasing the item and collecting it. That was quite the circular conversation.

Amibeingnaive

To be honest, I don't really think that's unreasonable at all. Anybody could have stolen your card details online or by other means.

I'm guessing that, if a fraudster HAD ordered something using your card details, turned up to collect it showing a print-out of the order receipt and they'd handed over the goods to them which were now going to be charged to YOUR card, you wouldn't be very happy at all that they hadn't asked to just see the payment card as an extra security check.

I assume that click-and-collect must be a lot more vulnerable to fraud, as it's far, far easier for a crook to claim they live at your (the registered cardholder's) address and have come from there to collect it than it would be for them to arrange to be IN your house and to know exactly when (and be able, unnoticed) to answer the door for the stolen parcel, pretending to be you, all the while without the knowledge of any of the house residents.

....I can imagine how annoying it is for you if you've lost YOUR card, but it would be just as easy for a thief claiming to be you to pretend the same thing.

Lots of security measures seem not to actually thwart criminals but merely make lives more difficult or annoying for legitimate people going about their everyday legal business.

I must admit, I get vocally annoyed with my car when the key fob thing refuses to work but, instead, it decides to set off the alarm to alert everybody that the rightful owner of a car is trying to use their own car. Not the full Basil Fawlty, you understand, but a lot of very British sarcastic muttering goes on

Yep, the managers get the bonus from this. Zero incentives for till staff other than the big one: they get to keep their job as long as they meet targets.

Sadly, that's the way a lot of businesses work. They don't bother to acknowledge that the 'little' people at the coalface have done their job as required, they see it that the managers have done their job of bullying managing you successfully, hence they've earned their bonus. You don't even compute as anything apart from an annoying overhead.

It goes right to the top, where the CEO on a crazy high salary will insist that they've earned their money by bearing so much responsibility and achieving so much success. In reality, as you go down the chain, the number of workers at each level increases exponentially and the lower down the chain you are, the more directly responsible you are for the success and the less money and the less recognition you receive for it - and the more blame and job-loss threats you receive when things go wrong (even if you're just diligently following orders from above).

Tip in Lush : say you work at HQ and already know all their products. Shuts them right up.

This tactic also works with charities in the street, a tinkly :'I already donate!!' and a beaming smile shuts them up as you skip away.

www.allure.com/story/sephora-viral-shopping-basket

^^

You lot'll love this

Thanks for that, managedmis - that's very interesting!

I'm guessing the black 'I would like to shop on my own!' baskets quickly became known by a much shorter name, though. Two words, the second being 'off'

What happens if they've run out of black baskets, though, and there are only red ones left? Not only will the staff come and harass you, but they can quite legitimately protest when you demur that you specifically actively indicated that you wanted them to buzz all around like wasps assist you!

And what if you're happily browsing on your own, but come to a point shortly before purchase when you do want a little assistance? Do they have to strictly ignore your approaches when you ask them?! Do you have to go and decant your purchases from a black basket to a red one for the very last leg of your shopping experience?!

so agree with the superdrug one
they always seem to have long queues, try and sell you chocolate, then perfume, and finally flog the loyalty card to death.

Last time was in there and the first "would you like... " I preempted with "no, I just want the stuff I've selected, and in case you've not noticed there is a long queue"

I feel sorry for the staff - no doubt they have to do a pre-determined script, or get bonus payments for any additional crap/loyalty cards they push on to people,, but it really does mean that I only go in there if there's no where else.

Boots are a bit the same, but not quite as bad.

This topic has reminded me of the time I was in Boots - at the number 7 counter (please give your vouchers to me 😉) - looking at different coloured lipsticks, when one of the assistants asked if I needed any help, I didn't, but stupidly said I wanted a pinky red one, she replied that the one I had just tried on me looked very good (does anyone ever try them on their lips, I never do!), in my embarrassment I mumbled something and moved away - I didn't have any lipstick on 😂

(does anyone ever try them on their lips, I never do!)

God I hope not!

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll oh I know IABU and, actually, I should be more peeved by the other retailers who just sling whatever it is at me, don't worry! 😄

"Last time was in there and the first "would you like... " I preempted with "no, I just want the stuff I've selected, and in case you've not noticed there is a long queue""

No, of course they wouldn't have noticed that, so well done for pointing it out.

Having worked in retail I can honestly say that 99% of the rotating things cashiers and staff do, do because they have to! Failure to do it results in everything from a telling off to sacking depending on the company!

We used to have to ask at the tills if customers would like to add 50p for the chosen charity. I refused after being shouted at for ten minutes straight by a customer because of it.

Asking if you need help-stalking you around the shop. I was disciplined because I was on my knees half crawled into a shelf space trying to retrieve fallen stock when a mystery shopper asked me where something was. From my location I verbally directed her to it. Next day pulled in because I should have climbed out of the shelf to physically walk her to the item (it was about 3 metres away)

I no longer work in retail but my list of things I hate about customers is at least 3 times as long as my list about retail 😂)

Talking on phones whilst being served, not even acknowledging a hello or thank you, dumping change on the tills, accosting me to ask question whilst I’m outside clearly on my break, actually accosting me down my local pub on a Saturday to ask when his delivery was coming, the constant abuse and rudeness, the list goes on and on. Retail makes you realise what a horrible breed the human race is!

I didn't have any lipstick on

My DD sometimes looks like she has really nice bronzey eyeshadow on but when I compliment her she's all "I'm not wearing eyeshadow , my face is clean"

I wished that the owners of these stores and supermarkets realised that their employees are only human and inflicting them with mystery shoppers or eaters just adds to the stress ! I know I moan about the service you get at times and it's not perfect but it might work better if conditions and pay were better and the staff treated as humans and not exploited , them maybe everyone would be a winner?
Someone I know ( was a waitress in a chain restaurant ) failed the' mystery eater' because the card machine was slow! Not her fault at all but made to feel bad as her stats were a bit low! Card machines are unpredictable.
A bit of give and take is needed. Maybe more staff and less self service tills but they won't.

Someone I know ( was a waitress in a chain restaurant ) failed the' mystery eater' because the card machine was slow!

That is absolutely disgraceful. Unless the waitress somehow insisted on using her own card machine for customer payments (like she'd be allowed to anyway), the card machine is provided by her employer, the same employer that has invited the mystery eater and whose experience was marred by the employer's own card machine.

How can that possibly be allowed? Sounds like potential workplace bullying and/or constructive dismissal to me.

Would she also be criticised for being a bad waitress if a vandal outside threw a brick and broke one of the restaurant's windows, just because she'd been the closest member of staff to the window?!