Was this retail assistant a bit U?

[AlleyOop]

Bit of background
My mum usually comes with me on the last day of the kids school term and we have a day out and she buys me some shoes in the early sale for my birthday- it’s a tradition we’ve done for years and I always wear those shoes on Xmas day

Sadly she’s very poorly (cancer) and not mobile at the moment

I drove to the shopping centre and found something perfect (I’d actually had my eye on them for months not able to buy them myself when they were full price in September )

I find that they don’t have any nationwide in my size (and annoyingly they’re in the sale) in store they only have small sizes

As I leave I notice there’s a pair of the mannequin next to the till and I ask if they’re my size she says no and says those shoes are huge.

Disappointed I leave and call mum (who’s ringing a lot asking where I’m going so she can “be with me”) and I mention the shoes

She persuades me to go in ask if they can check the shoes on display and they refuse saying that they cannot sell them as they will then have a half dressed mannequin - and that she knows that they are my size but she won’t give them to me.

What would you have done?

I know this is an incredibly pathetic first world problem but because I was in my own and channeling my very feisty mum I pushed them a bit more- in the end 3 sales assistants got involved- giving their reasons why I shouldn’t have the shoes

What would you have done?

Did you get them in the end?

I’d have probably done the same as you - in fact I have done, but the retailer has always been happy to sell the display shoes.

I would have been mildly annoyed but I’d have left it as soon as the first sales assistant said no.

Did they give you them in the end?

They needed them for the supply, I don’t understand what you wanted the sales assistant to do? When I worked in retail I would be in trouble if I let a customer buy the display because as they said - there would be a half dressed mannequin

I did with my mum egging me on (I’m such a mouse)
2 of the assistants were huffing and giving massive side eye

Well, I would have asked for a manager. Certainly there was another pair of shoes in the store that fit the mannequin. It doesn't make a lot of sense to lose a sale so that the mannequin's outfit stays in tact.

Is have left it, I don’t find potentially ruining a sales assistant’s day a week before Christmas a great thing to do. They don’t make the rules you know. Just have to put up with horrid customers being demanding after they’ve been told no.

@strawberrieshortcake I did ask if she would get into trouble if she sold them to me and she categorically said no -
I’ve worked in retail too and we would sell stuff out of the window and sun bleached at discounted prices

It sounds a bit irritating but not sure there's much you can do.

When I worked in retail it was store managers choice, but if they weren’t there we wouldn’t be able to sell the display. VM would go nuts and moan about it 😢

@AppleKatie I did then spoke to my mum

I didn’t want to speak to the manager and I had also gone to another store where they told me they were sold out

Thanks for your input

I feel awful about ruining the SA day

I think yabu and actually quite difficult. they said no and you kept annoyingly bugged them. Besides them not being allowed to leave the mannequin half dressed, they were used. What would you do if you wanted to return them and they couldnt take it back?

bugging.

I'm sure you didn't ruin her day. Why didn't you want to speak to the manager?

@OneDay10 I told them I wouldn’t be returning them and they could write that on the receipt and they did

Hell yes they can take them off the mannequin. What a strange attitude from them!

It probably won't be the retail assistants decision, it's far too easy to get in trouble for misconduct in retail jobs. They may well have already been on probation for doing it in the past (usually because half the people who end up in retail management barely earn more than the assistants and don't want to be there themselves. I've worked in three major chains at different levels and the cycle of resentment is always there).

If a retail assistant ever says no for something seemingly reasonable, ask for the manager so they can go get someone who actually has the authority to do what you want.

We used to take jumpers off manniquins and leave them bare chested until we found something else to pop on the mannequin. So shoes are a non issue.

She was being a difficult bitch and I would 100% complain to head office and name her.

Reading the replies here obviously each store have their own rules. I worked in retail for 10 years and was also a area manager so visited many stores. Our policy was that we had to do everything possible to get sales so selling a item that was being used for display purposes was never a problem. We regularly sold display items then once we had a moment we would just change the display or replace a missing item with something else.

I would have thought with the high street shops dying that selling a display shoe wouldn’t matter...a sale is money at the end of the day!

Shop assistants have got me stuff off mannequins before with no bother at all.

Don't worry about the shop assistant.

SA was being difficult, sounds like it probably too much of an effort for them to remove the shoes and give then to you

@ikeakia what an out of line comment.

@ikeakia I really don’t think it warrants a complaint to head office

I feel like an idiot for starting this thread

I don't think anyone could have done as much as you did. You tried your best, the assistants wouldn't budge, those shoes were obviously not meant for you. You'll find another pair that are just as lovely so it's not worth thinking about.

Sometimes shop assistants lack a bit of common sense (not all but some and especially these days).

If I was the assistant I would have let you buy them. No skin off my nose. I wonder if they simply couldn't be bothered with the hassle of removing them, finding the box and all that and didn't realise you were on a mission :)