Lush staff intimidated/accused my dd and her friends

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Dd 15 had Christmas money/ vouchers to spend in Lush£30. Went in with 2 lovely girls from school and were smelling perfume testers. Approached as per usual by sellers, one girl didn’t turn round to listen and carried on smelling. None had anything in their hands.Seller then told said girl off for being rude and said it looked suspicious. Went over to speak to other staff who collected in a huddle and started watching them. Girls left as felt uncomfortable but returned as wanted to spend their money and also to complain to manager.Told her what happened and that they wanted to make it clear that they weren’t shop lifters. Dd said she was very fake charming and excused their behaviour by saying they get shoplifters in the store. Manager proceeded to follow them round the store pestering asking if they wanted anything in particular/if they had decided what they wanted to buy yet even whilst they were paying for bath bombs. All other staff doing the same and taking in turns to follow the girls with eye signals. Then all followed them to door and watched them leave the shopping centre through window.

Dd is devastated/ mortified and vowing never to return. She used to love Lush. I’m so pissed off as this was a cheer up trip. They work hard at school and my dd doesn’t generally have money to spend in there.Upstairs in her room now really upset. I could bet your bottom dollar I wouldn’t have experienced the same and surely you need good grounds to accuse and intimidate anybody.

Should I complain to head office?

As someone who used to work in Lush as a manager I would absolutely pass that feedback on to head office and I’m pretty sure the main customer service team will bend over backwards to do something for your daughter in addition to doing some work with the manager and team

I have actually cracked many Lush staff members when they target me with their spiel! The trick is to entertain their conversation and literally not shut up. I end up boring them with long conversations about old Lush products & general chit chat. After 5 minutes they leave you alone to actually have a browse

Stopped going to Lush years ago because of being pounced on by assistants the within minutes of entering.

I once complained to Lush after being followed around and constantly pestered by a couple of staff members and they sent me a box of their products by way of an apology.

They were all well past the best before date!

I wonder what the stores CCTV would show. Groups of teenagers may or may not be statistically more likely to shoplift, but they definitely know how to turn a molehill in to an erupting volcano. They'll have all been discussing it too so you can guarantee their stories will match. I don't think it's deliberate or malicious, it's just what they do.

They had money to spend, one spent it. What are you expecting to see?

They had money to spend, one spent it. What are you expecting to see?

It will show the actual behaviour of the staff and whether or not it was anything like the description you've been given.

Lush has a reputation for following shoppers round the store. It's not motivated by age. I assume it's company policy. It's one of the many reasons, I no longer shop there.

It wasn’t due to CCTV. The spurned seller went off and collected other staff after telling them off for being rude. Dd said the girl didn’t turn round as they were trying to avoid being roped into “ one of those weird hand massages”. She was really upset when she came back home and angry. Came back on bus with brother not the others . Think one of the other mums is apparently ringing. I’m trying to get an email address for head officeThere is a delay to customer service replies as increase in volume.

I’m so sorry your DD is mortified. If it makes her/you feel better then absolutely complain. I won’t go into Lush anymore because they do hound you and it’s very uncomfortable.

She has been in Lush loads of times and not come back like this do not sure why they’d be making a mountain out of a molehill.

I also don't shop at Lush as they are all over you..

The shops CCTV may tell you another story.

IIRC there is no CCTV in Lush stores! The CEO campaigns against privacy invading laws etc. so he refuses to use CCTV as a matter of principle. So the staff are then trained to enthusiastically pounce on you and follow you around everywhere. Someone upthread mentioned the staff aren't be paid to be security guards - they may not be paid extra for it but they are expected to perform the role.

So ridiculous - if the stores had CCTV the staff may not feel so obliged to hound people until they refuse to step foot in there ever again. The policy may have changed recently, but I don't think so going by my local store?

I think you should return everything to the same store. Ask for a manager and complain about how disgustingly they and their staff treated your daughter so you will no longer give them your custom - hence why you’re returning these etc. Most likely Lush will have to write off returned products, so it will fuck up their figures at the very least.

I also used to work in retail and groups of teenage/younger girls were always a pain. If they bought anything, it would be the 1 item which would literally be the cheapest thing in the shop - but they’d still spend 45+ minutes trying like 15 items on (taking selfies obv) then leaving the clothes in a tangled/unhung ball on the floor. Teen boys are equally annoying - think limboing under a practically closed shutter or running up an escalator that was moving in the opposite direction etc. When confronted the boys said that they thought the shop was still open🙄

years ago one of my first jobs one of the chief sales women explained about good sales technique. Never ask what a customer wants or say can I help you. Chat to customer admire what they are looking at ask if they have tried seen or liked something similar. Smile, be relaxed & stand back -do not stare or pester. Be helpful & pleasant, non invasive & discretely observant - you can clean & tidy nearby for instance & this would work equally well as being security against shoplifters as being helpful for customers (& dear readers when I followed her advice it worked)

The CEO campaigns against privacy invading

😂

I know that wasn't the whole sentence, but given Lush's sales tactics that struck me as being bloody funny.

OP - you can all you like. Teenagers are funny buggers at the best of times and if there's one thing I've learnt in my years of being one and dealing with hundreds of 'em, it's to take every drama they come out with with a large pinch of salt.

Not all teenage girls are thieves
Not all teenage girls are disrespectful

Were you with your daughter. If not how do you know her and friends weren’t arousing suspicion. You’ve only got one side of the story.

Maybe she knows her daughter and the two other girls well and doesn’t disbelieve them? Novel Idea!!

So never believe them then. She has been in there with friends before, they were pissed off enough to return and speak to staff.Not sure what the pinch of salt should be to be honest.

Thy went back, spoke to staff, they bought products would not that be enough to quell any suspicion? Particularly a suspicion brought on by not turning round.What could they have been going to deserve such treatment?

Why don't you go and speak to the manager? I think that's what I'd do as the behaviour of the staff sounds OTT and unacceptable.

That said, I've been in Lush on Saturday afternoons and they are full of groups of teenage girls predominantly messing around. Like the Body Shop used to be before it got crapola.

You may have heard half a story. You may have reason to complain.

But I'd go and ask.

Another example of Lush’s hypocrisy because a while back they were banging on that they didn’t prosecute shoplifters because anyone who needed to steal soap must be desperate so they can have it (think it was a distraction tactic when their Spy Cop campaign didn’t go as well as they thought it would)

OP I know it’s not nice that your DD was made to feel like that but a good lesson for her about brands and marketing and how the message may well differ from the end game ie Lush may well present itself as ethical but it’s bottom line will always be profit, and good opportunity for her to research ethical cosmetic companies who really are ethical.

Not the same store, but I remember going into Monsoon once in my teens when I was on my own, I don't really go shopping on my own as I find it boring, I usually went with my sister, but I went to go shopping for my sister so couldnt really bring her along. Anyway, I was walking through the racks of clothes and noticed a woman was looking at me, not too obvious, but just enough to make me notice. Carried on browsing the next rail and there she was again, looking at me. I gave her a little look. I thought the way she was dressed she was just another shopper, so tried to ignore her. Carried on to the other end of the store and wouldn't you know it, there she was, pretending to rifle through the clothes but giving me a side eye. That's when the light bulb went off and I realised she worked there and was making sure I wasn't stealing anything. I was mortified. I looked at her, slammed the dress down I'd picked up, muttered loud enough for her to hear that I didn't need following around, I wasn't a thief and then stormed out. I've never been back xx

Visiting England from the US about 30+ years ago (& this still bothers me) when I was in my mid-30's and went in a small chemist shop in a small shopping center to shop for perfume. The lone store clerk came around from behind the counter and standing right next to me, watched my hands. Every move my hands made her eyes were on them like a hawk.

I felt awful and left.

I buy Lush's 'Gorgeous' moisturizer and really love it, also their 'Respect your Elders" soap - love that as well.