Lush staff intimidated/accused my dd and her friends

[B1bbleBabble]

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?

I would also post a note on their social media so that a wider audience can see what they're doing. Instagram/Twitter for example - if they are allowing that in one shop perhaps it's also taking place in others too. Not a fan of helicopter shop assistants - can't go into Sephora for this very reason ..

@inappropriatefemale already suggested this..

I had this in mothercare when I was about 15.
Everything I touched some snooty shop assistant was following me touching everything I did.

Really annoyed me I was trying to find something nice for my nephew who had just been born and it really upset me.
I wish I had complained back then.

The staff in a local branch of Cath Kidson - the store is really small and there would be one staff member at the door ready to pounce as you go in, your be approached at least twice by floor staff, then at the tills they would ask you if you found what you wanted/who you were buying for/did you see xyz, etc.

All lovely staff but sheesh - and often I’d see something in the window, think ‘that will be nice for a present’ then see it’s £XXXXXX and try not to say ‘£35 for a kids purse - are you mad???’ and try to nonchalantly saunter out ‘I’ll think about it...’

They don’t do it so much now so I suppose someone must have said something (it wasn’t me).

Thanks Badass I am really it of the loop when it comes to pregnancy but I'm currently trying to support a teenager through it if and when I can do it's helpful to know any risks, particularly those that involve things which teens are likely to use!

I think a 15 year old being "devastated", "mortified" and "really upset" is over reacting. Jeez, just don't shop there any more and get over it. 🙄

15 year olds don’t think the same way as us adults though, don’t you remember being 15 and the trivial stuff we got upset over?

Well it wasn’t trivial to us but it’s patronising for an adult to make a teen feel this way.

I would be tempted to go back and browse op.

Yeah take your daughter with you! See how that goes...wonder what they will treat her like then?!

I’m sure teenagers are part of Lush’s main demographic, that and woke vegans. Perhaps that store is often a target for shoplifters and the staff members were just being hyper vigilant. It is Lush norm to follow every customer around tbf.

Oh, this happened to me once! I was about 16, out shopping with my little sister who must’ve been about ten at the time. We were followed by a security guard who made me turn out my entire handbag and my little sister’s rucksack because he had ‘seen me put something up my sleeve’....I was wearing a t-shirt, so I’m not sure how. I had my own lipstick in my bag, clearly opened and used but because we had been in Boots, this was the item I had apparently ‘stolen’ and we were held. It was fucking awful!

Half of these security guards are too scared to follow the real thief’s so they pick on women and teens.

Think of all the security guards you see in shops etc and how many do you look at and think ‘how the he’ll could he stop a shoplifter’, I do it lots and I think it’s due to the job market not being great and people applying for any old job.

Loads of outrage here but black people of any age get this constantly. And of course they shop lift no more than any other race.

People of all ages, races and backgrounds shoplift. If the security guards and shop assistants are too stupid to see it then I'm happy they get away with it, ie following the teenager or the black woman, instead of following the middle aged white lady. I have seen shoplifting but I did not bring it their attention as they plainly chose to focus on certain demographics, letting the others pilfer to their delight.

I remember when I used to go into my local Sainsbury’s, I went in every night after my cleaning job and I always wore joggers and they got this new security guard and I must’ve had ‘that look’ because he followed me everywhere every time I went in, well I ended up comparing to the manager, who looked about 12, and said that I was totally offended that I was being treated this way and that I have been shopping here longer than he has worked here and if he didn’t stop it then I would boycott the shop and complain to HQ, the manager said she would have a word with the security guy and the next time I went in he smiled at me and didn’t bother me!

I’m a middle-aged white woman, and I get followed by security a lot! I must look like a wrong ‘un!

It’s bloody offensive isn’t it?! Especially when you see others quite clearly stealing but they’re big tall men and so not an easy target for security guards!

Half of these security guards are too scared to follow the real thief’s so they pick on women and teens.

This is so true! I can't count the amount of times I've seen young women pulled over for alleged shoplifting (including a few times myself) and in the same shop, on a different day, watch as the security guards watch groups of men slowly walk out with joints of meat and alcohol in their hands.

They're there as a deterrant, not to really catch thieves. My time in retail taught me that. And some of them really like picking on women.

Funnily enough in Tesco last week the security guard caught a guy stealing and he had followed him outside of the shop a quarter way down the street, and afterwards he seemed to be ‘celebrating’ that he had caught one out, seemed to be his first time the way he acted, I suppose real thieves give them work to do otherwise standing there for 8 hours can’t be good.

Following around, not allowing two children at same time, being rude. There are 3 shops (Sports Direct, Pak's Hair and Cosmetics, and a small newsagent) in our area where my daughters and son were treated badly. I went in complained, never ever visited again and told my other kids what happened and instructed them not to shop there. In Sports Direct they said two children/ teens not allowed at same time so I went there, and watched entrance for a while. They allowed 2 kids (without adult) at same time, no notice about that near entrance.
My children are black, I am white and I don't remember ever having to experience something like that. I can't exclude prejudice against young people or racism as a reason. It's heartbreaking.

Posters saying that teenage girls are often shoplifters and therefor the OP is BU: what a load of bullshit.

If many elderly people were shoplifters would your response be the same? No because then it would ageism. OP’s daughter is a customer like anyone else until she’s caught shoplifting and therefor this treatment was unacceptable.

Complain and mention on social media.
Let everyone in your circle know how these staff see teenage girls who just want to spend their birthday money. Surely if I had a teenage daughter, she wouldn’t go to that shop anymore.

I’m a police officer. I wish more shop staff would follow and glare at potential shoplifters so they’d bugger off. Rather than wait for them to leave and celebrate in detaining them. 😃

Our Lush is just the same. I used to love going in for the fresh face masks but I hate being mithered. Even when I said I’m just having a wee browse they would launch into spiel.

I have a face that invites security guards/staff to follow me round.

Not a teenager, I’m a silver haired 50 odd year old. Since menopause I don’t always have the best control of my sphincter if I get nervous. I can bend down to look at something and there is either a sharp rifle crack or a silent but extremely grim fug.

They don’t hover round for long.

that is an excellent response @facelike

one shop assistant said that they were taught that one of the triggers for identifying potential shop lifters was a customer who came into the shop but didn't acknowledge the shop assistant either, by responding when spoken to or making eye contact when spoken to

Just another prejudice against introverts, then. Or in fact anyone who just wants to look around a shop and be left alone. The OP's dd was with friends. She was under no obligation to engage with the store staff until she wanted to.

one shop assistant said that they were taught that one of the triggers for identifying potential shop lifters was a customer who came into the shop but didn't acknowledge the shop assistant either, by responding when spoken to or making eye contact when spoken to

Ridiculous. There are many reasons people avoid eye contract with shop staff, not least if all because they don’t want to encourage them to launch into their obnoxious spiel. If they just said hello, fewer people would avoid them 🙄