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Original poster

Upselling in smiggle

34 replies

namefornow88 · 16/07/2023 18:17

I've never shopped in snuggle before as most people have said it's over priced. But today my 5 year old desperately needed a new water bottle for school and there weren't many options so we went into smiggle. A member of staff latched onto us immediately and didn't leave our sides the entire time we were there. At first, she seemed to be being helpful as water bottles are spread all over the store so she was pointing out the different options around the shop. But once my son chose a bottle I found her upselling techniques really unacceptable. My son chose a space themed bottle and she then kept showing him different items in the same range, shoving them in his face "look, there's a matching bag... This snack pot goes with that bottle... Here are some keyrings...etc"

Possibly they work on commission and I know lots of shops do upsell but I found her specifically targeting her sales tactics at my 5 year old, getting an expensive backpack down from a shelf and holding it right in front of his face etc really distasteful. Obviously my son understands that things cost money but he doesn't have much frame of reference for how much things are so has no idea that the backpack is the most expensive backpack in existence. It made me into the bad guy in front of my son as I had to keep telling him no, when actually it was supposed to be a fun "you can choose any water bottle you like" moment. It really soured the experience for me and I found it really ethically dubious

Has anyone else experienced this aggressive upselling to children in smiggle? Am I right to find this distasteful or am I being unreasonable and it's not a big deal?

OP posts:
Newname211 · 16/07/2023 18:20

It’s not a big deal. I’ve worked in sales/commission based roles before. They are literally just doing their job - it’s the same in Claire’s and so on. They obviously do most of their business in the lead up to the new term so will have their new stock in for back to school now, and probably assumed your son was buying things for going back to school.

Id have just said”sorry, we only need the bottle today” to the salesperson.

SnowyPetals · 16/07/2023 18:24

I hated shopping in Smiggle with an absolute passion. Not only the pushy sales people, but it's practically impossible to see the correct prices of things, or what's included in the deals. Way overpriced. We had a backpack from there and the bottle holder broke after about a month. Luckily my DC are too old for it now.

BellaJuno · 16/07/2023 18:24

Why didn’t you intervene earlier, you sound really passive in your examples? I’d have just said “sorry we’re just here for a water bottle, thanks for your help” then headed to the tills.

TheBig4O · 16/07/2023 18:27

I'd you left feeling stressed and overstimulated and like you'd just been robbed then you got the full Smiggle experience.

I went in for 2 water bottles. I got upsold, cross sold, misold, and talked into a free gift and before I knew it the total was £48! I said actually I think I'll leave it, but couldn't get the 2 'free' gifts back from the dc without tantrums so I ended up paying £10 for them.

I stood outside for a good few minutes wondering wtf just happened.

saltinesandcoffeecups · 16/07/2023 18:28

I think both…

This is obviously their sales strategy (I’m assuming a successful one) so your choices are to either be more direct or don’t shop there.

Cadburyscreamegg · 16/07/2023 18:28

I think I would've left and told the sales woman why but then this sort of thing would p me off !!! I work in retail myself and I treat a customer how I would like to be treated.

Simonjt · 16/07/2023 18:33

We had this, the salesperson gave my son a keyring, I hadn’t realised until she stopped us walking out “but you gave it to me” was his reply when she said we hadn’t paid for the keyring (yes, he is a kidnappers dream).

mummabubs · 16/07/2023 18:35

Newname211 · 16/07/2023 18:20

It’s not a big deal. I’ve worked in sales/commission based roles before. They are literally just doing their job - it’s the same in Claire’s and so on. They obviously do most of their business in the lead up to the new term so will have their new stock in for back to school now, and probably assumed your son was buying things for going back to school.

Id have just said”sorry, we only need the bottle today” to the salesperson.

Whilst I agree that person was doing their job, I do think it's unkind and unethical to target this at a young child (who as OP points out won't have the skills to see what they're doing). I wouldn't shop there again either.

saltinesandcoffeecups · 16/07/2023 18:40

mummabubs · 16/07/2023 18:35

Whilst I agree that person was doing their job, I do think it's unkind and unethical to target this at a young child (who as OP points out won't have the skills to see what they're doing). I wouldn't shop there again either.

Show quote history

But isn’t that the parent’s role then to put themselves in between the sales person and the child?

Jigslaw · 16/07/2023 19:02

I just used to say to them no this is fine thank you. I think showing a young child stuff is annoying as of course they're likely to want it and it adds another layer of having to tell them no that needn't be there.

Original poster
namefornow88 · 16/07/2023 19:10

Sorry, I realise I only gave her side of the conversation. I definitely wasn't passive and repeated several times "we only need a water bottle" but she just kept grabbing more things to show to my son. Even at the till when I was trying to pay she was pointing out the little fidget toys across the front of the tills and saying "do you need any of these". She actually interrupted me at one point when I was showing my son two different bottles he might like to reach between me and him with a snack pot and say to him "this one has a matching pot". I ended up having to turn my son to the side so I could talk to him and show him the bottles I was holding

OP posts:
socksdo · 16/07/2023 19:13

They have to do it and have to work to targets, it was probably some poor 16 year old trying to earn money and themselves not understanding it was wrong. I would complain to head office about the business model, mentioning the staff member was nice enough and it’s not a complaint about them more about why they are instructing their staff to do it

empatheticpretzel · 16/07/2023 19:13

When you get a bundle of things it works out cheaper than buying everything individually

BiscuitsandPuffin · 16/07/2023 19:15

YANBU I think some people working in retail drowned their conscience. This behaviour is garish, it puts people off buying and it doesn't build long term repeat business which is why the vast majority of businesses don't do it.
It's a really dated sales model and comes across as utterly desperate. And as you can see from people saying this person was "just doing their job" they literally have no morals or sense of human decency about it. Smacks of MLM techniques.
Despicable.
They should all be embarrassed (and their management clearly need to learn how to actually sell products and implement that across the whole business).

swanling · 16/07/2023 19:16

empatheticpretzel · 16/07/2023 19:13

When you get a bundle of things it works out cheaper than buying everything individually

But presumably still more expensive than only buying the one item you wanted?

BiscuitsandPuffin · 16/07/2023 19:16

empatheticpretzel · 16/07/2023 19:13

When you get a bundle of things it works out cheaper than buying everything individually

And if you don't want a bundle of things it works out much more expensive than buying just the one thing individually.
That's basic maths.

saltinesandcoffeecups · 16/07/2023 19:23

BiscuitsandPuffin · 16/07/2023 19:15

YANBU I think some people working in retail drowned their conscience. This behaviour is garish, it puts people off buying and it doesn't build long term repeat business which is why the vast majority of businesses don't do it.
It's a really dated sales model and comes across as utterly desperate. And as you can see from people saying this person was "just doing their job" they literally have no morals or sense of human decency about it. Smacks of MLM techniques.
Despicable.
They should all be embarrassed (and their management clearly need to learn how to actually sell products and implement that across the whole business).

Their sales figures and performance would seem to disagree with you.

https://insideretail.com.au/business/premier-investments-sales-profits-increase-in-first-half-202303

Premier Investments sales, profits increase in first half

Premier Investments says its first-half profit rose 6.5 per cent during the December half as sales rebounded across all of its apparel brands. 

https://insideretail.com.au/business/premier-investments-sales-profits-increase-in-first-half-202303

Bewilderedandhurt · 16/07/2023 19:55

We were in Smiggle yesterday, my DC kept asking me how much everything was so I kept sending him to the till to ask. After plenty of price enquiries the assistant was getting visibly fed up, I suggested that price tags would be a good option rather than parents raking pot luck at the til with the items picked out.
I don't think I'll go back in the shop again, it's deceitful not to display prices and plays parents of against their children.

Winniewonka · 16/07/2023 20:01

I saw Smiggle items for sale in Marks and Spencer a couple of days ago. Nobody would hassle you to buy them in there

VisionsOfSplendour · 16/07/2023 20:15

empatheticpretzel · 16/07/2023 19:13

When you get a bundle of things it works out cheaper than buying everything individually

Why would anyone buy a bundle they don't want or need? Lota of things are cheaper in bundles but if you only want one item that's irrelwvant

I think you could have been more assertive, it's possible to say stop showing me things please, I only want a water bottle without being rude

Laurama91 · 16/07/2023 20:22

Hate this sale tactic. When we were buying our house we went for a look for a sofa. Literally told sales assistant we hadn't exchanged and were just looking. He followed us around the shop and was trying to get us to buy out right then change to credit after. Walked our and told my partner I wouldn't never buy from there

NuffSaidSam · 16/07/2023 20:28

empatheticpretzel · 16/07/2023 19:13

When you get a bundle of things it works out cheaper than buying everything individually

Not if you don't need a bundle of things it doesn't.

It's not cheaper to buy a snack pot and a backpack you don't need than it is to just buy a water bottle.

UndercoverCop · 16/07/2023 20:45

This happened to me in Smiggle, I went in to get DN a present (something specific when I asked her parents what she would like). Sales assistant wouldn't leave me alone then tried to start handing things to and upselling to my 4 year old.
I gave them back and said he doesn't have any money and doesn't need anything from here.
I gave the bag back for dn too and left. I did end up buying it online because it's what she really wanted, but I hate that place with a passion.

Precipice · 16/07/2023 20:47

It’s not a big deal. I’ve worked in sales/commission based roles before. They are literally just doing their job - it’s the same in Claire’s and so on.

Yes, they probably are doing something they've been told is 'part of their job' and which is being required of them by their managers. Most people are not this annoying and pressuring of their own accord. That still doesn't make such practices acceptable. Customers looking to buy item A do not want to be offered items BCDEFGH and keep having to decline. It's harassing and irritating.

AllOfThemWitches · 16/07/2023 20:51

Upselling is one thing, you shouldn't be targeting kids though.

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