Upselling in smiggle

[namefornow88]

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?

Christ, just buy a water bottle from the supermarket. Far less hassle by the sounds of it!

They never used to do this did they? I've never found it, but haven't been in one for ages. I guess they're getting desperate now they're not new and novel any more. No wonder there never seems to be anyone in there any more. I hate pushy sales people and just leave if they start.

Yes we found them like this too, very obviously so. The salesman started showing my daughter how the backpack had a hidden hood in it and practically put it on her.

We had gone in for a bag so we did buy one, but it’s worn terribly after a few used and the design is all peeling away

Tbh I wouldn't recommend buying water bottles in smiggle. We've gone through loads. One broke after two days and we got a replacement but that broke again within the month. It was knocked out of DD's bag so not their fault but they have that many complex additions they don't last.

Many moons ago I worked in Claires and we had to upsell various crap at the till. We had a target to reach each day and area managers giving you shit if you didn't reach it. Me (assistant manager) and the manager used to have to spend our own money on said crap to make up the totals to hit the target because it was less hassle than being visited because you weren't performing.

When I went into cashiering at a bank I thought it would end....nope! We had to hit targets getting customers into appointments to open savings accounts. Our manager (a lazy mare who spent most of the time hiding out the back on her phone) sometimes showed her face to sit behind us with a clipboard and if we didn't get an appointment would patronisingly tell us what we could have said to them - when the next customer was already in front of us and the queue was out of the door. She could have hopped her ass on a till and helped out, but no 🤬

Thankfully I no longer deal with the general public, because you always seem to be expected to hassle them with something!

DD had two smiggle bottles in succession, they both broke so we go elsewhere now!

Absolutely this, thank goodness my kids have grown out of it now!! Hated the shop and the no price thing! Felt like I needed a lie down after a few minutes in there, and yes the free gift thing was bonkers! Would be offered 3 gifts at till , choose one and then could only have it you bought another 17 rubbers and five pens or something! Was awful! To be honest I’m surprised it’s not closed down yet, overpriced and poor quality imo!!

Yep we had a Smiggle sales assistant following us around the store too. My DD is 9 so she understands that we went in for a bottle but that's it.

The sales assistant on the other hand followed us around, telling me how much stuff is and how it's reduced for today only 🙄 I am a stern person when it comes to situations like this and I firmly told her that we were only looking around and only getting a bottle. It must of been the tone of my voice (I wasn't horrible just stern) and she left us alone.

@socksdo not a 16 year old, a woman who I would have said was early 40s

Ok yes, the price thing too! I couldn't find prices anywhere so frustrating

Thanks for the responses, a mixture but glad some people agree that targeting a young child is inappropriate. In general I'm ok with upselling and understand staff are required to do it but I just don't like it being directed at my child and it was particularly pushy upselling, moving in between me and my son etc which I don't find appropriate

Honestly I probably won't go back. It was over priced and a generally unpleasant experience

I wouldn't want to work in there, or shop in there, or go in there. The place scares me now. I think we bought a couple of pencil cases in there when my DC were younger. Glad they've out grown it now