Children touching things in charity shops

[Nih]

I took my children charity shopping today, we went to a different area, it's an "affluent" area according to google. Dulwich.

The DC like to pick up and have a proper look at the toys they're interested in buying which I don't think is unreasonable. How else would you know whether something works?

DD (4) liked the look of a spinning top and wanted to see what it did. Before she even had chance to push the lever down she was told off by the woman behind the till because "those toys are to be sold, not played with"

We put it back and left the shop so they lost that sale.

5 minutes down the road we had another frosty reception at another charity shop.

AIBU to think the children did nothing wrong and it's perfectly acceptable to handle and even try out toys in charity shops? Obviously not opening packaging etc but loose things on shelves.

It all felt very snob-like.

New packaged toys often have access in the packaging to try out a key feature of the toy. Plus you can take it back if it doesn't work when you get it home.

because that woman was rude to my 4 year old child
How was asking your child not to play with the stock "rude"? You clearly didn't like being told, but she wasn't rude to your child.

My DD once managed a charity shop. Very often parents in there would allow their children to use the toy section like a free kids play area. Getting all the toys off the shelf and leaving them on the floor for the staff to tidy away after they had gone. On one occasion, a parent even left their child alone there playing with the toys whilst they went off to the supermarket next door to get their shopping. After that incident, the toys were put on the higher shelves, so that the parents had to get them down, the children couldn't just help themselves.

And if the OP's child did break a toy, she could blithely say that it must have been already defective.

If you went into a shop and the first thing the employee said to you was that alongside a harsh tone then you would deem it rude too. You will say you wouldn't ofc because you want to be seen to disagree with me.

Nobody wants to be "seen" to disagree with you. God, you're hard work.
Maybe the assistant was onto something 🤷🏻‍♀️

Yes I'm sure she was able to make a reasonable assumption based on the fact I walked into the shop.

Hard work? You've been here a long time haven't you 🙄

I own a retail business (not a charity shop) and have a great deal of sympathy for the shop assistant here. We get parents in with children all day long and many times a day we hear parents saying as they come in, "Now remember, have a good look but don't be touching everything." To me it's just normal parental behaviour, what I did with my own child; teaching them to be polite and respectful. If they told me they wanted something then we would lift it down and check it over together before going to the counter with it. There would be no playing with it in-store.
As well as these lovely parents we get the type who's children come running in before them, grabbing everything in sight; picking something up and then just throwing it down when they have finished with it so we will have to tidy it up. We have had plush items left unsaleable with sticky fingermarks all over them and as a pp has said some people actually have pushed their children in through the door and said, "stay here until I get back"!
So even if your child was not one of these unruly children, please try to understand that the shop assistant has to deal with this sort of behaviour day in day out and it can be very wearing.

I think you are being unreasonable. Have some empathy for others. (Awaits rude reply.....)