to never buy anything from this store again?

[Cupcakemum79]

Last weekend my husband, daughter and I went shopping for winter coats. I was really looking for a nice trenchcoat or ideally a woollen winter coat.
We walked past a luxury brand store that is known for really nice coats. Husband knows I love their coats and suggested we went inside. Normally I wouldn't even consider buying such an expensive clothing item, but husband insisted that I try on the coat I liked. He wanted to treat me if I ended up loving it, as he said it was a timeless item and he wanted to buy a nice Christmas/birthday gift that he knew I'd enjoy for years.

We asked the shop assistant for a size up in the coat I liked. It just didn't fit very nicely. Shop assistant then suggested I try on a couple of other (much more expensive[ coats. Those were really straight fitting coats though and I told her I preferred the other coat because it had a waist belt and didn't look so baggy.
She then told me "that coat maybe it was for you 20 years ago, now it's not for you".

My husband and I found this incredibly rude, but were too shocked to say anything. It ruined the shopping for me though, so we left immediately and husband told her that we didn't want a coat anymore. He was really angry. I am now 44 years old and tried the size 14, which fitted but pulled across the chest. Surely that's not incredibly old or fat to deserve a remark like that? Also what's with the '20 years ago' I really don't even look that old!

AIBU that I found this incredibly offensive and also I think that had I looked really rich she would never have said anything like that? Also I really don't want a coat from that store anymore...

Love I am not even working class and no we are not all chavs... tarring us like that based on our social ranking not personal lifestyle choices is bloody classist.

To be fair I have a no 'recognizable' brand faux sheepskin coat I bought second hand in a charity shop 12 years ago and have worn nearly every day from the end of September through to mid April every year that cost £5 and is still going strong. Its the warmest thing on earth I swear (like a wearable sauna).

Coats (even just standard high street store ones) are suppose to last a good few years.

Hopefully if anyone ever bought it they would only wear it in the car and take it off before getting out.

They are, @housethatbuiltme , but I've had plenty that didn't. My favourite coat is a long Isabel Marant one I bought second hand, but despite looking after it it's definitely looking on the tired side after less than five years; the Burberry one still looks practically new after more than double that, and it's had a lot more wear.

My extra long Zara puffer also still looks fine, but nothing like as good as the Belstaff one I bought fifteen or so years ago in the sale on mywardrobe.com. They also made and posted me another belt for it when I lost the one that came with the coat and couldn't track down anything that would match.

Back on topic, the only time I remember a shop assistant being anything other than pleasant and polite was in Debenhams about twenty years ago when I tried to return a sale item that I found to have deodorant stains inside it when I got it home and she wouldn't believe I hadn't worn it. I can see her POV, but she was a real cunt about it and my response resulted in my being unwelcome in the store from then on 🤣

Op I'm sorry, I've accidentally clicked 'report' on one of your replies. Don't know if it did or I pressed back quick enough 🤣🤣 also, complain about the shop assistant otherwise she'll never learn xx

How is it against the law? It's ageist and rude of course but not illegal as far as I'm aware. Not like being told you're too old to have a job which would generally be illegal.

I would of been inclined to make her feel just as S**T and reminded her that she doesn’t own the brand or the store and merely pushes buttons on a till and hangs out stock for probably minimum wage. How rude of her I hope you get a resolution to your complaint

That is awful customer service. What the sales assistant said was not acceptable but sales assistants in high end stores should be ensuring that garments fit well.

I guess it's just me who would of told her to get F*ed

go back in, put her in her place and get your coat.

Burberry by the sounds

Jesus, how you didn’t head butt her I don’t know! Nasty cow.
They’re now seen as a very chavvy brand so she has no right to be snooty!

She was trying to upsell. Didn't have the size you needed. Tactless.

What an ageist nasty remark, and grossly unprofessional too. Made me recall an experience I had many years ago when I was young and trying on some knee high boots in Miss Selfridge (you young ones will have to Goggle that!). I have big calves and was slowly inching the zip up, the assistant then remarked to me: "These are fashion boots and you don't have fashion legs". Took the boots off, didn't speak to her, walked out and never shopped there again. I was about 17 at the time and it really upset me.

Op, not that it's an excuse (I think the assistant was appalling and dumb) but I wonder if she didn't have the bigger size and was trying to get you to try another style to make the sale.

Can I suggest a brand of rain coat that you may not have heard of but they seem to be producing beautiful raincoats for women (in my opinion far nicer than the ones from the store you were treated so poorly in) and that brand is Rain Sisters. They are on Instagram. They are so stylish they could almost look like a dress and not a coat!

The irony! Your comment is equally as shocking

Agree, v rude, only way it could be excused is if it was lost in translation eg, she was European

Places like that lose repeat business, shame if it is just the assistant's attitude and nobody elses....

I would also be offended and we are similar in age. I was walking down the street in Spain a few years ago and a youngish man was trying to drag people in to an overpriced skincare shop - he approached me and I politely said I was happy with my skincare and he looked horrified and said ‘really? With pores that look like that?’ I told him to get lost and carried on walking but it really upset me, more than it should I’m sure and I just thought it was a terrible way to get any custom as I was offended rather than keen to fix my apparently awful skin with their products. Boycott the shop, they don’t deserve your custom. Try Karen Millen for a shapely long coat, I got a beautiful one in the sale online last year and it’s Black Friday coming up x

@Cupcakemum79 I don't think she was being rude but could have been more diplomatic (she didn't have to mention your age for example). If you shop expensive, the shop assistants are often trained and paid to make sure you buy something that suits you. This doesn't sound like TK Maxx or Next where they just leave you to take something off the peg and figure it out for yourself. You say yourself the coat you tried didn't fit very nicely after all.

Had you stayed, she may well have found a coat that looked better on you.

Complain and out them. Totally unacceptable.

Burberry used to be an ok brand ( Parents had Burberry trench coats) but that was in 1980’s

For some reason Burberry became really “Chavvy” if that’s the right word.

Lots of knockoffs and that spoiled it.

Im sure you can get a beautifully fitted coat elsewhere.

My dad in a jeans shop said he wanted a pair of jeans in size 32
The girl in the shop said “ No Waaaaay” and he was really hurt by it.

It became a family joke.
” No waaay”
A size 14 is a very regular size.
She was being a rude twat.

40?
Id Love to be 40 again!
😂

I genuinely would laugh if that was said to me and probably thank her for her honesty and I would mean it.

That’s just unbelievably shocking!
She deserved sacking on the spot for that.
What an ignorant girl.

Expensive shops are always full of snooty, stuck up sales staff who make patronising and condescending remarks to customers. No idea why - they are just shop staff after all, anyone could do that job.

I've never experienced anything like this with any luxury brands. I find the SAs helpful and attentive.

That's awful! I appreciate when assistants give honest advice, it makes me think they actually care rather than aiming to make a sale at any cost, but that is RUDE. I'm glad your husband complained.

I actually love my mac from this brand (got it second hand on eBay!). But maybe you can convince your husband to take you to MaxMara instead. Their coats are the best in the world. You need cheering up after this horrible experience, after all 😉