To be upset and disappointed in the store experience?

[inthedrunktankk]

Me and my partner went to Paris as a birthday treat and he said he would get me a purse in a designer store (I have like one other designer bag that I bought years ago when living at home so it was a very rare splurge)

We walked up to the store and the man at the door didn’t hold it open, so a bit confused we stepped back and a couple walked around us and the door was held open for them straight away.

We walked in behind them, I was looking at the glass cabinet when I was eventually approached and I asked to view one. He reluctantly got it out, didn’t talk me through it. A vast contrast to how the other customer was being talked to behind me regarding her purchase.

All other customers had drinks, instead I got the previous customers used water bottle and glass set down in front of me. I questioned why we didn’t get a drink and was told “I forgot”

We did buy it but only because I knew my partner had organised this and I didn’t want him to think I was hurt that they clearly treated me as different because I wasn’t dripping in designer and assumed I wasn’t worth the experience as their commission from me was meaningless.

Aibu to be disappointed?

You are being unreasonable to be wasting your time and money on this snobby rubbish where animals are bred and kept in terrible conditions and killed inhumanely for these awful products- which cost very little and have enormous mark-ups to make designers rich. There is no glamour or status in owning these. You and your husband have supported pain and suffering of animals, been exploited by the company and treated like rubbish .

Whoosh!

😝

Tiffany's customer service is unparalleled, in my opinion. I've never had anything but excellent experiences, both in person and on the phone.

I think you were unreasonable to have not left the shop without buying anything I would not have spent my money there. A big part of what makes the bag special is feeling special and being treated, not a memory of being made feel like crap.

Hmmm, YSL! I wouldn’t have guessed them.

They do, but a lot of high end stores essentially ‘audition’ their customers (Hermes and Chanel being the ones that immediately sprang to mind for this - you can’t just walk into Hermes and buy a Birkin or Kelly, they will invite you to buy one), and build relationships with repeat customers.

I'm still laughing at that. Post of the day.

If the experience/service was that poor, why on earth did you spend money in there?

https://ideasforleaders.com/Ideas/why-customers-put-up-with-rude-luxury-shop-assistants/

about rudeness selling more designer stuff

However, it's only a short term gain for the brand

Surprisingly, retail rejection (customers greeted with unfriendly sales staff in luxury stores, for example) can increase brand image in the eyes of ‘rejected’ consumers, thus increasing sales in the short term. In the long term, however, consumers will resent the rejection, and the brand pays the price

Not at all. The OP was buying ONE PURSE (not even a bag as people keep saying) so she's hardly Julia Roberts. And despite being treated appallingly, she still bought it. That would have been a very different scene in Pretty Woman.

Snap. All mulberry stores I’ve been into have been welcoming and non judgmental. Tiffany’s in Westfield on the other hand…

Hermes and Chanel being the ones that immediately sprang to mind for this - you can’t just walk into Hermes and buy a Birkin or Kelly, they will invite you to buy one

Totally wrong.

Like PP I have had wonderful service in Tiffany in both NY 5th Avenue and London. In NY my friends and I were commemorating a holiday together and we were treating ourselves to silver necklaces and the assistants acted as if we were buying one of the huge diamond rings and couldn’t have been more attentive.

After a while my necklace developed a fault with the catch so I went to the London store with the receipt and they replaced the chain there and then with an apology and lovely service again.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s got it right - they treat all customers as if they’re the Queen no matter their budget.

objectively they are expensive for the amount of metal you get, but i got such pleasure from the experience and also wearing the jewellery that is totally worth it to me.

Sorry that you had such a crap experience. Staff in these shops should know better - the scruffiest people are often the biggest spenders! I wouldn’t have bought anything under those circumstances because I am petty but I get why you wouldn’t want to make your DH feel bad.

Tiffany’s NY store - fantastic service I agree

Their cafe in the NY store - absolutely awful service. Would never recommend it

I wouldn’t have bought it. I’d have raised one eye brow at the dirty glass, gentle head shake, stood up, patted DH on the shoulder and put my coat back on and walked.

No indication of exactly what part of their behaviour broke the camels back. no explanation, leave them guessing how much money they lost.

Parisians are some of the most rudest people I’ve ever encountered.

YANBU to feel disappointed, I agree with PP that all customers should be treated the same. However many retail workers judge customers on appearance and race/nationality. Which is so wrong.

No way would I have spent money there after being treated badly. More fool you.

I can’t claim personal experience because I’m not a massive Hermes fan, but this was the experience of people I know🤷🏻‍♀️

I googled and it does indeed seem to be standard:
https://www.byrdie.com/how-to-get-a-birkin-bag-6831570

Walk into Mulberry with one of their bags and you are treated like royalty!

You walk into a store to purchase an item. Why do people feel that designer shops need to have assistants bow at their feet for goodness sake?

He reluctantly got it out, didn’t talk me through it.

I’m trying not to let my brain think gutter level with this snippet…

Anyway back to the comment so you went to buy a purse what’s to talk through? “Oh it has three zips, a section for notes and the leather comes from hand shot animals?” Get yourself a grip @inthedrunktankk

OMG he never offered you a drink? This thread is embarrassing tbh. Keep your feet grounded OP and don’t be a diva.

Don’t blame you for feeling annoyed. Shame you’re not still there to return the item and purchase elsewhere.
I have worked in luxury retail and so many of the sales staff forget that they are employed there on little more than minimum wage, they don’t own the place and they can barely afford the items they are selling even with discount! Honestly some have been awful.
Also I often found many wealthy people didn’t dress in an overtly lavish way, so it’s not always obvious who has money and who doesn’t.

It’s a shame but in your situation if I was handed someone else’s used water bottle I’d have just left. It sounds a bit like you were disappointed in the experience and disappointed in your lack of assertiveness as well.

And as a customer I remember being in a Harrods or Selfridge boutique and none of the staff approached me for ages. I took my jacket off and one sales assistant starting fawning over me, which I thought was weird when previously she’d just been stood ignoring me. DP at the time said he’d notice her clock my expensive watch (pardon the pun!) when I removed my jacket. I wasted plenty of her time and bought nothing.

But you bought it anyway so he got his commission.