To have been rude to shop assistant

[Mumoftwo52]

Family doing some shopping today. Go into an independent toy shop. I’m holding DD1 (18m) so she doesn’t pull everything off shelves, 4yo DD runs ahead and picks up a unicorn Jellycat and cuddles it saying ‘can I get this please mummy?’. Shop assistant shouts across the room ‘can she put that back if you’re not going to buy it as it’s expensive’. Me and DH exchange glances but I tell DD to put it back.

We keep browsing but I say to DH that I don’t really fancy buying anything now, and say quite loudly in front of the second shop assistant (who turns out to be the owner): ‘let’s go and find another toy shop where we’re allowed to touch the toys’. Yes I was being snarky but was annoyed.

She says these toys are expensive, she owns all the stock so if my DD damages it, it costs her money. I say I’d understand that if she had dirty hands, she doesn’t. I wouldn’t let her touch anything if she did. DH says it’s a shame kids aren’t allowed to touch toys in a toy shop, and that she’s lost a potential sale, she says that they've had bad experiences in the past and anyway it was clear we weren’t going to buy anything. I said ‘why do you think that?’ She replied: ‘it just is’. We quickly left.

AIBU for letting my kids touch toys in a toy shop? To be clear, this was a soft toy, not something delicate. My DD was holding it in her arms, nothing more.

That's ridiculous. The whole point of the way shops are set up today is to encourage people to touch because then they are more likely to buy. It's the intention.

If shops didn't want customers to touch they's stick to the way shops used to be with counters and locked cabinets and staff getting everything.

Things I touch before I buy -

1. all kinds of greetings cards.
2. stationary like calendars and diaries
3. all types of clothes and shoes
4. Certain foods to read labels or check if too ripe, local Asda often has disgusting avocados left on sale.
5. soft furnishings like cushions to check the fabric.
6. toys to see if there is a test button or to feel the texture of the fabric.

The list goes on.

Obviously a child wouldn’t need to touch all those things but I would absolutely allow them to touch a toy before they/we buy and put something back if they’d changed their mind and choose something else.

I would try to avoid them touching jelley cats but I wouldn’t have them glued to my side so if they accidentally picked one up because they don’t know how fucking expensive they are then I wouldn’t stress about it, I’d just steer them away.

I wouldn’t let them touch things if they were snotty or dirty from food.

What are changing rooms for in clothes shops? To carry the clothes in there by the hanger and have a good look in private??

I think the shopkeeper could have expressed herself in a different way. I understand why she wanted to keep the jellycats safe but she needs to think of a strategy how to deal with young children.

Otherwise she will put off a lot of her customers by her rather abrupt communication. In the interest of her own business she needs to think of what to say or what notices she could put up or the arrangement of her stock.

You were rude and not justified

🤢🤢🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮

Their shop their rules.

Is the OP still in her state of flounce?

Hate comments like this, it has undertone of bully.

Nope. Bullying is being passive aggressive to shopkeepers when they are protecting their merchandise.

OP didn’t do that to you though.

I see your tactic a lot on mumsnet, it’s very “mean girl” and sneery.

Absolutely no need for it.

If we were in real life and you said that to a group of people about someone who had left a discussion in a room then it would sound like you were taking the piss out of them or mocking them for the way they handled themselves. It’s personal and you don’t need to do it even if you don’t agree with the OP.

I might agree with you - had I not witnessed the attitude of the OP in her subsequent posts.

Yes I have seen similar things to this. I have seen little ones handling the sweets covered in snot dirty hands, I never buy the open sweets or pick and mix in cinemas or shops due to this reason the sweets are another thing that should be kept out of reach from little fingers.

Precisely.

OP was sherry and rude to childless posters, very entitled attitude and disagreeing with anyone with a different take to her actions.
That's why she got one of her posts deleted. She was rude in the shop and on here.

4 years old is not a toddler!

Our local store invites my 10 year old daughter to get inside the window display and rummage among the new jellycats so I guess it depends on the attitude of the owner.

Absolutely agree - it's so fun to be told your opinion is invalid because you can't have children.

Luckily she’s always respectful and has clean hands eh

Agreed. OP only got justifiably angry after these sneering, bullying comments. It’s a shame OP felt the need to rise to them as we all know these people are sad little keyboard warriors, and wouldn’t say boo to a mouse IRL 🤣 hence why they need to exert their “power” on an anonymous internet forum - cos they have none in real life!

Like that'll make any difference!