Pretty Woman Moment

[JuliaRobHurts]

DH and I were at a homebuilding and renovation show yesterday as we're in the middle of an extension project. Specifically we 're on the hunt for a new front door and while looking around one of the vendors we had a "pretty women" moment.

We had a look at the various products on show before trying to get the attention of one of the representatives who appeared to be avoiding our gaze. Eventually she approached and I said 'hi, we're interested in bespoke front doors and quite like this one on show'.

Without asking our budget or any of our requirements she went into a spiel about how the doors were very expensive, how they were imported from Lithuania and the import charge was also expensive, all the while wincing as she was saying it. She then said we might be better off with a more mass manufactured door. I was absolutely stunned at her condescending tone. She hadn't asked a single question about what we were looking for.

I was so close to confronting her about her approach, but held back. DH calmly told her her sales pitch needs some work and we walked away, but I was fuming. We were both dressed smart/casually so the only thing I can think is she guaged our age (late thirties) and made an assumption we couldn't afford it (even though we can).

WWYD in that situation? I'm half inclined to email the company and provide feedback on our experience but I also don't know if it's worth the energy.

Would love to hear if anyone that's had a similar experience but DID confront the rude person as I'm still annoyed I didn't give her a piece of my mind.

I was told 'It's quite expensive' when trying to buy a bloody bottle of prosecco in the scruffy pub in York Train Station (is it a Wetherspoon?)! Our train had been cancelled due to a suspicious activity of some sort so we went for a drink having been assured that there would be one in around an hour.

I was fairly casually dressed but not the least bit scruffy. I think it was about £25 in the end. I asked her if I looked skint, and how much was it, expecting her to say £60 or such, at least more than a normal, standard pub would charge.

Tell Oprah Winfrey. Someone did just that some years ago when she pointed at a very expensive designer bag and refused to show it to her saying there was no way she could afford it. Big mistake, big, huge.
We got this at teenagers in Paris. Our mums, aunts etc etc had all furnished us with money to get them designer perfumes and scarves while there. We practically had to force the idiotic shop assistants to serve us. I guess they couldn´t believe we had the money. They looked at us like shit was stinking.

I suspect it's a bait as this poster has been popping up in lots of AIBU, where people have had unpleasant customer experiences, and saying variations of 'why would a sales person do/say this', 'something isn't adding up'.

Also they appear to turn their noses up at Pretty Women as they 'haven't seen it thankfully'. The irony appers to be lost.

Yes but she physicslly had the cash on her but the sales assistant refussd to serve becsuse of how she looked.

Yes, me too, I was waiting for the sex on the piano with a Richard Gere look alike story....

Ha, ha, try mystery shopping car dealerships. Some of the sales execs can be incredibly bad. It is MUCH better than it used to be when they only talked to the men but sometimes you get an old school SE or some snotty kid.

It's always interesting watching the videos back as sometimes it's not as noticeable that the service was bad and you've filtered that bit out.

And tbf, there are some really good people out there. I've never MS'd it but Currys staff have been very good whenever I've been in recently.

I remember a workmate telling me how he and his partner had gone into a high end department store to buy a Persian rug. They were young, a bit scruffy, and were ignored until he approached a sales person, who told him “Those rugs are really expensive, you might be better going to Ikea, they have rugs that are much cheaper. “ He told her he wasn’t sure that a Swedish company would sell expensive Persian rugs. When she tried to backtrack he told her that she had just lost a sale and walked out.

The other place I find people (not the staff but other customers) make assumptions is on business class flights. I travel semi regularly BC to Asia. Not a humble brag it’s for work and due to the distance we travel BC. Having done the flight a number of times, knowing it’s going to take approx 20hrs I dress for comfort. Hoodie, leggings and trainers. On a few occasions I’ve been given the evil eye while standing in the BC queue and on one occasion recently an older woman pointed out to me as I tried to reach the boarding gate that this queue was for priority boarding only. Gave me immense pleasure to walk past her and board while she was turned back (she’d followed me to the gate) as the desk agent explained they were only boarding BC passengers at this time

That's just paranoia!

Soft furnishing shop. Took one look at me and swiftly ushered me to the exit.

Ordered the fabric i wanted online.m I had been trying to support a local independent business.

I went to B&Q some years ago whilst I was decorating, so wasn’t dressed smartly, and decided to go to Curry’s at the same time as I wanted to buy an expensive (£700) camera. I knew exactly what model it was, but they were locked up, and despite the store being deserted, the group of male staff completely ignored me and stood around making jokes with each other.

I left, ordered the camera from Amazon, and wrote them a stinking email. I got a vague apology back, but I doubt they changed their ways.

I had this at an expensive shoe shop. I was also in my thirties. Two old ladies walked in and the assistant walked straight past me to serve them first. I guess she thought they were going to spend something. I could´ve told her they were two ladies passing the afternoon trying on things and then going to a patisserie for coffee and butter biscuits. While the ladies were trying on these shoes I managed to get her to bring me the two pairs I was interested in to buy, which she practically threw at me and went to the old ladies. Mine fitted nicely so I went to pay, another assistant took my card. When this one went near me I did tell her " they won´t buy anything, you know". I walked out and about two minutes later, the old ladies walked out, bagless. I never returned to that shop on principle. Atrocious sales assistants.

Another one, from my parents, who have plenty of money but don’t look as though they have. They went to buy a new car, which would have been paid for outright, and the salesman insisted on sitting them down so he “could work out what they could afford”. Mum told him in no uncertain terms that they’d tell him what they could afford, then walked out. His loss.

we didn't flounce or want anything to hit home, we found it funny.

Go back with a huge expensive door in a designer bag and say 'huge mistake'! 😁

My dad too (though he's still alive), quite well to do, went to public school etc but wears battered trainers and favourite comfy clothes which he doesn't notice have holes in. A few years ago my parents came to ours for Christmas and within the space of a week my dad was mistaken for a homeless person, my son was mistaken for a drug dealer and I was accused of being a shoplifter. I think the lot of us need to smarten ourselves up!

You need to watch the Julia Roberts/Richards Gere film Pretty Woman to understand x

It is poor service but you have also made ageist assumptions of your own!

I had similar, also at that time we had just come into an inheritance so we had plenty of options.
Same happened to a friend at a BMW garage ,they lost out big time with her,she doesn't need an inheritance when she needs a new car !

😄

I've had similar when trying to buy a car, as I'd arrived in a sweatshirt and jeans, driving an admittedly pretty knackered little runaround. I got one word answers, almost grunts - until DH turned up, straight from work in his much nicer car and full suit. Suddenly they were fawning all over us. We left!

I had similar when I went to buy a car before we were married. My now dh came along with me and the salesmen addressed himself to dh the whole way through. He barely glanced at me, and when I asked a question he spoke directly to dh. It was really weird, almost laughable.
Dh finally had to tell him "There's no point telling me about it, I'm not the one buying the car" I hope it gave the salesman pause for thought. I didn't buy the car either.

Virgin used to be lovely for this. We had a phase of flying Upper a lot, always clean of course but never smartly dressed because we were joining oil tankers. Staff never batted an eye, treated everyone the same.

I think PP knew because she had overheard the two of them or similar - at least that’s how it read to me

😂 Thanks, I needed a laugh.

Exactly this happened to my parents. Mum earned all the money, needed a new card and dad just tagged along. Mum called the salesman a misogynist who had just lost a sale, and they went elsewhere.