to think the man in John Lewis was a bit rude?

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DH and I were breaking looking at pushchairs in John Lewis today and eventually had to ask an assistant to show us how the damn things folded up. DH asked why people are happy to spend up to £1k on 10-ton Bugaboos, and the assistant said:

"Well, for MY baby, only the best will do. But it's YOUR choice, of course."

Hmm. My local train station has 2 flights of stairs to the platform and I do not fancy being the woman stuck at the bottom with a minute to catch the train, waiting for a nice person to help me lug my gigantic travel rhino thing up said 2 flights of stairs.

But now I feel like I'm going to be an unfit mother for wanting something lightweight that an ordinary mortal can fold and carry with one hand.

I think some of the insanity surrounding weddings and expenditure on dresses/hen nights/ honeymoons is invading first-time parents as well (obviously not the OP, though!).

He sounds like an ignoramus.

Ignore him and buy a buggy that suits your needs.

My son is 16 months now. I still use the Quinny Buzz but it does feel like a tank to push. My husband likes it more than I do. I think he feels more macho pushing it.

I've switched to a Maclaren Techno that I bought on Gumtree for £20. It's lightweight, easy to push, fits in most doorways. I love it!

Isn't there various extra bits of Tat like foot muffs etc that of you added In could in theory take the bill to 1 k? Each to own as know people love bugaboos but that is a lot

Awwe all the people saying about him not being able to afford something on a sales asst salary obviously forgot about employee discount!!!

And yes he was rude to speak that way, if he was any good at his job he wouldnt try to pester you to buy something that didnt suit you, he should of asked you what you would be using it for and found somethign better suited to your needs.

If someone's idea of doing the best for their child is spending 1k on a pushchair then it's actually pretty sad really isn't it?

I'm sure this was just sales pitch, and he doesn't really believe that, but the trouble is, some new parents or parents-to-be are vulnerable and easy prey for this type of thing. There is a huge industry designed to target parents like this. Truth is, it's actually far less glamorous to say, 'Doing the best for your child means getting up in the night, wiping snotty noses, reading that story for the millionth time and always looking interested in whatever they say'.

I haven't got a buggy (well, I have but it is a cheapie thing gathering dust in the loft and may not even be functional any more).

I have a sling, several slings to be honest, and I never need help to negotiate steps or public transport.

And yes, he was a rude man.

That was a horrid thing for him to say.

In defense of Bugaboos, I love mine. It is still my only pram/pushchair and DS will be 1 in 2 weeks time. My friend is on her third buggy and has definitely spent more than we did.

It is a minefield choosing a buggy because what suits one person will be the worst possible choice for someone else. Hope you find something that suits you OP

The man in John Lewis, for example, is a twat.

Bugaboos are a status symbol and sod all to do with being a good mother or what is best for baby.
Salesman was a twonk

EVERYONE I know and I mean EVERYONE who has bought a Bugaboo has said it was a complete watse of money. Too big for the car with all its bits, a nightmare to fold up and down, etc etc, save your dosh!

Our JOhn Lewis salesman did all he could to steer us away from the bugaboo, kept saying everyone ended up with a Maclaren in the end. We ignored him! (and still use the bugaboo as our only pushchair)

I'd want to ask his wife what she thought of his beloved Bugaboo...

My DH has some warped ideas about the wonderfulness/necessity of some of our baby gear - mostly because he's at work and never/rarely uses it!!

Ask him if we need a double buggy when DC2 arrives in December - then ask me. I will guarentee you will get different answers

Ignore the stupid man in JL and buy what you need and will use - from somewhere else

Salesman was rude but how did i know this would have to be about a bugaboo

Each to their own as far as pushchairs go - i've had my money's worth out of my bugaboo as it did two children and used every day for about 5 years and never bought a maclaren!

I do think customer service has gone downhill in JL though. I now need a double pushchair as expecting dc3 imminently and will have small gap between youngest two.

So went to JL and asked advice - the sales assistant was useless knew nothing about any of the pushchairs because they hadn't had the training.

So off i went to mothercare where they did actually know about the products.

I had a bit of a different experience in John Lewis.

DH and I were looking at really expensive travel systems. When the assistant came over and asked when we would be using it she shook her head and took us straight to a maclaren that was £500 cheaper explaining there was no point on spending money on things we dont need!

I always feel as if JL staff are looking down at me. I find them a bit snooty or is it me with an inferioity complex?

sorry ladys what does a bugaboo look like as ive not seen one round here unless i walk round whith my eyes shut

"I find them a bit snooty or is it me with an inferioity complex?"

Yes, in the kindest possible way I think it is you. I swan off to John Lewis with my hair unbrushed, some stains on my top etc (I really am a munter sometimes) but have never felt that way....

You need to work on that self esteem!

They're definitely snooty in our branch blowbroth.

DH and I went in to look at some new flooring for the kitchen we've just spent thousands on. Plenty of staff milling around helping middle aged couples and when they were done with them - they swanned off!! We obviously didn't look like potential customers even though we'd been leafing through flooring catalogues for 10 minutes!!

When I took DS in to buy the table and chairs, I swear they only came over to me cause I sat DS and I at the bloody table and they wanted to move us

Puts me off shopping there for sure.

www.bugaboo.com/

i mean here

dd has a bugaboo now on second baby-I bought it for them and they like it a lot but it didnt cost anything like £1k.

My nearest JL branch is genuinely dire. Their customer service is utterly abysmal, even to the point where they will deny you your statutory rights unless you really demand them (and indicate that you actually know what these rights are). Most people don't know their rights, so the staff are obviously used to fobbing them off with explanations of how the JL guarantee works or by referring them to the manufacturer (who will only send them back to JL). My OH recently had to fight with them for literally hours just to get them to do what they were legally obliged to do. The returns staff only agreed to give him his money back for a faulty item after it became very obvious that he did know what his legal rights were. They were not happy about it at all. It was a really awful experience and I can safely say that I wouldn't buy anything from them again. The ironic thing is that OH only bought from JL in the first place because they have a good reputation and returns policy.

nice and bright boy im not keen on them at all