Debenhams

[seriouslynotserious]

Today I went to buy a coat in Debenhams and I was stopped by a sales staff saying I can't try it on and I must buy it first and try it ON at home and then return it within 28 days if I don't like it. You've probably come across loads of threads like this but I was taken aback by this. I said to the sales staff that I'll take my £100 elsewhere and spend it there and no wonder your store is always on the news about Debenhams is on a brink of collapse. So I went to a different high st store and asked if I could try on their coats first this time round and the sales staff there said of course I could, it's just their changing rooms are closed which I understand. Wearing a coat is different to trying on some tight jeans as the coat is less contaminated to ones skin than a pair of jeans which sticks to ones skin and rubs against people's genitals etc or trying shoes without socks. I spent my £100 there and got a much better coat in the end. My argument here is that, why the hell is a company that is doing so badly before covid (financially) making it worse by putting off customers with policies like this? Me wearing that coat isn't going to spread coronavirus more than me picking it up and taking it to the till paying for it and brining it back a couple of days later after it being exposed to all sorts in my home. There's studies suggesting that it could live for 28 days or more. I sanitised my hands, had my mask on and I'm fully clothed when I wanted to try that coat on. I just wanted to a little rant as I found it a bit ridiculous. I've been to many stores and they would tell me upfront I'm not allowed to this and that but could try on costs only or try on shoes but must have my socks on and wear extra socks the staff provides. I just found Debenhams doing anything they could to put customers off from coming in. The whole mask situation is annoying enough as well as all of these arrows and one way systems but to shout at customers in the middle store that they can't try on coats takes the piss. Rant over sorry :)

I went into H&M and Zara today looking for something for my daughter. The minute I walked in I was told I couldn’t try anything on... I saw a woman buy a coat in H&M, take it outside to try on - checking her reflection in the shop window and then she took it back inside for a refund as it wasn’t quite right. (I know this as she was talking loudly to the person she was with). It’s mind boggling. Meanwhile Anthropologie have their fitting rooms open and an independent boutique I was in last week were also letting customers try clothes on freely.

Yep I've seen lots of shops like that, including my local charity shop, the way one of them literally dive bombed a customer trying to try a hat on like she was intercepting a bomb was laughable.

I fancied a coat in a local charity shop last week, but I wasn't allowed to try it on. Thing is they weren't offering refunds, just exchanges. I bought it anyway (worth the £20 gamble because it's a lovely ankle length vintage cashmere number) and happily it's ok. But no trying on and no refunds? I know it's a charity, but still.

OP I do hear where you're coming from and some of the rules are arbitrary and a bit ridiculous (both government and shop ones) but there's no need to be rude to the poor staff, who don't make the rules in question. Particularly when Debenhams' staff are staring down the barrel of redundancy.

Primark in Newcastle have a security guard on the coat section and I was just browsing yesterday and he came over and told me "don't try that on mind "

I understand rules seem to make no sense and can be frustrating but I honestly can't fathom the mentality of thinking its ok to tell a minimum wage sales assistant that there's no wonder they might be out of a job soon. Over trying on a coat.

That is the rule in most shops, it's not something the shop assistant has just made up themselves and can negotiate on! To then rub their nose in the fact they will likely lose their job is just plain nasty. What a horrible post.

You CANNOT be serious, and I hope you didn't really talk to the poor shop assistant like that, save it for MN

I wonder what the actual government guidelines are regarding trying on clothes?

I work in retail and have been shouted at as the customers can't try on clothes... But fortunately, I really don't care.

If you're rubbing jeans on your genitals when you try them on then maybe they're concerned you'd rub the coat up your arse crack.

Same happened to me in H+M, went to try on a size L coat in front of the mirror. Two sales staff ran over and told me I couldn't try it on.

So I bought it, went outside, tried it on, took it back in with the receipt and took it to the till to swap for a size M and that was no problem with them... They took it straight back to hang it up.

@anniegun

So you were happier buying from a shop that ignored the guidelines than one that took it seriously. Well done , you must be proud

This basically

I appreciate the rules are a bit daft, but that’s hardly the shop assistants fault

And the guidelines do ask not to encourage touching of items...like when we first went into supermarkets 😀 that was a pain

No need for you to be shitty to the sales assistant though, they are just doing what they're told

My friend has told me about customers who...

Hide behind stands to try stuff on

Assume ‘please dont try stuff on’ doesnt mean coats and shoes

Think its fine to throw stuff at the staff

Couldn’t pay me enough to do retail at the moment

Found this

If the retail staff are sanitising their hands after handling clothing, as they’re supposed to, what’s their issue exactly? If a customer is buying clothing in the shop, they should assume it’s been handled by people coming in and out of the store. Which it will be, irrespective of whether you try it on or not.

More silly hygiene theatre. It would be more beneficial if they addressed the mask wearers with their nose dangling out.

Because they can't deal with the big news stories of people catching it in their store. You're also not supposed to touch them before you buy it.

Smaller stores are trying their luck .

As others have said, they quarantine all returns so much safer.

@BabyLlamaZen

Because they can't deal with the big news stories of people catching it in their store. You're also not supposed to touch them before you buy it.

Smaller stores are trying their luck .

As others have said, they quarantine all returns so much safer.

Not touch clothing before you buy it? This is utterly ridiculous and of course no one complies with this...imagine gingerly holding the hanger to avoid any contact. Why on earth are they asking people to sanitise their hands before entering stores then?

There’s zero way of proving that someone caught covid in your shop via surface transmission. Through not wearing masks, possibly.

They should advise customers to quarantine their clothing after purchasing it and be done with this.

My ds worked in retail. It’s a low pay job and they get lots of abuse from customers. Yet we rely on them continuing to work during the pandemic to keep things going.
Most of the larger shops have a rule about not trying things on. You may not agree , and I expect they are frustrated with it too. But they have to maintain safety.
Your attitude to this and esp to the sales assistant is definitely unreasonably

OP I agree it’s not going to help them at all. I tried coats on in both M&S and Next yesterday. They had signs up asking people to use hand sanitizer (which was positioned near the stand of coats) before trying on. I’m sure they’ll both sell far more than Debenhams this way.

Feel sorry for that sales assistant who was only doing her job.

Sorry if I've come across as being shitty towards the sales assistant, however there's a style in communication. If you confront me as if you're telling me off in front of other customers I will snap back at you. I'm not at school. It's not as if I stripped naked trying on holter neck jumpers and jeans in the middle of the store. The coat that I wanted to try on was probably touched so many times. Again I can understand with certain items as well as closing changing rooms but items such as coats, bags and shoes unless you're not wearing socks I just don't get it.

Again talking about a potential job loss yes they will lose their jobs if they carry on making it a difficult and unpleasant experience to its customers. Who's fault is it? It's not my fault, I went in there to genuinely buy a coat but took my money and got it from TKmaxx where I was treated better.

I will never shop in Debenhams again. I ordered stuff online from them with a gift voucher just as we went into lockdown. It never arrived. I have spent 6 months repeatedly trying to contact them with no success. I emailed customer services repeatedly. I phoned - no answer. I had a recorded delivery letter of complaint sent, which they refused to accept and was eventually returned to me. And I have reported them to Trading Standards.

It is utterly unacceptable to take money for goods that you don't deliver and for online customers to have no way of contacting you. The excuse is that their 'Customer Service' Dept is closed (still) due to Covid. But it's utterly pathetic.

I'm debating on whether to actually pursue them through the small claims court which is petty, but they are so shit they've really pissed me off. And the gift was a Mothers Day present that my son saved up for so he was upset that they just took his cash and I got nothing.

Basically, retail staff are paid peanuts and don't care if you don't like the rules, we don't make them up, we are just doing as we're told. If you buy elsewhere, so what. If our stores close we'll just get a job elsewhere. Same as everyone else stuck in this mess.

I got told off for trying a coat on in Primark. Felt like I'd hard my arse slapped