If you work in a flagship clothes store…

[TheGander]

Do you clock the people who come in to try on and then order online for less? And does it bug you or is it all part of a business’s strategy? I’m curious, as I did just that yesterday and felt the salesperson might have been wise to it.

Since when are clothes more expensive because it’s a flagship store?

Well if you go online you can often find discounters. I was at the Paige jeans store on Sloane sq, a pair is £250 , Frasers is selling same jeans for £52-125 depending on the wash. A bit of hunting around often yields significant savings.

Seems pointless to go to a store to try it on to then hunt for it online, why not just buy it at the other place and return if it doesn’t suit?

Because the other place is a website, it isn’t a physical store.

I don’t see how that stops you ordering it and returning if it doesn’t suit. Saves time, effort and money going to a store to try on the jeans with no intention of buying them and ordering from somewhere else at a later date.

You work near a store. You pop in try on a load of jeans, work out the style, colour and size you want and then buy it heavily discounted online. How is this scenario confusing to you?

Exactly. It saves me making a mistake, ordering something that doesn’t suit me, having to go to the post office to return, paying for postage etc etc. Surely I’m not the only one?

Time, effort, and possibly money are spent on sending the jeans back. If someone lives near or is going somewhere near this shop, it may be easier to just pop in and try, not to mention that it's also likely to be better for the environment.

How would such a person be distinguished from someone who came in, tried something on, and simply decided not to buy it?

Good question, I wonder if the salespersons have a sense for it. In my case, I probably don’t look like someone who spends £250 on a pair of jeans.

It’s not how you look - it’s how you behave. You need to believe you belong there. All attitude really

You are overthinking it, the staff don't really care why someone tries on an item and doesn't buy it.

Who cares if they do know? They can't force you to buy stuff from the store and they would never know if you did order online. Plus I'm sure the sales person really doesn't give a shit, you're not buying from them personally, its not a handcraft fair.

I probably don’t look like someone who spends £250 on a pair of jeans.

Anyone who has been trained in retail, especially high end fashion retail, will know not to judge people on what they are wearing. There isn't much correlation between what someone is wearing and their propensity to actually buy things.

On the other hand, I do very much agree with PP that for your own peace of mind remind yourself that you are a potential customer and deserve to be treated well.

It might be like animals who can 'scent' fear, if you are genuinely uncomfortable there they will notice. A good sales person would be more likely to encourage anyone feeling unsure because if treated well and shown what there is to gain from shopping in a flagship store are likely to become loyal customers.

Thanks to everyone who posted. Emboldened by this I went into MHL and tried on a t shirt and soon realised the colour was wrong, and had no difficulty handing it back to the salesperson. Jeez I’m a mother of two who has survived a whole number of tough life situations but I realise I’m still intimidated by shop assistants.