[Futures]

I feel so uncomfortable when sales staff bother me at the mall. I'm fine with them greeting me when I enter the store. I just reply with my standard response of "I'm just browsin for right now." But at this point I wish they'd leave me alone.

I hate when 10 minutes has gone by and they're like "you still doing okay over here?" "yes" The store is not that freakin big. If I need your help, I can walk over and ask.

And then you go to pay for your items and they're like "Would you like to open a [store name] card? You can save up to 10 % off your next purchase."

No, that's alright

"You don't want to save 10%?"

Me: "No" (very awkwardly)

 

[shyvr6]

Yeah, I hate that as well, but it's just a part of their job to do those things.

 

[copper]

I feel so uncomfortable when sales staff bother me at the mall. I'm fine with them greeting me when I enter the store. I just reply with my standard response of "I'm just browsin for right now." But at this point I wish they'd leave me alone.

I hate when 10 minutes has gone by and they're like "you still doing okay over here?" "yes" The store is not that freakin big. If I need your help, I can walk over and ask.

And then you go to pay for your items and they're like "Would you like to open a [store name] card? You can save up to 10 % off your next purchase."

No, that's alright

"You don't want to save 10%?"

Me: "No" (very awkwardly)

I hate those saving cards. They do that at the Shopko here. Shopko is a store like Walmart, but more upscale. They sell more of the brand name stuff like Nike shoes. They are also a little more expensive. I very rarely shop there unless I need to go grab something at their pharmacy on break at work. I just work across the street from them. They usually aren't very busy compared to Walmart so if I need to grab one thing I will go there. They always ask me if I want their card and I tell them no. I don't want to be filling a stupid form out in the checkout lane.

Office Max is real bad for salesmen constantly asking me if I need help. I try to avoid going there unless I need to buy something I can't find at Wal-Mart. I don't know how they keep that store open. There is more workers then customers there and they have ton of stock just laying around.

 

[MaidMarian]

I don't like it when sales people pester me, either. When you actually DO need assistance, there never seem to be any sales personnel around.

 

[sansd]

This is why I've only bought clothes online for the past several years even though I have to return a lot of it and end up spending extra because of that. I can't even take the initial greeting.

 

[ThirdEyeGrind]

Yea, it can be annoying but it is their job to say that stuff. I always say "I'm just looking around". Then they leave me alone. Now those people at the little stands at the mall, like the one's who do manacures (mighta misspelled that) and stuff with your nails, they piss me the **** off. I know its their job as well but its like "dude, do I look like I want a frickin manacure?" I'm gonna start going up to them and ask if they wanna take a 5 minute survey.

 

[southward]

I work in retail and I ask that question a lot. You'd be suprised at the amount of people who don't ask for help until I come up to them.

I hate it when they ask me though.

 

[Jeff]

Yeah it's annoying. There's a lot of stores I'd like to go into, but I just avoid because I don't want to deal with the pushy staff.

Here's a little tip: If you ever want to buy tennis shoes, go to Sports Authority or Rack Room shoes, you can try on all the pairs you want by yourself and no one bothers you. Much better than going to one of the big sports chains where they hound you and slip the shoe on your foot and watch you while you walk around. LOL Who needs it!

 

[sc47]

I used to work in retail. We were told to ask anyone who was within 10 feet from us if they needed help. I was annoyed doing it all the time. I figured when I shop I will ask if I need help finding something.

If the manager was not around, I would usually avoid bothering people. It's annoying when your new and have to ask someone if they need help, and you have no idea where the item is they are looking for lol.

 

[anomalous]

Annoying as hell. My standard response is "no, I'm just looking around... thanks!" Works well enough, except for the few times I've said that but really been looking for something specific and not known where it was, so then they see me spending the next 10 minutes hunting around the store. :lol

 

[Delicate]

I know when they say it as a greeting I'm the same and some places I know to expect it at lush I can have a nice little conversation with them and they know everything about the products one girl looked nervous coming up and asking me if I'd used them before and so I felt nervous too lol I think she was maybe new. But I was in the health food shop the other day looking ironically at the anxiety and depression stuff just seeing what was there because my supervisor at work, she doesn't have SA but she gets stressed, was using kalms and said it worked really well then the sales woman looked at me funny and said... "Are you alright there" I said yeah I'm just looking then left as soon as possible without it looking weird. And I know some places they'll say it if you look suspicious so...

 

[solasum]

Trust me, they don't want to ask you any more than you want to be asked. We're hounded to greet every customer EVERY time we see him/her. This is mainly to deter theft.

I avoid people as much as possible. I can handle saying hi to them, but I hate when they ask how I'm doing. They don't really care, and then I feel obligated to ask them in return.

Edit: Recently, there's this new thing where the employee gets you a fitting room and asks your name. Then she'll check back later and use your name. That I really don't like.

 

[PGVan]

It's their job; I'm sure they wouldn't bother helping you if they wouldn't have to. I'm in retail, and I'd like nothing more than to sit around chatting with my coworkers while we wait for customers to approach us when they need us. Salespeople are obliged to greet and attempt to help everyone that comes into the store, especially with the economy at a standstill. They (we) get a lot of crap from our bosses if customers aren't attended to constantly. Oh, and salespeople are expected to get customers to sign up for those card things.

If it makes you really uncomfortable to be attended to, just tell them you're just browsing, not looking for anything in particular AND will call them if you need them. Make it clear that you're doing fine on by yourself and you will probably be left alone; be firmer if the salesperson is pushy. As for the card, you can just refuse it.

Well said. I am a manager, and it's my job to ensure my staff are approaching customers, and re-approaching those taking their time to look around. My company in particular has a philosophy where we don't try to push product on you, but rather we want to ignite a conversation. It can be about product, it can be about sports (our area of expertise) or even about the weather. (Asking closed-ended questions like "can I help you find anything?" is frowned upon.) Obviously it doesn't work with everybody, but our main goal is to make people feel comfortable in the store and be willing to come back, even if they don't buy anything then and there.

We also have secret shoppers for times when I am not around. I'm lucky in the sense that I have a good staff. In 3 years of managing, I've never had a bad report come back. *knocks on wood*

And yes, we have the points program too. There are some out there that are of little value, but there are some where I don't understand anybody refusing. If you can take as long as you want to spend a certain amount in that store and end up getting a $50 gift card for it, why not?

I understand that some people don't want our attention. That said, there is the other side of the coin, where a couple comes in, starts looking through a rack and I can hear the woman say "I can't find the larges"... so I approach and ask if they need help finding a size and she tells me that she's "just browsing". Obviously I couldn't call her a b!tch, but I damn sure felt like it. It was her tough luck that the size of shirt she wanted was in overstock in the back. I could have gotten one for her, but she apparently wasn't looking for it.

 

[EagerMinnow84]

I don't like it either, but it is their job. I wonder if I look totally lost which is why they ask me if I need help.

 

[Phobophobia]

It bothers me also. Usually when one of them asks me if I could use any help I just say no and walk away quickly.

 

[UpStuck]

I just went to the mall yesterday and this gets on my nerves. I know it's their job, and I always say, "Im fine, just looking..."

But as someone mentioned, they had these sales girls accompanying the customers to the dressing room area and they would retrieve different sized clothes for them and ask if they needed help or whatever. I didn't like that. Luckily I snuck into one of the dressing rooms without a "chaperone" but that customer service strategy would/will deter me from trying clothes on at this store.

Now those people at the little stands at the mall, like the one's who do manacures (mighta misspelled that) and stuff with your nails, they piss me the **** off. I know its their job as well but its like "dude, do I look like I want a frickin manacure?" I'm gonna start going up to them and ask if they wanna take a 5 minute survey.

I hate this!!!! Along with the survey people who try to stop you while youre trying to walk. I feel like Im playing dodge ball or something trying to determine when I can rush by quickly when they aren't looking.

 

[Mr. Frostie]

Most people consider it bad service to walk into a store and not be bombarded by bubbly salespeople, but I'm with the OP on this. I'd rather be left alone and ask for help if I need it. I think the socially anxious are in the minority on this issue, though.