Shop assistants offering help - appropriate?

In My Humble Opinion
21

Two things: Not only do I want to be greeted at the door, I also want to be gushed over, led to a cushy chair, served tea, and shown everything and given a discount. If I was given a party hat, it would even be better.

The other thing: Sales people at shops generally aren’t paid in the 6 figure range. They are trying to do their job by greeting you and asking if you want assistance, so should be treated with some respect. They did not apply for the position in the off-chance that you would saunter into the store so they could annoy you. Try to smile at them and say, “Thank you, I would like to browse awhile, but I’ll track you down if I need you!”. They’ll be happy, and you’ll be happy.

There is no need to grumble at anyone who is trying to do their job. Life is short.

22

I don’t mind being asked “Can I help you?” or “Are you alright there?” when I’m in a store. It doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable, so long as it’s not intrusive and the salesperson takes “I’m OK looking for the moment, but I’ll ask you if I need anything” or “I’m fine for the moment thanks” for an answer, which in the vast, vast, VAST majority of cases they do. I don’t usually like someone demanding to know exactly what I’m looking for and then thrusting examples in my face, simply because I then have to go to the trouble of saying “No, that’s not really me” or “I don’t actually like that jacket, but thanks anyway”. I don’t feel like I’m letting someone down by simply saying that I’m OK looking for now, though.

And sometimes I’ll say “Have you got this one in a 14?” or “What waist measurement is the men’s medium?” and then we have happy helpful staff and happy me. I find that staff in the mens department of big stores (I’m thinking John Lewis in particular) are often more helpful than staff in the ladies department. I think they’re going for the old-fashioned gentlemen’s outfitter experience. I reckon (and this is entirely my own opinion, subject to bias, prejudice and originating from my arse) that women are more likely to browse when clothes shopping and men are more likely to have specific needs, eg navy blue corduroy trousers 36R, black canvas trousers 36R, black socks, grey wool jumper 42" chest.

23

I respect shopkeepers for they’re just trying to do their jobs, and many times I come across those who are geniunely willing to help. But more often than not I don’t need anyone’s help and I thank them and decline.

For me, I’d simply just like to be acknowledged when I enter a shop or a section of a department-store and be told “If you need any help sir, please let us know.” I don’t, however, like being waited upon.

24

My mother is one of those people who likes a lot of attention from (a) retail salespeople and (b) restaurant waitstaff.

I don’t like either.

To a certain point, it’s fine; ask me once if you can help me when I walk into a store, and if you’re my server as a restaurant, check on me once after I’ve gotten my food, and we’re good to go (but if you keep interrupting my conversation or catching me with a mouthful of food to ask if I’m (still) doing OK, I get a little annoyed).

My mom, on the other hand, is not only pissed off if someone doesn’t crawl up her butt and set up camp when she’s shopping, she’ll actually call me out in a retail store if I go with the standard “No thanks, just looking” reply.

She’ll look at me, and say (loudly), “I thought you said you were looking for a red skirt!”

Me (whispering): “Well, I AM, but I don’t want–”

Mom: “Well, then why didn’t you TELL her you’re looking for a red skirt?”

Me: “Because I don’t really–”

Mom (to the salesperson): “Do you have any red skirts?” (and then to me) “What size do you wear, about an 8?” (and back to the salesperson) “About a size 8.”

For some reason this just makes me want to punch her in the neck.

But the point is that some people DO want help, and are mad if they don’t get it, so I don’t imagine that there’s a way for retail folks to please everyone.

Hey, maybe they could have two little baskets of placards at the door: one with signs that say “Help Me! Please!” and the other with signs that say “Don’t Ask Me, I’ll Ask You”.

Whichever way you swing, you could pick up an appropriate sign, hang it around your neck, and get the kind of service you want. :wink:

25

I think one of the problems is the phrase “Can I help you?” Sure, it’s supposed to demonstrate the assistant’s willingness to be helpful, but it’s the same question that’d be asked if you were standing in the lingerie department fitting panties over your head. “Can I help you?” It says “Justify youre presence here immediately.” I far prefer “If you have any questions or need any help, I’ll be over there. Feel free to browse.”

I generally don’t like help, but I agree with MLS, the Nordstrom experience is good. I think they actually train their people. Also, I’ve noticed the folks working there have an average age well above the standard teenage mall store assistant.

And I’m with Melandry; small shops are much worse for the “They noticed me, I must leave now” syndrome.

I just realized, I’m thinking exclusively of clothing stores. It’s very, very rare that anyone asks me if I need help in, say, a bookstore, but “Can I help you find anything” in a bookstore doesn’t bother me. Perhaps that’s because I always feel a certain angst shopping for clothes, whereas I feel like I belong in a bookstore.

26

When I walk into Wal-Mart, I expect to be ignored. When I walk into a department store, I expect to be pretty much ignored. When I walk into a small shop, I expect to be greeted, fawned over and generally treated as if they are glad to see me.

Small shops generally charge more for a comparable item than large stores. Customer service is supposed to be one of the main things they offer to make up for the higher price.

27

A lot of staff in small boutiques seem to work on a commission basis. I always avoid the “Can I help you?” people (as usually I can find my way around a small boutique store myself) and often when I come to pay they ask me if anyone helped me pick my jeans, so that they can add the commission to the right clerk - and if you don’t tell them who helped you, the person at the cash will claim the commission for themselves.

This also means that if someone does help you pick something, they’ll either follow you around until you’re done or else offer to “hold” it for you, to make sure they’re there when it’s rung into the cash. This is annoying for me but no doubt even more annoying for them.

So I suppress the instinct to say “No, I found them myself, without any help. Remarkable, isn’t it?” and make sure that if anyone has earned a commission on my jeans, they get it.

Once I was trying something on (with no assistance from a clerk) and this one woman who had been awfully pushy with other customers, HANDED ME A (entirely unsolicited) SKIRT over the door of my changeroom - “If you like that top, this skirt would be just lovely with it!” Lady, if I wanted a skirt, I would have got a skirt! Grr.

I hate stores that put their clerks on commission.