Can I help you? Why retail customers always say No
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Can I help you? Why retail customers always say No
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Re: Can I help you? Why retail customers always say No
#2I always say No because I usually enter a store with a product (or product type) already in mind and just desperately want to avoid getting upsold by the packs of roving sales peoples trying to boost their commission by selling me something I don't need.
I have occasionally had good experiences talking to sales types at retail places (including just a couple days ago) but normally if they get persistent I just end up ducking out and getting what I want from Amazon.
Re: Can I help you? Why retail customers always say No
#3"People wouldn’t (especially men) enter a store just for the sake of it, they want help."
I prefer to engage with others as little when I enter a store. I want to find the stuff I want, pay for it, and get out. I'm even willing to spend twice as much time (or more) looking for what I want than I would have if I have go engage with a store assistant.
I'm not exactly socially awkward, either. I just hate shopping. I find stores quite adversarial. I feel that assistants aren't really there to help me; they're there to maximize profits for their employer. I prefer to make a buying decision without the time pressure I feel if I'm being helped. If I'm told "you look great in that" I am unable to figure out if it's really suitable for me, or if the assistant just wants to make a sale, or if the assistant hasn't been able to judge me accurately.
My answer to “Are you after pants or tops today?” will always be “I'm just looking; thanks.”
Re: Can I help you? Why retail customers always say No
#4Maybe because the customer doesn't want to be bothered?
Re: Can I help you? Why retail customers always say No
#5"People wouldn’t (especially men) enter a store just for the sake of it, they want help." I prefer to engage with others as little when I enter a store. I want to find the stuff I want, pay for it, and get out. I'm even willing to spend twice as much time (or more) looking for what I want than I would have if I have go engage with a store assistant. I'm not exactly socially awkward, either. I just hate shopping. I fi…
... And then never go back to that store again.
Re: Can I help you? Why retail customers always say No
#6I always say No because I usually enter a store with a product (or product type) already in mind and just desperately want to avoid getting upsold by the packs of roving sales peoples trying to boost their commission by selling me something I don't need. I have occasionally had good experiences talking to sales types at retail places (including just a couple days ago) but normally if they get persistent I just end up…
„avoid getting upsold by the packs of roving sales peoples trying to boost their commission by selling me something I don't need.“
I have some friends working in stores who quit their jobs because they were forced to sell nonsense stuff in addition to products :-/ Pushes me in the Amazon direction, too...
Re: Can I help you? Why retail customers always say No
#7I always feel that if I answer "yes" to "can I help you?" it implies that was just randomly bumbling around the shop like a lost idiot, too incompetent even to ask for help.
Re: Can I help you? Why retail customers always say No
#8Maybe I'm a minority (though not in here, I'm sure) as I'm a bit of an introvert but I strongly prefer to browse on my own. Whenever I am asked something "clever" like suggested in the article, I get annoyed because I feel like I'm being manipulated.
Re: Can I help you? Why retail customers always say No
#9This is one of the reasons online shopping is so successful. I have never enjoyed being asked questions by employees when I enter a store. I go in with something in mind (or just to browse to kill time) and get out with or without my product.
Re: Can I help you? Why retail customers always say No
#10"People wouldn’t (especially men) enter a store just for the sake of it, they want help." I prefer to engage with others as little when I enter a store. I want to find the stuff I want, pay for it, and get out. I'm even willing to spend twice as much time (or more) looking for what I want than I would have if I have go engage with a store assistant. I'm not exactly socially awkward, either. I just hate shopping. I fi…
That quote ending with "they want help" reminds me of Alec Baldwin's monologue in Glengarry Glen Ross. It sounds salesy to me, and I'd reply with "just looking" and pretend to be undisturbed but to soon leave the store, much less likely to return.