How do you feel about retail employees who use aggressive sales tactics?

Question

Tactics, such as:
--Mentioning 5 items yo the customer that they should take a look at.
--Offering the company credit card once on the floor and then again at the cash register and upon the customer declining, continue to go into the details of the credit card advantages.
--Offering to start a dressing room for a customer with an arm full of clothes.
--Employees who will randomly give you extra items to try on in the dressing room to build on the sale.

Do these things make you comfortable/uncomfortable, deter you from shopping there, or just flat out annoy you?

Thank you for your responses!

Answer 1

I like it when they offer to start a dressing room, and I normally don't mind if they suggest things, so long as they don't get snotty when I decline something. Just don't follow me around like a puppy and comment on everything I pick up or pass over. Salespeople need to take cues, like, is this person in a hurry, or are they trying to ignore me?

As for credit card offers, I don't mind once, but if I decline, they should shut up. So it's best if they first offer includes the great incentive like, "would you like to get 10% off today and be eligible for more special offers throughout the year?" After that, give it up.

Answer 2

I can't stand aggressive sales tactics. That's why I sucked when I worked in retail because I knew a lot of people just don't want to be continuously hassled. Offering a dressing room is okay, but that's about it. The only thing I need is for a sales associate to be available when I have a question about something, versus running around all over the store trying to find someone. It's a catch-22!

Answer 3

I very much dislike aggressive retail employees and will walk away from them and give my sale to someone else.

For instance, last week my sister & I were shopping for Mother's Day gifts. My sister was looking at different perfumes. One lady kept following us around & demanding we try different scents even though we told her we were just looking. It happened with 4 different clerks (way too many clerks on staff IMO.) We walked away from all of those people & gave our sale to the one gentleman who didn't bother us but only asked us if we would like help in picking out a scent. He was helpful, but not overwhelming so he got the sale.

From your tactics above, the only one I appreciate is when an employee asks me if I need a dressing room or offers to hold my clothes at the register while I continue looking. All the rest would cause me to either go to another sales person or leave the store.

Answer 4

1. If the five things are similar to what I'm already looking at..I'm okay with that. If they are completely different, I would probably be annoyed.

2. Offer me the card once....after that, it's VERY annoying.

3. YES! I like it when they offer to start a dressing room for me! There is more chance that I will actually buy something if I only have to go to the dressing room once.

4. See #1 answer for this one.

Answer 5

I don't have much of a problem any longer with these people. I realize that they may be working on a commission basis, but hey, not my problem.

I usually look them straight in the eye and say "I am not ready, I will let you know when I am" and wait for them to leave.

Re: their credit card thingy, that is v. annoying. Just look at them straight in the eye and say NO a little sharply. Not 'no thank you'.

She did this with the credit card offer, said my NO, then she started spewing about the benefits of a card, I interrupted and said NO. She asked would I tell her why I didn't want one, I said NO. Nothing more or less.

Works every time.

You are under no obligation to 'explain yourself' or listen to a sales pitch.

As the saying goes "JUST SAY NO (to whatever).

Answer 6

I want to shop in peace. I don't want an employee following me around and showing me stuff that I'm not interested in trying. If I need help I can ask the staff for it. When an employee approaches me in a shop and offers to be of assistance I politely decline and say that I just want to have a look around by myself to see if I find something I like and will ask for assitance if I will need it. Most of the time they let me shop in peace then, but sometimes they follow me around anyway and try to show me some stuff. In such cases I usually walk out of the shop without as much as trying anything on.

Answer 7

I hate that too! I went to the Coach store to buy a coach bag before I even step foot in the store I know what I wanted. With that being said I went to look for the bag I wanted and before I could even look around for it this lady was down my throat. And when I tried to get the bag I wanted she just insisted that I get the bag she had in her hand, she even went as far as to involve the other workers and two customer that were standing near. I felt so pressured that I go the bag, and that bag was $200 more then the bag I wanted and could afford!!!! I hate these this type of thing is so wrong to go that far. After I got home and really thought about it I just took the bag back, got my money back, and just forgot about getting a bag period.

Answer 8

I find aggressive salespeople very uncomfortable. I usually just walk away or find someone more interested in helping me rather than padding a comission check. I know what I want when I enter a dept store, and its never a new credit card, and I find an employee who wants to help me find what I actually need. I am in retail myself and I treat customers like I want to be treated.

Answer 9

It depends on how pushy they are in all of the above. They are all things I expect to encounter when I shop, because these are all things that retailers train (and sometimes put tremendous pressure upon) their salespeople to do. I don't fault them for doing their job and trying to please their employer.

What I do mind is when I firmly and politely say "no thanks" and continue to get pressured, or when they actually stalk me around the store as I am browsing to point things out to me (when I have told them I'm just browsing), or delay checking me out for several minutes to go on and on about a credit card I do not want. When the salesperson goes from "friendly suggestions" to boost their sales to to point I feel they are hounding and pressuring me, that is a store I do not visit again.

Answer 10

Good grief, no. It seems worse than ever. I'm puzzled about the sophisticated technology stuff since the problems I, and others have been dealing with daily, with our emails, 360's( there's a ghost up there) seem intensified. ...Some of the trolls that are hanging around openly causing grief still seem to be amongst us. Now where is Bill Gates when you need him?!