STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Andrea Julia · Coach

Do you feel guilty...

Lilykind · Hermes

I always feel terrible. The majority of my shopping excursions are for research purposes only and when salespeople are so sweet and attentive, I keep thinking that I wish I could afford to throw caution to the wind and forget that I have a limited income. Sometimes I even end up buying the stuff and later returning it to another store in town. I do this with French Connection because there is this guy at one of the stores that knows me and flirt with me and he's really cute but too aggressive. I'll end up buying the stuff, coming back to my senses, and then I return to the other store in town.

Andrea Julia · Coach

Lilykind wrote:

Sometimes I even end up buying the stuff and later returning it to another store in town. I do this with French Connection because there is this guy at one of the stores that knows me and flirt with me and he's really cute but too aggressive. I'll end up buying the stuff, coming back to my senses, and then I return to the other store in town.

I've thought of doing that before, too. I thought I was the only one that would think of something like that. I always make myself not do it though because I don't have time to return it elsewhere since a lot of the stores I go to only have one location that is really close to me. I would just end up keeping it.

luckylily · Gucci

I sometimes suffer a moment of guilt when I hand the items back to the salesperson and say no thanks as I leave the dressing room. The guilt is often more related to the fact that I'm trying something on that I may have no intention of buying, I just want to see how it looks on me.

atlgirl · Gucci

Nope! I spent ten years in retail myself, and don't feel guilty if I don't find what I'm looking for.

And usually I don't need much help anyway - I know what works for me and what doesn't, and I don't need an overhelpful SA telling me "that looks great!" every time I step outside the fitting room.

I do, however, make a point to point out whomever might have helped me if the person checking me out says, "Did anyone help you today?". Even if the "help" was just answering a question (like about shirts shrinking or something). I know most places aren't on commission, but they must be tracking *something* if they ask, and I want to make sure the right people are appropriately tracked, if that makes sense.

blink · Coach

no way do I feel guilty, but I always express gratitude for help because I really do appreciate good professional attention. I usually make it clear that I am just looking or just trying on to see if a certain item looks as good on me as it does on the mannequin/rack. Then I may think about the item for a day or try some other store before I decide. I don't typically try on anything I wouldn't consider buying. Anyway, if it's not a ten, I don't buy it, unless I need something to wear that night, hate that....

-- Edited by lorelei at 11:46, 2005-12-06

NCshopper · Hermes

I kinda feel guilty, but I know that I shouldn't. If someone's genuinely truly nice and really helpful, then I feel kinda bad, but I find that that's VERY rare now. I feel like more and more often these days when I go shopping and find someone that's very helpful, they pretty quickly cross the line into being pushy, which I hate. When the SAs start getting pushy, then I'll just leave and not buy anything and won't feel bad at all.

Christine · Coach

Yeah, I do feel guilty, especially if the SAs are really helpful. I try not to - it's not my fault if something doesn't look the way I'd hoped - but I do anyway!