L'Eclaireur in Paris: possibly the most intimidating retail experience on the planet.I was just asked a question over on my Diary about how staff can be rude/intimidating at fashion retail stores, and seeing as it's something that we all have to deal with on a regular basis, I thought I'd try to figure it out. When I was a lot younger and I'd just moved to Auckland, I used to browse the high end stores a lot: Zambesi, Fabric, Wunderkammer and Little Brother were my regulars. I very rarely (if ever) bought anything due to my extreme lack of funds, and more often than not, I'd get so nervous walking through the door that I'd break out in a cold sweat. With every glance or comment or half smile I could literally see the retail staff judging my clothes and mentally assessing the contents of my bank account.
There were two problems: Firstly, sometimes the staff were just plain rude. Secondly, and probably most likely, I was projecting my own intimidated insecurities and imagining things. While it's true that I get treated better by retail staff now that I'm older than a lot of them, I have a little more money to spend and possibly most importantly, I work in the fashion media, I will admit that shopping still freaks me out. I hate trying things on because more often than not I won't want to buy the garments and then you have the whole putting-things-back-on-the-shelf dilemma, and what about when you realise you can't actually afford the thing at all. The worst!
Here's what we have to remember: Retail stores need customers. They need people who will buy now, and people who will look now and buy later. They need people who will talk about their stores to their friends and who will lay-buy clothes and even people who will only buy when everything is on 80% sale. If you don't like how a retail assistant talks to you or looks at you or treats you, then it's your choice not to buy. You can walk away. Or even better, you can complain to the manager...
And here's some advice from the retailers themselves:
Marty at Fabric: "I always tell my staff that the guy who's at uni now and can't afford it will eventually graduate. It's all about personal confidence I think. You just have to walk in and enjoy yourself. For us it's all about trying to encourage young guys to come in the store and to really enjoy the product."
Murray Crane at Crane Brothers: "Don’t go in. Quite simple really. The standard will never improve unless lazy sales people are held to account."
Debbie Hindin (my Aunty) at Moa: "What you've got to remember is that the philosophy is that the customer comes first. Of course pleasing the customer is the thing that is utmost important because the customer is the one the whole shop is geared towards. They're the main priority."
Sarah Mason at Area 51: "To the wholesome modest kids out there (who are a dying breed in inner city AK) the things that are important are your ability to hold a decent conversation, do that when you walk in and everyone has mutual respect, and remember you are the ones paying us at the end of the day...WE WANT YOU to be in our stores."
Jae Mills at Black Box Boutique: "I think if a young customer is feeling intimidated about walking into a store, it helps to build a rapport with the sales person. Sales people enjoy conversation and building relationships with their customers. If you build a good relationship with the sales person by being in turn friendly and accommodating they will look after you and offer all their knowledge and information about the product. Once you have established a good relationship with the staff there should be no reason to feel intimidated next time."
Frank Liew at Qubic: "There should never be an excuse for poor or intimidating service, ever. In our travels we see poor service all over the world and that was one thing we didn’t want to bring home to NZ. We've always said that even if a person doesn't want to buy something, it's good to share our insane vision with them so they know what we're about. You know, a lot of the time retail staff genuinely want to have a nice conversation with someone who walks into the door, and they might be more intimidated by you than you are by them! We’re humans too. Having a nice conversation with someone is a nice way of making the long day a little more interesting, and it’s always fun to chat the day away with people with similar interests, so don't be afraid."
Photo: French Truckers
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22 comments:
Enlighten us as to what happened at L'Eclaireur?
Did you used to serve your self at little brother isaac? I seem to remember you being quite attentive and polite...
I really don't understand the comments from Black Box above. How ridiculous. How about reverse it, and the sales assistant developing the rapport with the customer... it's their job, it's what they're paid to do. At the end of the day they are just sales assistants usually working part time whilst putting themselves through Uni - Don't see what the big deal is.
nice topic isaac, go with a friend [safety in numbers] the experience is where all the fun is. anything you do happen to buy is just icing on the cake.
They were just straight up rude.
You're right, I was extremely attentive and polite.
So true.
I really don't understand the comments from Black Box above. How ridiculous. How about reverse it, and the sales assistant developing the rapport with the customer... it's their job, it's what they're paid to do.
From the person who asked you that question on IsaacLikesDiary.. Thankyou :)
Um yes, thank goodness. I myself work in retail as well but working in an outlet so not as flash. Talking and helping customers is definitely something I love and bloody hell, when I ask you how your day is I genuinely mean it. Retail gets very boring and people = conversation = time going faster.
What's worse is when you say hello to them and they straight up to your face say, "Oh no, just browsing I'm not going to buy anything."
Never in my life have I bought something from Qubic as I can't afford it but I always always go in to say hello and create conversation with the workers there as they are the most genuine people out there.
Never judge on what people are wearing and their race etc. Say hello to anyone or don't say hello at all if you choose the second, you shouldn't be working in retail at all.
Rant end. :)
After doing my time as a retail assistant I think that a lot of the time customers or people who have never done retail have this built up idea of what retail people are like. They assume that if you work in a fancy store you are some kind of snotty fashion fan whos completely judgemental and fashion fashion fashion. The majority of the time retail staff are students or people who have other work as well and they really are just like you! Hardly anyone who I worked with judged people as they came in the door, and more often it was comments like " I really love that girls bag" etc etc .
Dont ignore a sales person , you can say hello too and as "smile regardless"mentioned when a sales person says "hello" they are just saying hello, replying with " Im just looking" is so rude and so frustrating and many times it is very tempting to say " Thats great , I was just saying hello!!!"
So lose your inhibitions, retail staff are people too, they like to bond and chat and be helpful, it makes the day go faster ,dont be afraid!
good post. zambesi attendants are usually pretty cold, for whatever reason. fabric's great if you show you've got an interests in the clothes.
i don't think i've ever had as wonderful customer service as i do every time i walk into wunderkammer and see paul, though.
I think Superette could do with a change in attitude! They're so often rude!! (until they know you're going to spend money) The nicest and most helpful people in retail that I've come across in Auckland are Jimmy D and Jae Mills!
I also work in fashion retail on High St in Auckland, and before that I worked for JB Hifi. At JB's you go to sales training seminars, I remember one time the tutor said to us, "Don't feel intimidated by customers when they try to flick you off and say 'just looking', just remember that they have come in to your space, this is where you work and it is your job to help and serve them, not to watch them walk around the store as if it's a museum!"
I have been confronted by some awful people, I said hello to one guy and he told me to just go away.... I couldn't believe it!
A tip for shoppers to remember: Hello = Hello, not ignore and hide behind a rack, we can see you and we know you can see us so just break the ice with a simple hello, we're not going to jump your bones!
RAHHHH!!! lol
;)
I am still astounded at the amount of sales staff that open the conversation with "You don't need any help do you?"!!!
It's been a couple of years since a shopped in Auckland, but Qubic have got the best staff, stand out friendliest for sure
World staff can be pushy but at least they remember your name and you last purchase was. As for Area 51 & Superette not the friendliest of them all
Method in Newmarket = Friendliest staff there and impeccable taste of music.
To be honest, working as full time salesperson myself. I find that the majority of people who enter you're store have a hard time acknowledging you or repsonding to you when you say hi or try to engage with them. This as a whole doesn't inspire you to conitinue being the most friendliest salesperson. So maybe it's a two way street?
I remember visiting a high end store in Melbourne and I got the feeling the staff were deliberately avoiding making eye contact. So after testing this hypothesis, I was right each time I'd look up at any of the staff they would look away.
You're right about L'éclaireur in le marais in Paris. They beat Colette by a long margin. As relatively welcoming as they can be at their Champs Elysées other boutique, the marais outpost (apart from the girl in the entrance) is filled by sales assistants with pretentious aloofness.
Far be it for me to 'out' stores that have bad service but I'm constantly shocked at how little effort staff make to talk to me or even acknowledge me in designer women's fashion stores. Come on ladies: I might not be young/thin/uber-cool enough for you but I have money to spend! One thing I have learnt though is that when you go shopping, wear store-appropriate clothes; when you shop in Zambesi, wear Zambesi. It helps!
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