The body shop

as0ta

Why can't you walk into a body shop without having staff following you around and asking you the same questions again and again? It is frustrating. Has anyone experienced this. It's in every shop I go to and not just one. :mad:

Fuzzy_Duck

Oddly enough I stopped going there years ago because the staff tend to bother you the second you step inside. I never go in Hawkin's Bazaar for the same reason, and as I used to work for them I know they forced their staff to harrass the customers- I can only assume some Body Shop's are doing the same thing. Sad as it puts so many people off!

mumOf2wonderfulkids

i used to work in a jewellers, we worked behind a counter and every time a customer entered the store we would have to go out through the door into the shop and ask if we could help. i absolutely hated it, felt like i was pouncing on people. We had to do this by order of the managment, i dont know why cause i hate it when staff pounce on me like that....and most of the time i leave and dont come back

Reggie_Rebel

When they ask what you are looking for reply "something for a sweaty chuff" they soon disappear then

Edit- this will work better in Body Shop than it will a Jewellers

bills_2

I am afraid it is the general thing in retail staff are told to approach customers after a certain time period. Just to show you are there if needed and to be polite to customers. Although I don't know why the bosses of these retail stores don't listen to customers needs on this one as most DONT like to be jumped on as soon as they enter a shop and can tell who the staff are if they need help.

reehsetin

bills wrote: »

I am afraid it is the general thing in retail staff are told to approach customers after a certain time period. Just to show you are there if needed and to be polite to customers. Although I don't know why the bosses of these retail stores don't listen to customers needs on this one as most DONT like to be jumped on as soon as they enter a shop and can tell who the staff are if they need help.

Exactly, pretty much every retailer will tell staff they need to approach customers within x timeframe, whether or not it works depends on the sales assistant
Hopefully companies are realising that customers don't want to be jumped on e.g.my company changed the timeframe from within 30 seconds to 2 minutes to allow a little browsing time

hells_2

Exactly what is that time period?
I walked into one of those gadget type shops recently...I put ONE foot over the threshold, literally, and Nigel the Nerd came rushing over to me: "can I help, can I help"
I said: "Let me get in the bl00dy shop first eh?"
He looked confused.
"Are you looking for anything in particular madam"?
"I don't know", I replied, "as I haven't had the opportunity to actually get IN your shop yet to see what it is you actually sell"....
He then followed me round for the next 10 seconds, while I did an extremely quick circuit back out of the place.

I HATE being harrassed while I try and shop.
I've gone back into the Body Shop after many years of Lush-dom, as they've brought back my 1980's favourites and wanted some...

Could I get a word in, could I even get to the shelf they were on? Could I flip!

All shops are getting the same now and it's highly irritating.

Esqui

I normally leave it to just a "Hello" or "Good morning/afternoon/evening" when people have just walked through the doors. If they're after something in particular, they will say there and then, if they're just browsing, they'll respond with another "Hello" or something.

Mind you, my store is fairly big, and people can browse more easily than in a smaller shop like the Body Shop or a jewellers. I don't mean this to sound bad, but in larger shops, you can keep an eye on customers to see if they need a hand without crowding them.

Zooxanthelle

I used to run a Body Shop franchise and I would get sent all the pos and staff memos. Included in this was a "tree of service" which basically showed you where you should place your staff to get to the customers at certain points in the store. You would then allocate this postition to each staff member.
They also send out a list of questions to ask customers to link conversation to products. So yes that is why you may be having similar experiences in different stores.

I just think it's hugely intimidating when you can't just happily browse without being hounded.
Like Esqui said, a simple "Hello" will do nicely.

Dizzy_Ditzy

i was in a bed shop once, and a nerdy nigel type came over within 10 seconds of us walking in- he asked what we were looking for so we said we were looking for a freezer....i couldnt stop laughing and said bloke just walked away!!

but yes, it is incredibly annoying. if i want someone, i will ask for them!

VIVA-BOOTS

queen_of_cheap wrote: »

i was in a bed shop once, and a nerdy nigel type came over within 10 seconds of us walking in- he asked what we were looking for so we said we were looking for a freezer....i couldnt stop laughing and said bloke just walked away!!

but yes, it is incredibly annoying. if i want someone, i will ask for them!

ROFL I'll keep that in mind the next time I get harrassed :T