Luxury Shopping - Salespeople?

[softgrey]

loking for some general feedback...

we've discussed all the things we don't like and some of the negative expereinces we've had while shopping...

but what are you looking for from the salespeople in a luxury dept store or specialty store...
like barney's, saks fifth ave, neiman marcus, harvey nichols, isetan...etc...

what are the top five things you expect from your sales associate that would make your shopping experience a positive one and would keep you coming back and maybe even recommend that store to others?...

please share your thoughts...

 

[faust]

Unintrusive (nubmer 1, I know WTF I'm looking for, thank you)
Helpful
Genuinly interested/knowledgable in fashion
Pleasant
Respectful/Self-respectful

 

[purechris]

my POV as the salesperson:

pleasant and personal greeting
get to know the customer's needs and tastes.
Be suggestive and informative about merchandise (know your product).
take the merchandise for the customer
follow up with thank you letters and calls for new merchandise related to their preferences for brand, size, events, etc.

I'll bring more later. I'm still getting ready for the event tonite. I'd love to see what people expect.

Thanks for bringing this up soft

 

[softgrey]

faust...interesting ...last one...
respectful/self-respectful...
not sure what you mean by that but i'm intrigued...can you expand...?
thx...

 

[faust]

faust...interesting ...last one...
respectful/self-respectful...
not sure what you mean by that but i'm intrigued...can you expand...?
thx...

Sure, right after I get back from IF, where the salespeople have something left to be desired .

 

[*Happiness*]

What everyone said.

Take a personal interest in the customer/client.
Smile...and be pleasant. (that's always important).

 

[tott]

I just thought this was interesting and fits into this thread...

http://www.newyorker.com/printable/?archive/040315fr_archive02

 

[softgrey]

good article tott...thanks!!...

 

[Meg]

I think from my own standpoint what I like and what I would like to offer to people:

personal greeting. I can't stand that many british shops don't say hello when you enter the store/department.

genuine concern for your shopping needs. For me, even if I were a sales rep, it's about meeting the customers needs. Yes, sales are important but i think you can also guarantee future sales by understanding your customer and not just shoving merchandise onto them. because if they later regret it and know that you just told them to buy it, they won't come back.

genuine fashion knowledge as faust said.

friendly. nothing worse than a scowly SA. especially if someone is intimidated to go into a store to begin with.

 

[softgrey]

sooo....
what kinds of questions would be good to figure out what someone's needs are?..


i'll add my own in a bit...
my big one is...what's your favourite designer...?

 

[Meg]

I would say it depends what they are looking for. What sort of look are they going for? Are they interested in any item in particular? Are there certain shapes that they want? Just sort of pulling ideas together. I think an SA is akin to a personal shopper in a sense.

 

[faust]

faust...interesting ...last one...
respectful/self-respectful...
not sure what you mean by that but i'm intrigued...can you expand...?
thx...

Ok, what I mean by the last one is that they should respect you as a customer, not be snooty or ignore you, but also hold themselves as equal and not be all fake smiley and subservient. They should be serving you without feeling like servants.

Anyway, I think I'm done with IF exactly because their salespeople are crap. It's good to check out new CDG stuff, but it'd be the last place I leave my money at.

 

[Meg]

^
totally agree faust. Fake SA's are the worst. I had this guy at Browns Focus today try and tell me that people should buy the mj patent flats in both black and orange because it would look cool and 'very sex and the city'. I told him it looks 'very halloween'. He's lucky I needed a pair of flats because that sort of attitude is so aggravating.

 

[faust]

^
totally agree faust. Fake SA's are the worst. I had this guy at Browns Focus today try and tell me that people should buy the mj patent flats in both black and orange because it would look cool and 'very sex and the city'. I told him it looks 'very halloween'. He's lucky I needed a pair of flats because that sort of attitude is so aggravating.

Halloween!!! You go!

 

[softgrey]

meg...and everyone...do you think you can tell stuff about a customer and what they are or might be looking for before you even talk to them?...

yeah...i like that faust...i think that is a very good point...

i think having a good saleperson is almost like shopping with your best friend...you bounce ideas off one another and trust each other's judgement and help each other find great stuff...


ps...faust....what the heck happened at IF?...

 

[Meg]

totally agree softie. I like to feel like an SA is my friend and would want someone to feel like I was there friend. once again, i understand that managers are constantly pushing sales, but if something looks bad on someone, I don't want them to buy it. I'd rather find them something that looks better or have them come back in a week or two and buy something else from me that fits them and makes them look well.

I do think you can tell a lot about a customer before talking to them, ie personal style and the what not but that said I think it so important to greet people and talk to them because some people just don't get dressed up to go shopping. or some people come in sweats and have the money to purchase things but they feel intimidated and thus normally don't shop there. I think treating every customer no matter if they come in a fur coat and a birkin or sweats and trainers with respect is very important.

 

[faust]

ps...faust....what the heck happened at IF?...

Same thing that has been happening for the past couple of years (a TOTAL turn around in attitude from the days before, and I've been shopping in that store for about 6-7 years now), I was completely ignored by people who know me by name. One of those, i-know-you-are-here-but-i'll-pretend-to-be-staring-into-the-void moments.

 

[softgrey]

meg....i agree with the last part about treating everyone the same and you never know who's going to splurge...but i meant more about the person's likes and dislikes...

so that you would sort of knoww what the right approach would be with them...

ie-if they show up in juicy sweats/uggs and are toting a giant luella bag...i would not show them the new yohji....i'd probably direct them to gucci and for a bit more edge some chloe...'

you know what i mean?...

i had this girl try to sell me a necklace the other day...and i was wearing the limi jkt w/ the giant safety pin and the yohji wedge hat...etc...and i was thinking what would i wear it with...and she said..'oh anything, like even a t-shirt and jns'...

what a creative suggestion?!!!?!?!! ...i just looked at her...and i said..."look at me...do i look like i wear a t-shirt and jeans...?!?!?!..."
i just left after that...she was an IDIOT!!!...
completley clueless...

 

[faust]

totally agree softie. I like to feel like an SA is my friend and would want someone to feel like I was there friend. once again, i understand that managers are constantly pushing sales, but if something looks bad on someone, I don't want them to buy it. I'd rather find them something that looks better or have them come back in a week or two and buy something else from me that fits them and makes them look well.

I agree as well. That attitude will depend on a store. A tourist oriented store will push you anything. But a quite niche store depends on the returning customers. And if you try to sell customer crap, he'll simply goes elsewhere, even if you are successful the first time. I think it's much better to have a return customer.

 

[faust]

meg....i agree with the last part about treating everyone the same and you never know who's going to splurge...but i meant more about the person's likes and dislikes...

so that you would sort of knoww what the right approach would be with them...

ie-if they show up in juicy sweats/uggs and are toting a giant luella bag...i would not show them the new yohji....i'd probably direct them to gucci and for a bit more edge some chloe...'

you know what i mean?...

i had this girl try to sell me a necklace the other day...and i was wearing the limi jkt w/ the giant safety pin and the yohji wedge hat...etc...and i was thinking what would i wear it with...and she said..'oh anything, like even a t-shirt and jns'...

what a creative suggestion?!!!?!?!! ...i just looked at her...and i said..."look at me...do i look like i wear a t-shirt and jeans...?!?!?!..."
i just left after that...she was an IDIOT!!!...
completley clueless...

I know what you mean, and I think that a good SA will know this. In the stores that I frequent the SAs know to leave me the hell alone, because they know that I'll be looking for that one piece that speaks to me. Other people come in and they want to be clued in, because they are not sure.