Shopping At Luxury Stores

[katy]

The best sales assistants that I have come across in a high end store in London is at Liberty in Regent street.They are will ask you if you need help but back right off if you say you are just browsing. I personally hate it when they follow you round trying to chat to you - get out of my personal space! They are so nice when you do need service. I have bought a couple of bags in there and the assistant spent ten minutes talking bags with me and showing me photos of the next seasons collections as she was a fellow bag fanatic. Plus they package up your purchases really well.

I always find the assistants in Selfridges pretty rude and never there when you do need service and Harrods is the absolute pits for rude SA's.

I do agree that if you know your fashion they soon have to drop the attitude 'cos they often dont have the knowledge to keep up.Then who feels superior!! To go into a designer shop like gucci, moschino just give them a big smile as soon as you get in the door and that really throws them - if you ooze confidence from the beginning and done "scurry" in that soon sorts them out i find.

 

[sbbbjm]

this is what i've learned from my experiences shopping at the Houston Galleria:

• it doesn't necessarily matter how you dress, it's the shopping bags you have haha. i was wearing APC Jeans (no one here knows what they are here and they're logoless) , a vintage T and checkered vans -- not exactly my best, but i also had shopping bags from my earlier purchases that day from Neimans, Saks, Ralph Lauren and Coach. you'd be amazed how they come out of the cracks when they see the bags. if i hadn't had them, and i have before, no one even looks at me.
• if i'm at Neiman's all i have to do is say something to a sales associate like 'is it ok if i have you look up my mother's Incircle Card account? i can have you talk to her on my phone to approve' etc etc -- we actually don't shop there that much; my mom only buys makeup there bc her Trish Mcevoy makeup artist whose she's been going to for years works at that one
• if i ask questions that show i know way more about the product than they do, they're usually nicer
• if you walk in with a confident aura about yourself it usually doesn't matter what your wearing bc SA's can sense it and will shutup. show the slightest fear and they turn in to snobs.
• don't look at the pricetags for godsakes! if you do, do it discreetly, and certainly don't make faces.
• bring the MOMMY. sometimes i think she's really lame, but i gotta hand it to her, she is a pretty classy lady and can have those bitchy sales associates wrapped around her finger like no one else i know.

if all else fails, i just remind myself that i'm an accounting major and will most likely be making more than everyone of those SA's. yeah, some of them might make close to what i will make, but i will make my money not having to suck up to rich people, working 9-5, and having weekends off.

 

[shopsmuch]

I know I'm late to the thread but I've been bored and looking through past threads. Bear with me . . .
I've found that most rude ( or anything but polite/helpful/ friendly) SA's are miserable working retail and probably jealous that they can't spend the money that their customer's can. Also, management doesn't seem to stand behind their employees and from what I hear, they put a lot of pressure on the SA's. I go into a couple of stores and there are lines and lines of customers, clothes pilled up everywhere, dressing rooms overflowing, and cranky customers. It take a strong person not to crack under that kind of pressure, I would imagine. Granted, that's not typical at Saks, Neimans, and whatnot but still.
I just go in, look, purchase and leave. In the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter anyway. At the end of the day, if they're rude or nice, that's the attitude they have to live with.
Just my long and rambling 2 cents

I've heard this, but I just don't think it's a very good excuse for a rude SA. Their lack of interest in their work and crappy job performance very well may be what's keeping them down in the position they dislike so much. If they would realize this, I have a feeling that everyone's shopping trips would improve.

 

[P.Peach]

As much as I love fashion, I still dislike going into luxury stores because I think the sticker shock still shows on my face

 

[POTC_ROXS]

you'd be amazed how they come out of the cracks when they see the bags.

I just imagine SA's hiding around corners and peeping through racks of clothing to look at the label's on the customer's bags

 

[jaffa6]

I'm hispanic and plus-sized so I've had my share of experiences with salespeople looking down their noses, or just eyeing me suspiciously. I don't often wear very expensive clothes, but I do tend to buy higher end accessories.

I agree it really has more to do with the individual salesperson and their own snobbiness/judgment of people than the store or the city. I've met many Professional SA's who take pride in customer service.

In London I've had some very nice service at Harvey Nick's, and at Harrod's, though a lady I bought a dress from in Harrod's did make a not so subtle comment about my size.

Where I live now, I have an SA at Neiman's who always remembers me since I bought a bag from her. And at Sak's a sales associate in Salon Z actually researched a designer for me and then called me at home to let me know if the line would be carried by their store.

One really nice experience I had was at Emilio Pucci. I came in carrying a Pucci handbag and they asked me how I liked it and were even excited for me when I told them I'd got it for 60% off in a sale at Neiman's. The male salesperson showed me some scarves and demonstrated all the different ways to wear the largest one. I ended up getting a smaller one, but he still wrapped it up beautifully and made the purchasing experience a pleasure.

 

[nat_attak]

I have countless experiences w/ horrible service from 'so-called' high-end stores. Maybe cause i look like i'm 16 but still, you shouldn't treat people that way. However, my latest experience would have to be when i went to the Marc by Marc Jacobs store in la. It was about a week or 2 since they opened up the store on Melrose Ave. I wasn't planning to go there but i was around the area so i decided to check out the store. i was just wearing normal casual clothes (jeans+t-shirt+sandles w/ just a clutch wallet). So i walked in w/ a friend and we were looking at the clothes for maybe like a half hour and no one came up to greet or help us. I picked up a couple shirts and jacket to try on and still no one offered me the fitting room. Although there was this girl next to me who had an SA following her and she was making him hold all these clothes saying she was gonna buy all of them. It was hilarious cause at the end she didn't end up buying anything! Anyway, I didn't say anything since everyone seemed to be pretty buzy and there were alOT of people there. Then i tried on one of the jacket in front of the mirror and a man approached me. He said, "oh so do you like that jacket?" i said yes. Then he asked, "oh great it's a really nice jacket and the price is pretty high, are you gonna buy that?"(giving me a weird face) and i think i said maybe and then he offered me his card. On the card it said his name and under it said "security" or something like that. Then he had to nerve to say "oh i should hold that for you." And he took everything i was holding!

Oh i was so offended. Did he really think i was going to steal? That is so crap! I was so mad Just cause i wasn't carrying a balenciaga like every other person in the store. Some of those B bag were fake anyways! I gave the guy's card to the cashier person and bought all the stuff that was "on hold". I havn't been back there since.

On the other hand, the Marc Jacobs store across the street has great SAs. They are all very nice and helpful. tsk tsk some people

 

[tweedy]

^Oh my God that's probably the worst experience posted in this thread (I just spent half an hour reading every post). You MUST call the manager and complain. What a horrible feeling it must have been for you.

 

[Spike413]

Whenever I've been in a luxury boutique (like LV, Gucci, Dior etc.) I have always gotten really good service from the salespeople. They're very courteous, ready to help and most importantly, not at all pushy (which is odd considering they work on comission). It's weird, considering that I'm young and hardly rich you'd think I'd get crappy service, but that hasn't happened to me yet. I think maybe it has something to do with my attitude, I walk in like I could buy the whole place if I wanted to, not in an obnoxious sense, but I carry myself like I belong there, not like I'm out of my element....I really think that's at least part of why I've never had a bad experience in one of those stores.

Of course, I've heard stories of nasty, pompous sales people being terribly rude to customers which is something I absolutely detest. I don't care what the reason is, you respect the customer in any situation. I think it's really their responsibility to represent the company they're working for in the best possible way, and considering the money some people spend in those stores the service better damn well be better than your average department store.

 

[Diorling]

Ive never gotten rude service though the woman (security or someone useless) at Dior in NYC, gave me this look when I entered. And when I walked by her to leave (Dior shopping bag in hand, mind you) I said to my friend "I wonder if the people here can actually afford what they sell." Dior in NYC has excellent service, I always go to the same SA when I go there, he is excellent and knows exactly what Id like.

The woman at Hermes in Tysons was SOOOOO nice, she totally handled the dysfunction of my sister and I, and taught us about the ague or whatever and how Hermes is pronounced. She was a really nice. There is this lovely woman with an Italian accent at Chanel in Tysons, she was so helpful and no pressure at all, and actually recommended other stores (shocking).

I work in retail now, I really love it (the customers and selling, but I hate my employer). I want to get a job at Dior, Chanel or somewhere with a reputation for excellent service.

 

[magnolie verdi]

a very big reason why even though i have the money to spend in the higher ended stores i don't like to go in them. i always feel like i have to slap on every piece of designer i own (boy what a sight that'd make). those salespeople can be intimidating...

 

[pucci_mama]

I never recieved rude service.. going high end shopping maybe because SA' in london are really polite and helpful..

I feel sorry for you guys, it must be so embarrasing though, having rude SA' coming up to you..

 

[FashionFix]

a very big reason why even though i have the money to spend in the higher ended stores i don't like to go in them. i always feel like i have to slap on every piece of designer i own (boy what a sight that'd make). those salespeople can be intimidating...

^ I agree

 

[shopsmuch]

^Oh my God that's probably the worst experience posted in this thread (I just spent half an hour reading every post). You MUST call the manager and complain. What a horrible feeling it must have been for you.

Agree. Don't let that go...I would be so angry if that was me. What an awful experience.

Whenever I've been in a luxury boutique (like LV, Gucci, Dior etc.) I have always gotten really good service from the salespeople. They're very courteous, ready to help and most importantly, not at all pushy (which is odd considering they work on comission). It's weird, considering that I'm young and hardly rich you'd think I'd get crappy service, but that hasn't happened to me yet. I think maybe it has something to do with my attitude, I walk in like I could buy the whole place if I wanted to, not in an obnoxious sense, but I carry myself like I belong there, not like I'm out of my element....I really think that's at least part of why I've never had a bad experience in one of those stores.

I agree with this, I went into my first high end boutique when I was 14 and didn't have money to spend on clothes, and even though I looked years older than I was, I had no confidence about going in there. I was just starting to get into fashion and was just kind of seeing all the pretty clothes up close and personal. I remember the reaction of the SA's when I went in (with my mom), I'm surprised they didn't insist on kicking me out...

But now when I go in, I know the clothes in there and know I can buy things. I think I have the same type of attitude as you, not pompous or obnoxious, but confident, like I'm not even questioning whether or not I should be there...I BELONG in there. Since I learned to adopt that attitude, I have never dealt with a rude sales associate. I guess they look at you and think that you're a serious customer if you can own that level of comfort of being in the boutique.

 

[nat_attak]

^Oh my God that's probably the worst experience posted in this thread (I just spent half an hour reading every post). You MUST call the manager and complain. What a horrible feeling it must have been for you.

yeah it was my worst. usually i just get 'the look'. but this guy was just so rude. i shouldv called and complain. i mean comon it's a marc by marc store it's not like thousands of dollar item? it was a horrible experience

 

[Winter-Blossom]

I was just in the Cent City Bloomingdale's to check out the i love love perfume... carrying my white coach hobo, wearing a polo shirt and rock n republic jeans with just my huge diamond studs in my ears... and this sa comes up to me the moment I got off the elevator and asks me if i need help... usually, that's cool but I knew what i wanted and saw it so I said no, politely.. the same guy comes up to me three other times to ask me if i needed help, each time I said no... So the guy starts YELLING at me that it's his job to help people and if i wont buy anything i need to leave... I was SO upset that I don't think that I'll ever go back to that bloomingdale's in LA ever again... and I have shopped there for YEARS! I mean, over perfume?!?!?!

 

[kimair]

I'm hispanic and plus-sized so I've had my share of experiences with salespeople looking down their noses, or just eyeing me suspiciously. I don't often wear very expensive clothes, but I do tend to buy higher end accessories.

i have had similar experiences...i'm black, and sometimes i get looks. if i'm shopping on the weekends, i'll wear jeans or whatever, but i still have really nice accessories/jewelry, etc. and i get crappy service in the neiman's in sf...saks isn't as bad, but then again, i can hardly find a salesperson on the 2nd floor...

i've had the best service at the marc jacobs store...i know all the SA's and they're great...totally helpful and honest when they need to be.

 

[Taitai]

So the guy starts YELLING at me that it's his job to help people and if i wont buy anything i need to leave...

That is simply atrocious. I hope you complained to the manager! No one should ever say that to a customer. You should be able to stay in the store the whole day, not a buy a thing, and still be treated well.

 

[*BergdorfBlonde*]

Thank goodness I've never had such experiences. I was lucky enough to find the sweetest, most helpful SA at LV Forum Shops (Las Vegas) and my sister and I were asking her if we could try this or that and in the end we ended up buying lots of things ONLY because she was so nice and carried 10 boxes of shoes for us to try

Also, you find VERY nice SAs at Sephora. There was one in Aventural Mall (Miami) who was very sweet to me.

 

[thras]

I can't believe the amount of trouble you guys have had in high-end boutiques and department stores! I get incredible service everywhere I go in Toronto, even if I'm walking in and out for a few minutes (any and every Bloor St. store). I guess it helps that most often it's with my mom - who SA's are afraid to approach (too classy ) - but I think it really depends on your attitude when you walk in. For example, when I was first growing up in my early teen years, I'd walk into Holt's with complete confidence, irrespective of how I was treated back then (as a kid). Now, I walk in, and not only do all the SA's greet me by name, they also go out of their way to show new items! Mind you, they tend to stick to the Richmond and McQueen (of which I was shown a $1200 cashmere knit with dress shirt collars, and which I politely declined), but nevertheless, you can't seem intimidated or shocked by anything. After all, it's only money. If you don't have it, you don't have it. Politely explain you rather look at Prada/Costume National/Boss, and more often than not, they'll understand your budget, or at least what's insanely out of your budget!

When it comes down to it, it's all in your attitude. If you walk into a store and stare into the SA's eyes and look confused when they approach you, of course you should expect to be treated poorly. Walk in, ignoring everyone and everything, and see how eager they are to be nice to you! If you can't handle that, it helps wonders if you have a classy mom dripping in diamonds