Shopping At Luxury Stores

[copper]

As far as I'm concerned, I will have your balls if you give me attitude in any store. I've made salesgirls who at once were frosty b*tches break down and cry after I spoke to their managers.

you are proud of this?

there is no doubt that some SA's are rude, but being a self-important, arrogant customer is hardly attractive either.

it is absolutely hideous to witness a customer acting as though they are queen bee, and treating the SA's as their lowly slaves.

 

[pink_lipgloss]

yes i agree with you copper.

As bad as it is to have a SA be rude to you, in my opinion it is worse to see a rude and arrogant customer acting as though they own the store

 

[orlando_love]

Hi there! i have been a guest on here for a while now, and i finally decided to join. Anyway my question is:

What do you do when you shop in these luxury stores? Do you just go up and try on clothes and touch the handbags etc?
I have only just gotten into the whole designer thing and have decided to buy either a Louis Vuitton clutch or a Dior clutch, but (this is a bit embarrasing) i am so intimidated to go into a store! (i live in australia so can't shop online) I don't know what to do and what is and isn't accepted when shopping there.
Does anyone have any advice for me? Thankyou!

 

[Madame_X]

you are proud of this?

there is no doubt that some SA's are rude, but being a self-important, arrogant customer is hardly attractive either.

it is absolutely hideous to witness a customer acting as though they are queen bee, and treating the SA's as their lowly slaves.

While I am a customer, I am important and expect to be treated as such.

I'm not ashamed to say that if you're a b*tch to me -- I will be a b*tch back.

What can I say -- call me karma coming to bite a hoity-toity SA back in the ***.

Cheers!

 

[Madame_X]

Hi there! i have been a guest on here for a while now, and i finally decided to join. Anyway my question is:

What do you do when you shop in these luxury stores? Do you just go up and try on clothes and touch the handbags etc?
I have only just gotten into the whole designer thing and have decided to buy either a Louis Vuitton clutch or a Dior clutch, but (this is a bit embarrasing) i am so intimidated to go into a store! (i live in australia so can't shop online) I don't know what to do and what is and isn't accepted when shopping there.
Does anyone have any advice for me? Thankyou!

Don't ever be intimidated! Touch whatever you want -- that's why merchandise is set out in a store.

Remember -- YOU have the customer. It does not matter what store you are in, whether its the supermarket or Dior.

Don't even ever WORRY about what "is and isn't accepted." You take your time, look, touch.

If the salesgirls give you attitude, take it up with the manager. If the manager gives you attitude, take it up with corporate.

 

[mello_yello_jen]

you are proud of this?

there is no doubt that some SA's are rude, but being a self-important, arrogant customer is hardly attractive either.

it is absolutely hideous to witness a customer acting as though they are queen bee, and treating the SA's as their lowly slaves.

I agree. While I give ALL customers my best, the arrogant customers are the ones who end up with no discount at the end It may be just 10% but that 10% adds up for some people.

And yes, I know that customers can take it up with the manager and complain about how they didn't receive the coupon but the customer is the one losing out because 1>the worse thing that can happen to the SA in this situation is to get written up 2>the customer is wasting their "precious time" waiting for a manager and 3>the customer will be the laughing stock for the night.

 

[EskimoGirl]

orlando love- honestly, there's nothing intimidating or all that different from shopping at a luxury store or a regular store. from my experiences, the sales people want you to buy things, so they will be nice to you. and it's also fun to kind of talk to the sa's and build a relationship with a few of them, just so you can always come back and are guarenteed to be dealing with a person you arleady know and like.

 

[baglover529]

i would have to say i love doing my shopping in hong kong because all the salespeople are friendly and helpful. i never really shop on the streets though, where all the bargain stuff are. first because i hear they tend to be more stand-offish and rude. i think it's cause they're tired of people coming in and out comparing their price to other stores and also trying to get a good deal. second, i really prefer to shop in the malls or in boutiques cause i know i'm getting great quality items.

wherever i go in hong kong, the salespeople always, always greet me when i enter their store. i'm filipino and female and no matter what i'm wearing, be it jeans and flats with a shirt (looking very ordinary) or whether i'm carrying a designer bag and nice shoes, they always greet me with a happy hello. and they never follow me around but someone's always on standby so in the event that i want to ask a question or need assistance, i'll get it. these are stores like gucci, tod's, celine, prada, etc. and of course the lower end stores in the malls also have wonderful staff (like nine west, etc.).

although i've had some relatives and friends who've had bad experiences in hong kong. like salespeople telling them they can't touch things or that they can't afford the item...imagine the audacity?!?! :x i can't imagine why they were treated that way. maybe they look more filipino than me and they don't really look at filipinos very highly there (a lot of filipino overseas workers). they all say i don't look filipino, and they say my english sounds very good so they assume i'm from somewhere else. but still they should treat people fairly if that's the case.

 

[pink_lipgloss]

Hi there! i have been a guest on here for a while now, and i finally decided to join. Anyway my question is:

What do you do when you shop in these luxury stores? Do you just go up and try on clothes and touch the handbags etc?
I have only just gotten into the whole designer thing and have decided to buy either a Louis Vuitton clutch or a Dior clutch, but (this is a bit embarrasing) i am so intimidated to go into a store! (i live in australia so can't shop online) I don't know what to do and what is and isn't accepted when shopping there.
Does anyone have any advice for me? Thankyou!

Don't be intimidated hun!! Yes it is a luxury store, but you should never be intimidated to go in there, its your right to go in and have a look! - there are no rules of shopping in luxury stores - if you want to look at something then look at it. Most of the time SAs will be nice to you and help you out, but as with everything they are some rude, just ignore them!!
I live in Australia too, and the nicest SA i have come across in Louis Vuitton is in Surfers Paradise. She was lovely and so attentive to everything i wanted to look at. So now whenever i want to buy Louis i also save it until i am there to buy off her.

Also i have a question, do the SAs in places such as Louis Vuitton or Prada work on commission?

 

[BrothaG]

Also i have a question, do the SAs in places such as Louis Vuitton or Prada work on commission?

I think so. That's why there should be even more reason for them to be friendly and helpful.

 

[Pinky*]

pink_lipgloss - yeah definately.. my seamstress switched jobs to a LV boutique and she can't stop gushing about the commission! she's really happy there since they allow her to make some sales rather than be stuck in the back altering clothes all day long, unlike some evil boutique she used to work for

you'd think commission would be a good reason for some SAs to be friendlier.. i don't get any bc i'm just a lowly part-timer, yet sometimes i feel like i'm nicer to customers than some of my colleagues despite this. i suppose it has to do with the kind of work environment thats cultivated and surrounding you there, and how good a job the manager is doing.

i read in another thread how badly a TFSer got shafted at fendi by both the manager and a worker. after speaking with a rude worker, the manager condescendingly repeated to the TFSer what the other employee said: "how did you get that bag? Even we didn't get it yet." so.. you can see how a manager can have a negative effect..

this used to happen where i was as well until the system got changed. we now have 2 managers per department, with 2 rather different personalities/strengths to work together, forcing them to keep 'in check' and not get too full of themselves from power (at least in theory). so far, its having some effect on their egos bc a decision can't be made without full consensus from the partner.. or it might be bc a few catty employees have been fired (some for talking behind customers backs) thats keeping them on edge. it was an expensive move on part of the company, but they would be nowhere without the customers support. in my case, this is something that the higher-ups recognize more than the employees working on the lowest end of the spectrum.. it seems they don't care much for the growth and reputation of the company and even threaten to take 'their' customers away if they were to be fired (as if the customers are loyal to them rather than the product).. i don't know what kind of attitude that is..

anyways, had to rant about the evil coworkers

 

[meeeeeshelle]

How old do you usually have to be to work in those luxury stores?!

 

[Pinky*]

the youngest i know is 22 for gucci..
he was extremely qualified though.. moreso than his older coworkers.
youth is sought after in the retail level nowadays, no?

 

[meeeeeshelle]

yea around 22 makes sense, because in the Houston Galleria everyone seems to be pretty old like 25-ish. So i guess the very minimum is 21?!

yea even I would prefer a more youthfil sales associate, but then again it wouldn't really matter if the SA would just do his/her job and help me out with whatever i want...hahaha.

 

[mais]

In dubai all the SA's ive ever met are extremely friendly, they help you out but if you dont want help they also leave you alone.
Not just in luxury stores but in like normal shops like zara or mango..
They also make it a point here to have good looking guys helpingi n the menswear sections so shopping is even more fun! Ive never come across a rude salesperson before, i think its their job to be nice to you! other than putting the stuff on the right shelves?

 

[travis_nw8]

They also make it a point here to have good looking guys helpingi n the menswear sections so shopping is even more fun!

two words- balanciaga on montaigne

 

[madfrenzy]

i used to feel like they were looking down on me when i was about 13 or 14

now they kiss my ***
i think when they realise you know 10x more about fashion than they do, they back off totally.

that is so true~

 

[kucejoe]

I've had some good and some bad experiences.

The good, at a Louis Vuitton boutique I was shopping for a wallet to get for my mother's birthday. I'm 18, but I look much younger (most people estimate my age at around 16) and I was dressed very casually, but from the moment I walked in I got the best service I could ask for. Everything was explained and the SA focused his attention on me.

The bad, at a lower end store (forget the name) I had the SAs completely ignore me. On top of that one female SA spent her time yammering into her cell phone and another burped loudly and then started giggling. The funny thing was that at that time I was working as a mystery shopper...let's just say they did not get a good score.

 

[ETROsexualJ]

I had my first trip to NYC and it was amazing. I loved loved loved it. But, my shopping trip to Saks Fifth Avenue was not that great. I was seriously snubbed by the sales associates. They did not smile at me, ask if I need help or anything. They hardly even looked at me. I watched people after people get assistance, but I was totally ignored. I went in with 3 goals. To by a dress for my birthday, Chanel foundation and Pucci shoes. I bought nothing. By the time I TRIED to find a dress and shoes, I was so turned off by the place that I skipped the make up counter and left. The store was amazing, the clothes were amazing, but the atmoshpere was not. The whole reason I went to the store was because I wanted personal attention, that whole helpful attitude, ect. I thought that was the whole point of shopping at those stores. Otherwise I would have shopped online. I had the money. A couple thousand to spend, actually. Why would other people's money be good enough, but not mine? I watched a rude women in velour sweats come in, try on a million things, throw minor hissy fits and buy nothing. She treated them like crap, yet they swarmed around her. I was actually looking to SPEND money. I mean, it's not like I came in looking like a scruffy homeless woman. I was wearing paperdenimandcloth jeans, ugg boots, a black turtleneck, diamond studs, hair in a ponytail, low key make up.

So what is the deal? How do I go to a place like that and get the great service I deserve, and thought I would be getting? So now I have all this money that I've worked forever saving up, but no dress. Is there some secret I'm missing? I honestly thought of sending them an email about my experience, and explaining my situation (politely, of course), just to see how they respond.

What would you do?

I know you posted this a while ago; but, I work at the Saks in Beverly Hills and I will forward this to corporate.

 

[fashionista-ta]

you are proud of this?

there is no doubt that some SA's are rude, but being a self-important, arrogant customer is hardly attractive either.

it is absolutely hideous to witness a customer acting as though they are queen bee, and treating the SA's as their lowly slaves.

I used to complain about bad service when I was younger; now I tend to just vote with my feet, although I def thought about calling the Nordstrom's manager when an SA in via C was incredibly rude to me recently.

I do think an important factor to remember here is that the SAs are the people being paid to be professional in this situation--in some cases handsomely, in other cases a pittance.

There's really no excuse for being unprofessional, but I do try to consider the fact when anyone is rude or whatever, that something may be going on in their life that I don't know about. If your mother just died, you just found out your wife's cheating on you, or whatever, you're gonna be in a bad mood and possibly take it out on someone who doesn't deserve it.

At the same time, there are a couple people (not just SAs) I would like to sic Madame X on