Need to vent about snotty salespeople

[steph72276]

Okay, I am a pretty easy going kind of person...I get along with just about everyone, but sometimes people that act like they are better than others just irk me! I was at the mall today to pick up some things and decided to browse the handbag section of Neiman Marcus. I was dressed nicely in a skirt and nice top. I decided to look at the LV section because I''ve had my eye on a particular purse but have never seen it in person. Well, there were two guys working there behind the counter who were in the middle of gossiping about something, proceeded to look me up and down, and then went back to their conversations without so much as a hi or can I help you? I was there for several minutes and they still did not acknowledge me. Too bad for them that I had a gift card in my purse that could have paid for the purse I was looking for and they would have received a nice commission, but I was not about to give them my business after being treated like that. I mean really, if they were that well off that they thought they could be snooty, then why in the world would they be working at Neiman Marcus??? Anyway, I feel better now that I''ve vented!

 

[misysu2]

Oh! Sorry that happened!! I hate it when that happens. Who do they think they are? Why would you need to get dressed up in your Prada to go to the mall on the weekend anyways?! You could have as much money as Britney Spears and show up in a tshirt and jeans. Ugh.

You deserve to be treated just like everyone else. I''m glad you didn''t give them your $$! Good job, girl!

 

[dani13]

Ewww...I hate that!!! That exact same thing has happenned to me in the past...I am a very casual person....but I routinely shop in a very expensve mall near my home that is *known* for just having a snotty atmosphere. I just cant stand when people have no courtesy...especially at NM where their paycheck is based on that!!! Im glad you didnt give them a sale...they didnt deserve it!!

Here is a story.....My dh wanted a watch soooo bad at NM....I decided that I would get it for him as a wedding gift, but everytime I went there were 2 of the snottiest women at that counter, and I just couldnt bring myself to purchase the watch from them....YUCK!!! I kept waiting and waiting to buy it, but they were always there, and this NM was the only place that sold this particular watch....Anyway, one day I went there, and there happenned to be the cutest little old salesman there, he was sooo sweet, and he helped me.. I ended up buying the watch from him. I know I was stubborn, but I just couldnt see giving commission to two of the most stuck up people I had ever met!! Later on, I told DH the story...he thought it was pretty funny!!

 

[Skippy123]

Steph, how rude of those guys. Save your gift cert when you go to Atlanta; they do not deserve the commission and hopefully that will show that they have poor sales! You are so sweet and don't deserve that and they don't deserve your business.

When I was house hunting w/my mom near the neighborhood I live in now the realtor for the open house was so snobby and rude. She asked if I was sure I qualified for this price range and have I talked to a mortgage company(I was pretty young at the time but who cares). I kept thinking how dare her ask that sort of question. You never know what kind of money someone has!!!

Another time I was working at the mall and this lady walked in and no helped her and she did look grubby and I was busy w/another customer or I would have helped her. Well, my friend helped her and she ended up dropping mega bucks. After my coworker/friend made the sale I said to the other sales assoc that goes to show you you can never tell who has money to drop. Seriously, and some people dressed to the 9's may not have a cent to drop either!

 

[sevens one]

I think you shouldn''t just vent here,
call and let the manager know what happened.
I''m sure they would be interested to know
the sale they lost.

 

[steph72276]

Thanks everyone for letting me vent. I''ve calmed down now and realize that I should probably not take it personally and chalk it up to poor service which seems all too common these days. Oh well. I just wish people who do not like to deal with other people would not go into the service industry.

 

[baby monster]

Eh, don''t take it personally. Just buy stuff online

. That''ll phase out those pesky snobby salespeople.

 

[onedrop]

I am sorry you had a bad experience at Needless Markup (aka Nieman Marcus). I agree with Sevens, I''d write a letter expressing your dissatisfaction, if only for this store to improve its customer service! There is just no excuse for thie behavior. Hope you finally get the LV bag you were interested in!

 

[Madam Bijoux]

My way of dealing with salespeople like that is to ask in a very loud voice "Is anyone working at this counter today?" If that doesn''t get any results, I go to the nearest counter and ask the person there to help me. As a last resort, I would say "If it''s too much trouble for you, let''s get your supervisor out here and we''ll discuss it."

Nobody should tolerate a condescending attitude from someone whose job it is to assist customers.

 

[Efe]

Good old Neiman Marcus. I posted this before and I am still annoyed about it. Two years ago I bought an outfit from NM for my son''s wedding. I wrote a check for it and went on my merry way. I discovered, however, when I was doing my yearly free credit report a few months later, that they had run a credit check on me. Not just a Telecheck, but a full inquiry into my credit, which adds a ding on my score. Their response when I called corporate to complain was that they were delighted to offer me XXX in credit. I ever so politely declined. BTW, I was dressed in jeans and a tshirt, which I wear often, so I must be unable to afford a nice designer outfit

 

[VegasAngel]

Date: 11/3/2007 10:14:37 AM
Author: Madam Bijoux
My way of dealing with salespeople like that is to ask in a very loud voice 'Is anyone working at this counter today?' If that doesn't get any results, I go to the nearest counter and ask the person there to help me. As a last resort, I would say 'If it's too much trouble for you, let's get your supervisor out here and we'll discuss it.'

Nobody should tolerate a condescending attitude from someone whose job it is to assist customers.

Or there is always what my friend does if she cant get anyone to help her: Once she has their attention she makes them get items off of high racks, has them go back & fourth getting her different sizes, etc. & my personal favorite goes to the counter with a bunch of expensive items, waits for them to ring it up/bag it & then tells them about their crappy service & has another person ring it up or just walks walks off. Petty I know but it is quite funny to see it in action.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Another time I was working at the mall and this lady walked in and no helped her and she did look grubby and I was busy w/another customer or I would have helped her. Well, my friend helped her and she ended up dropping mega bucks. After my coworker/friend made the sale I said to the other sales assoc that goes to show you you can never tell who has money to drop. Seriously, and some people dressed to the 9''s may not have a cent to drop either!

ha - this is funny. Often times when I go shopping, I don''t dress up because I don''t want the sales people to bug me. When I do dress nicely, it''s so obvious that the sales people are judging me and nicer as a result of their impression of my attire, that I ALWAYS plan my outfit around how I want to be treated!

A Neiman''s is being built nearby me and will be up in around 2008, I think and I cannot wait to see what the place is like! Maybe I''ll wear flip flops in there and shop for designer jeans

(oh and I agree that the NM sales people have NO place acting snooty, but customers'' attitudes have go to rub off on them the wrong way. I''d be a b*tch too if I was being paid $10/hr or whatever while slaving away in a retail store. That job has GOT TO suck!)

 

[lyra]

Date: 11/2/2007 9:25:09 PM
Author: baby monster
Eh, don''t take it personally. Just buy stuff online

. That''ll phase out those pesky snobby salespeople.

How true! Avoiding salespeople is one of the reasons I like shopping online. I never dress to go shopping. I''m ultra casual. I get ignored a lot, which is sometimes funny. Like when I go out and pay cash for high priced items like appliances, furniture or even diamond eternity bands!

I get the weirdest reactions sometimes. I must look like a homeless woman, I swear. I''m just a t-shirt and jeans type of girl, sorry!

 

[pennquaker09]

I haven''t had many bad experiences. But the absolute worst was after Hurricane Katrina hit and I came back home to Birmingham. I was preparing to fly out to Boston, and I had to go get some clothes because I left a lot of my stuff in New Orleans. I decided to go to Saks (Alabama isn''t progressive enough for a Needless Markup) and I think for the first 30 minutes, I didn''t receive any service at all. I would ask about an item and they would give the shortest answer possible and go right back to their business. I don''t know if it was because I''m biracial or if it was because I was young, but I called my dad cause I was getting upset. So, he told me to take his credit card and show it to the manager. Needless to say, I got the best asslicking after that.

I''ve never been much a of Neiman shopper. I always gravitate towards Nordstrom. I get great service and I just generally like the store. I will say that whenever I go to the one in King of Prussia, I get good service.

 

[Steel]

Date: 11/3/2007 10:14:37 AM
Author: Madam Bijoux
My way of dealing with salespeople like that is to ask in a very loud voice ''Is anyone working at this counter today?'' If that doesn''t get any results, I go to the nearest counter and ask the person there to help me. As a last resort, I would say ''If it''s too much trouble for you, let''s get your supervisor out here and we''ll discuss it.''

Nobody should tolerate a condescending attitude from someone whose job it is to assist customers.

Exactly.

My phrase is " Is anybody serving today ?" or my personal favourite " Are you serving at this counter today ?"

Although I am not exactly over the hill, I saw my patience off on a bus at sunset a long time ago.

 

[Beacon]

I know what you mean and particularly about the LV salespeople, especially the guys. I was walking past the store near me and it looked like there were no customers and three sales guys were standing in a group gossiping and looking bored and very unfriendly. I did not want to go in that store at all!

In your case there is something you could try in the NM store. If those sales guys were so snotty, walk around the area til you find another sales person, from a totally different section who seems nice to you, and tell them you want to buy an LV bag but only from them. Then bring your SA over to the LV area and pick out the bag and have him/her ring it. Your SA will get a commission on that and you will have made your point loud and clear!

Then if you want to really ice the cake, go find a supervisor and tell them exacty what just happened. Believe me you''ll get their attention

. The customer who has just spent money in the store is like GOD.

I hate to hear about snotty sales people, I really do.

 

[Elmorton]

Around where I am, we don''t have NM (sounds like that''s a good thing!) - but my faaaaaavorite place on earth (or at least in the world of Dept stores) is Von Maur, and I don''t want to thread-jack, but I thought I''d throw in a positive statement about dept stores! . I have never, ever, ever walked into a Von Maur and been treated badly, even when I was in college and I''d wear my sweats, no makeup and messy hair as "shopping attire" - and never even got a strange look when, dressed like that, I''d want to see a $600 bag or try on every single pair of Coach sunglasses in the display. The piano playing, the zero interest credit card, and the friendly sales associates...it''s all fab. I really do think they spend time in training talking about treating every customer well (which, btw, when I worked retail, was never mentioned - boo to that).

 

[diamondfan]

I usually get good service since I have certain people I go to and use almost exclusively and I am a good customer. If I am not treated well for whatever reason, I just nicely say, as I look them in the eye, "If doing your job today is so problematic, I am very happy to wait for you to go get your supervisor so s/he can help you out!" Usually perks them right up!

 

[pennquaker09]

Date: 11/6/2007 9:26:31 PM
Author: diamondfan
I usually get good service since I have certain people I go to and use almost exclusively and I am a good customer. If I am not treated well for whatever reason, I just nicely say, as I look them in the eye, ''If doing your job today is so problematic, I am very happy to wait for you to go get your supervisor so s/he can help you out!'' Usually perks them right up!

I think sometimes people have bad days. I know that when I used to work retail, I used to have bad days every now and then. Plus, I could not stand when people would throw or set the money on the counter and push it towards me.

Whenever I go to Nordstrom (my dept store of choice) I always go to the same girl. I look for her and we''ve gotten to know each other. Sweet as pie.

 

[diamondfan]

Hey, I am the first to be compassionate, but they are in a retail setting to serve the customer. Most of that type of attitude is not a bad day thing, but just someone who is not pleased to be there doing what they are doing. I can tell the difference a lot of the time. And it is not about the customer throwing money around, though certainly customers do that as well. It is about doing what you, as a sales person, are being paid to do. Some people can barely be bothered to answer a question, stop chatting with a co worker or a friend on their cell phone, in order to do their job....just not proper behavior. If you are having that bad a day, perhaps it is best to take a break or not to go to work. You are certainly not doing the store a favor if your attitude costs them customers. I also live in the Main Line and go to all the stores in the area. I have certain very favorite SA''s that I like to go to, and have been in stores where I am buying a little nothing item and the person goes above and beyond to be helpful.

 

[pennquaker09]

I agree with you. I'm still getting used to shopping here in Philadelphia. I'm from Alabama - the good part (if there is a such thing) and we had some upscale stores. But nothing like what we have here in Philly.

I remember when I told my dad I got a job working at the Gap. I had moved away to a new city and it was another way of making friends for me. I think you're used to a different standard of service. My extent of going to Louis Vuitton or Neiman Marcus had always been with my mother or my stepmom. Even though I have money to spend, I'm only 23 I don't really expect much. However, I will be totally admit that I would take the snotty ones here in Philly over the racist ones back home in Birmingham.

BTW: Where do you live on the Main Line? Radnor would be my town of choice, or maybe Villanova.

 

[diamondfan]

I do not know much about Alabama, but racist makes me ill and assuming anything about the customer ticks me off. Do your job, offer service, and just treat people well unless there is a reason not to. (since niceness is a two way street).

I live in that area, and I am moving to Villanova in a couple of years (we are building a home). I lived in Bryn Mawr and now Wynnewood. I also love Haverford too, and Gladwyne. It is overall such a gorgeous place. Aren''t the trees that are turning just amazing? I cannot get over them each time I see them.

 

[pennquaker09]

It''s amazing. My dream would be to live in Villanova in a custom built Tudor. I love Tudor style homes. Since you''re been in the area for a long time, and this a totally a thread jack, but where do you normally buy your cars from?

 

[monarch64]

Date: 11/6/2007 8:51:56 PM
Author: Elmorton
Around where I am, we don''t have NM (sounds like that''s a good thing!) - but my faaaaaavorite place on earth (or at least in the world of Dept stores) is Von Maur, and I don''t want to thread-jack, but I thought I''d throw in a positive statement about dept stores! . I have never, ever, ever walked into a Von Maur and been treated badly, even when I was in college and I''d wear my sweats, no makeup and messy hair as ''shopping attire'' - and never even got a strange look when, dressed like that, I''d want to see a $600 bag or try on every single pair of Coach sunglasses in the display. The piano playing, the zero interest credit card, and the friendly sales associates...it''s all fab. I really do think they spend time in training talking about treating every customer well (which, btw, when I worked retail, was never mentioned - boo to that).

LOL, I lurve me some Von Marvelous!!! I actually worked for them for a year straight out of college, they are a wonderful company and put a lot of care into customer service. No name tags for anyone on the sales floor whatsoever, you were expected to introduce yourself and make yourself known to the customer so they never had to ask your name, which I loved. Still have that zero interest cc...and love their free shipping and gift wrap, makes it easy for me to give gifts to my family back home.

On the NM thing...I''ve never been treated poorly there, in fact, I''ve never experienced anything negative at the store in Oakbrook, IL...been there a few times in search of special occasion dresses and the sales gals were more than accomodating and very complimentary, hee hee. Still, I''ve never heard anyone really rave about their customer service, which is sad. And I can''t imagine having to stand at a counter and wait for the staff to wrap up their conversation, and then be refused service because they didn''t feel like earning their hourly wage plus commish. Yuck. I would definitely have taken the time later to call and complain to the store manager or corporate, that is ridiculous. I can see that happening at JCP or Macy''s maybe, but not an upscale store that should be catering to every customer no matter what state of dress they are in (provided they are wearing a shirt and shoes at least, lol!)

To anyone else still interested in shopping NM, I would suggest calling ahead (I know, it should be unnecessary) and making an appt. with a sales consultant in whatever department you plan to shop. Sometimes you have to grease the wheels a bit to get better service, whether it''s right or wrong. Please, don''t flame me, just a bit of advice from a gal who''s been in retail for a long time and has seen it all from both sides of the counter.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Oh, I have to add to this post. . .today I went to the "affluent" mall in my area for the Nordstrom half-yearly sale and the sales gals were SO nice to the unbelievably RUDE customers. It was terrible how elitist of persona all seemed to be assuming and that they''re more important than everyone else! Someone actually PUSHED me over a spot over at the *reduced rack*! We all know that getting a Free People sweater for a marked-down price of $38 makes you royalty.

Nobody said excuse me and the sales gals were attempting so hard to cator to the demands of all those ladies & I felt so bad for them.

 

[monarch64]

Date: 11/7/2007 3:47:44 PM
Author: MC
Oh, I have to add to this post. . .today I went to the ''affluent'' mall in my area for the Nordstrom half-yearly sale and the sales gals were SO nice to the unbelievably RUDE customers. It was terrible how elitist of persona all seemed to be assuming and that they''re more important than everyone else! Someone actually PUSHED me over a spot over at the *reduced rack*! We all know that getting a Free People sweater for a marked-down price of $38 makes you royalty.

Nobody said excuse me and the sales gals were attempting so hard to cator to the demands of all those ladies & I felt so bad for them.

Precisely why I''m a HUGE fan of shopping sales online these days. Or regular priced merchandise, for that matter. I can''t bring myself to get near a mall anytime between November and February, it''s just not worth the stress and hassle. People are NUTS! I sometimes think people have more patience in a discount store environment than they do in the "better" dept. stores!

 

[diamondfan]

It is definitely a two way street, I have been around some of the rudest customers in the world and get totally disgusted by their actions.

Penn, I buy from the dealership. We have Range Rovers now, before that an Infiniti SUV and a Range Rover, and before that a Lexus SUV and a BMW sedan. We tend to buy our cars from the local people if possible, and have them find what we want. I also trade in my old car when I get a new one. The Main Line has pretty much all of the dealers.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 11/7/2007 11:34:38 PM
Author: monarch64
Precisely why I'm a HUGE fan of shopping sales online these days. Or regular priced merchandise, for that matter. I can't bring myself to get near a mall anytime between November and February, it's just not worth the stress and hassle. People are NUTS! I sometimes think people have more patience in a discount store environment than they do in the 'better' dept. stores!

Yep, it seems it's worth spending a bit more on shipping or full-price to have the luxury of browsing rather than hastily picking through the sizes to find something that fits. Also, most of the stuff I like seem to sell out before the items even go on sale.

Yesterday I did get a cute shirt for $57 that normally sells for $98. It is short sleeved and not worth the full-price but okay for the discounted price! That was my ownly real "score."

Anyhow, I'm not even bothering with the after Christmas rush this year. Most of my kids' clothes I get online and I'm sick of people. lol After going to the Nord sale I made the mistake of going to whole foods. What is the deal with people? It's a dang GROCERY STORE! You'd think it's owned by Neiman Marcus & selling diamond encrusted $25K ice cream sundays (anyone read about that? - it wasn't NM, though). Drives me nuts and I find myself acting like a b*tch too in defense of the negative energy coming off of people. Really, though.

 

[pennquaker09]

Date: 11/7/2007 11:38:31 PM
Author: diamondfan
It is definitely a two way street, I have been around some of the rudest customers in the world and get totally disgusted by their actions.


Penn, I buy from the dealership. We have Range Rovers now, before that an Infiniti SUV and a Range Rover, and before that a Lexus SUV and a BMW sedan. We tend to buy our cars from the local people if possible, and have them find what we want. I also trade in my old car when I get a new one. The Main Line has pretty much all of the dealers.

I couldn't drive a Range Rover, I'm too small. I want something more family friendly. Looks like it's gonna be the RX400h.

Aww, I love Whole Foods. You had a problem there?

 

[Anastasia]

Last January I was shopping for a formal gown for a black tie event that I was attending.

I went to Bloomingdales. I rarely go there, for some reason it just doesn''t appeal to me.

I was dressed in jeans and sneakers and a ski jacket, not dressed up, but not looking homeless either. It was the middle of the week, so there was only one other person in the department, a young mother with her baby in a stroller. She was not dressed any better than me.

It was hysterical. The saleswoman was falling all over herself for the young mother, and completely ignoring me. At some point, she did say something to me (I don''t remember what - probably "let me know if I can help you with anything"), and basically pointed me in the direction of the fitting room. I wasn''t offended, I just was curious what made this saleswoman decide that the young mother was a real customer and I wasn''t.

I''ve really never had that experience before, so I found it amusing rather than annoying.

Steph - I would have been really annoyed by that too! It''s as if they were giving you the once over to determine if it was worth their effort to serve you. Too bad for them that they lost a potential sale. Instant Karma anyone?