A lot of the time it is just as awkward for me to talk to the welcoming clerks, if I am not in a perky or talkative mood. Sometimes I just want to go where I have to go, get what I have to get, and go back home. I don't want to have to perform during that time either, but society expects a perfect front when you are in public, and I can't be bothered with that, unless I am genuinely in that head space and it just flows.
@DreekLass, Well if that's the case then you can just wear shades even if it looks awkward inside the mall. At least that would deter sales people from making small talk with you.
When I go to a store that has rude unhelpful sales people I do not go back I do not spend my money in places that have rude help. If a person is not happy being a sales person in a retail store they should get another job. That person is causing the store to lose money and could even cause the store to go out of business because of a bad reputation.
Lol. That doesn't work. I have worn shades before and still been approached lol. The mall that I shop at - the city is full of very forward people. It can be pretty irritating. Plus, celebrities are known for wearing shades to hide, so it often ends up calling more attention to you than you intended, especially if it is not shades weather.
Really? Lol. A person looking aloof, distant, and frowning would repel people away from them, so prepare and put on your "best frown" when you walk into the store. I doubt they would still be eager to approach you when your eyebrows are almost meeting together, lol.
Aloof not so much. But if you were frowning then most likely it would repel people. The thing is though, I don't frown. I just wear my normal resting face when I am out and about lol. I would frown, but I don't want any more wrinkles than I am already bound to have as I get older lol. Unless you are going to pay for the anti-wrinkle creams
Haha, correct. Just frown when you see an eager salesman approaching you. I noticed that if you look serious then people won't be likely to approach you, just look oblivious to your surroundings. Sometimes when I feel them looking at me and greeting me I ignore those commission-hunting salesmen.
Lol. I don't regularly get salesmen coming up to me to be honest. I am quite fortunate in that way. But I do often get people watching me from afar, or people at the supermarket approaching me to ask if I am looking for anything in-particular. Perhaps I look shady lol.
@DreekLass, If the shop has zero customers, then the moment you go inside, especially if it's a small store, then they will notice you and the salesmen will ask what you need. If the store is large like a supermarket, then they will not notice you and just ignore you. But some really do their job and ask you what you're looking for, since when I was at Ace Hardware squatting looking for something I was approached by a salesman to ask what I'm looking for.
Hmmm. That is actually a really good point to make. One of the main culprits is this small Asian owned hair shop in town? The moment you walk in the man is up and down the Isles following you in what he would consider a fairly conspicuous manner. But to me is is obvious and annoying. No customer wants to feel like they cannot be trusted. It would be ok if he was watching, as it is a small shop and there is not really anything else to focus your eyes on. But he leaves his spot behind the counter and follows. Just ridiculous.
Don't make a bid deal out of it. Most of the jobs they do are actually monotonous as hell. Believe me, I'm the one who has been there and seen the industry from the inside. Of course, it's no good. However, you can always point that out and they will probably change the way they talk to you. That's called a social pressure.
This is also a valid point of view to take. Most of the time, especially in those small stores, the employees are bored as hell, and may mix things up by approaching you. Maybe they like the look of you and want to get yor number, but don't have the courage to ask, so they make small talk instead lol.
@DreekLass, Well the owner probably just wanted to ensure that his goods will not be stolen, lol. The only small store I know where the cashiers don't follow you is the convenience store. I guess the attendants are pretty much busy manning the cashier and they aren't trained to do it, since the store is quite small already so you can easily find what you're looking for there.
Most of the small shops around where I live, the people who own the store do not follow you around. That is probably why I dislike it as much as I do when it does happen - because it doesn't happen all that often, and I don't like how obvious the 'follower' is being lol.
I generally leave the stores where people follow me around. Its uncomfortable. If I need someone's help, I'll ask for it. Once I went into this store and this sales guy just stuck with me like a bee. I don't think it was ever about getting things stolen since the things were stored behind glass cases or whatever. But, I guess he just wanted to make a sale real quick. And I just felt so uncomfortable, like dude give me some space. So, I left.
Lol. Sometimes it's like they zero in, and they don't even have to say anything to you for you to feel like you cannot breathe lol. This usually happens when it is people who get paid on commission, which is understandable. But it still doesn't make being bombarded any less awkward or uncomfortable.
Maybe the owner is just wary of his goods being stolen. I remember my bro used to work in the mall, and occasionally their salaries would be reduced because some of the items were stolen. He worked in a music instruments store.
Perhaps. That is one of the things about life. Something could appear one way to you, according to your perspective, and i reality it has nothing to do with you, but you internalize it as a personal thing. Like, for all we know the owner could have been having thief issues, and is kind of tracking everyone, but you may take it personally and not return.
Yeah. Theft is a major problem for many stores. Cameras work but not the way they were intended to work. I know a couple of jewellery stores that lost jewels and even after they reported the incidents with evidence, the thieves weren't caught. I mean cops have other crimes to solve as well you know.
It is crazy to me how we have things like Google earth and all of this forward-thinking technology, yet cameras in stores and on the streets are still fuzzy. Makes no sense whatsoever. But I suppose that by the time you review the cameras, the theft has already taken place, unless there are people in the back watching the cameras.
