Do you tell rude sales staff off?

Originally Posted by iammatt

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Seriously. I find that people are nice as long as you are, well... nice. I know I react well to people that smile and have a generally good attitude. I have found it works that way in stores, bars, restaurants and everything else.

I'm not saying that the OP was acting like a dick, just that having a good attitude raises your probablilty of receiving good service, or meeting interesting, nice people by a great deal.

Social graces, a sense of humor, and bit of joy in life, all so useless on the Internet, still come into their own in live human contact.

- B

My monocle is preemptively intimidating.

Originally Posted by LabelKing

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My monocle is preemptively intimidating.

One eyed snake?


- B

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

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One eyed snake?


- B

I aspire to a glass-eye; then, I could get a tinted monocle.

Originally Posted by iammatt

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Seriously. I find that people are nice as long as you are, well... nice. I know I react well to people that smile and have a generally good attitude. I have found it works that way in stores, bars, restaurants and everything else. I'm not saying that the OP was acting like a dick, just that having a good attitude raises your probablilty of receiving good service, or meeting interesting, nice people by a great deal.
"If a stranger smiles at you, and they're attractive, you're like 'oh, they're nice,' but if the stranger's ugly, you're like 'what do they want, get away weirdo!'"--Jim Gaffigan

Since I work on commission sales, I go out of my way to give excellent service to all of my customers regardless of age/race/sexuality, etc. I'll even call competitors stores if it will be in my customers interest. I can't stand bad service, so it would be hypocritical for me to give sub-par service to anyone. If I have a work with a good sales associate, I make sure to go out of my way to work with that person when I return to the store. If I can't go in person, I keep his/her card and call them to order something over the phone.

On the other hand, it's impossible to give excellent service every time. So when I feel like I haven't given them the best service, I apologize and thank them for their patience. It amazes me how many people give ****** service, it's really not that complicated to smile and be helpful.

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Originally Posted by voxsartoria

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Social graces, a sense of humor, and bit of joy in life, all so useless on the Internet, still come into their own in live human contact.

- B

The OP clearly possesses none of these.

Originally Posted by Night Owl

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The OP clearly possesses none of these.
You're basing that on... what?

Originally Posted by Agnacious

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You might want to read my response again. I said, in other words, that just because the SA did not fawn over him, he should not have let that be the deciding factor in his purchase. This is about ego, thin skin and, from some of the responses, a sense of entitlement (and a dash of 3 year old girl).

I don't deny the SA misspoke, but I don't think she was being malicious or deliberately rude. More likely she was trying to make a connection with the customer and failed. Whether that was cause for his outburst is his own decision, but I know my ego is secure enough to not be offended by offhand remarks, or even entirely inappropriate ones.

What you're talking about has nothing to do with what the OP described. Being thick-skinned/feeling secure about yourself is not caring what a random stranger you encounter on the street has to say about how you look/what you do/ect. But to have to pay someone as they make inappropriate comments about you? In this case, it's not about the comment at all. Rather, it's just choosing not to do business with someone who does NOT appreciate your business. And I doubt the shoes in question are only sold in that store, so it's highly unlikely the OP missed out on some great buy because of a rude SA.

Originally Posted by james_gsx

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Since I work on commission sales, I go out of my way to give excellent service to all of my customers regardless of age/race/sexuality, etc. I'll even call competitors stores if it will be in my customers interest. I can't stand bad service, so it would be hypocritical for me to give sub-par service to anyone. If I have a work with a good sales associate, I make sure to go out of my way to work with that person when I return to the store. If I can't go in person, I keep his/her card and call them to order something over the phone.

On the other hand, it's impossible to give excellent service every time. So when I feel like I haven't given them the best service, I apologize and thank them for their patience. It amazes me how many people give ****** service, it's really not that complicated to smile and be helpful.


I agree.I like your work philosophy. I do not now work in retail sales, but when I did I acted in this same manner.

Originally Posted by apropos

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You're basing that on... what?

Based on these statements. Apparently you're a thin skinned dick. Otherwise you would've been treated nicely.

Originally Posted by Fuuma

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It appears I'm 40ish and got that afluent look then. Proabably my dirty white chucks, salespeople ad menswear shop love those as they show just how ballin a client is. I dunno, maybe it's because I'm not a dick and don't feel like my economical status is attacked by any random remark so no matter how it starts it finishes well. A little bit like BJs really.

Originally Posted by iammatt

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Seriously. I find that people are nice as long as you are, well... nice. I know I react well to people that smile and have a generally good attitude. I have found it works that way in stores, bars, restaurants and everything else.

I'm not saying that the OP was acting like a dick, just that having a good attitude raises your probablilty of receiving good service, or meeting interesting, nice people by a great deal.

Originally Posted by rjmaiorano

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That smiling stuff does wonders, or so I've heard..

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

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Social graces, a sense of humor, and bit of joy in life, all so useless on the Internet, still come into their own in live human contact.

- B

Originally Posted by iammatt

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Seriously. I find that people are nice as long as you are, well... nice. I know I react well to people that smile and have a generally good attitude. I have found it works that way in stores, bars, restaurants and everything else.

I'm not saying that the OP was acting like a dick, just that having a good attitude raises your probablilty of receiving good service, or meeting interesting, nice people by a great deal.

Originally Posted by Fuuma

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I'd say everyone gets their share of snarky remarks but targeted and continuous hostility is quite rare in the urban non-jungle of services. If you're not someone that thinks everyone is out to get you or denigrate your status as a fine gentleman who doesn't have to save to buy expensive shoes you usually do fine. I guess some people love to get worked up about salesworkers at the Hermès boutique not rushing to serve them if they're dressed in a dirty wifebeater.

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

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Social graces, a sense of humor, and bit of joy in life, all so useless on the Internet, still come into their own in live human contact.

I think you guys are oversimplifying. I don't see why a customer is any more likely to have a bad attitude than the salesperson he encounters. Some of the bad treatment I've received is so overt that I can't believe anything on my part could have caused or justified it. Call me over-sensitive, but much of it appears brazenly related to race or age. Moreover, certain stores and geographical areas appear to be worse than others.

Anyway, I agree that confrontations are rarely worthwhile.

^^ We seem to be on the same page mafoofan.

I don't understand why people who work in classy stores think they are somehow classy. They aren't that far from working at WalMart. Maybe working in a place that attracts wealthy people gives them an inferiority complex and they over compensate?