Do you have any shopping pet hates?

[Skreecheeboy]

What kind of problems have you encountered with regard to shopping? Have you noticed any particularly pushy sales people in shops? Have you waited for ages to be approached by a sales person when you really need advice? What is it about some shops or shopping that really ****** you off?

[4getmenot]

Yes I hate it when the person will start packing bags for you. I know they are trying to help but they end up putting 4 items in each bag and I end up with at least 8 bags to carry up to my flat. Not helping at all.

[nannon]

i hate it when you've just bought clothes and the bloody till person screws it and shoves it in the bag!!! i always tell them to take it out and fold it properly when they do that...

And till staff who serve you like they are doing you a favour - HELLO??? Its your f*cking job!!!! They seem really put out about serving you.

People who chat to their mate who is next to them (worse - on the phone) when you waiting to be served.

When they put thoses alarms through the clothes and when you get home there's a hole where it has been! its the hassle of having to take them back!

when you take something back cuz it doesnt fit - they sigh and say "didnt you try it on?" "No because i was told i couldn't use you changing rooms until you have put the clothes away that weren't even in the changing rooms!!!!"

Till staff that don't say a word to you through the whole transaction - when the Chip and Pin first started there were a couple of times I was stood their like a lemon cuz i didnt realise i had to put my pin number in - i was waiting for someone to say "please put your pin in!!" One girl actually had the nerve (as she filed her nails...!) to sigh and point at the machine whilst rolling her eyes - neeedless to say a complaint was made straight away to her manager.

I think its cuz i DONT LIKE BAD MANNERS!!! THEY COST NOTHING!!!!
Oh rant over - god i feel better now!!!

[tattoo1094]

people standing in the middle of the isle chatting about there bloody piles or some crap. And then to top it off bash you with their trolleys and looking at you as if it was your fault!!! could go pyscotic in tesco s if i tried.

[smudge]

Shop assistants chewing gum or food, 'specially with their mouths open - gggrrr!

Also, it's nice to be asked if you need any help looking for something, but if I need help I prefer to ask for it in my own time!

When in America, every blinkin' shop we went into, an assistant would pounce on us "Good day Ma'am, Sir, we also have this, that & the other in the store"! Yes okay, but let me in the door & browse a while before pouncing on us telling us so -gggrrr!

[EverClean]

I used to work as a retail manager (for 14 years) and here is a culture amongst shop staff of thinking customers are thick and ignorant and a culture amongst shoppers to think the same of staff.

Many things like "have you any more out the back?" - where is this out the back place? do people REALLY think that retailers think it's a good idea to not put on display their stock and leave it all in a stock room somewhere? Many shops have people who work a particular section of the store and do everything from ordering stock to filling shelves and KNOW implicitly what stock holding they have.

Unforunately shops feel forced to work to the lowest common denominator. If this can be stolen then it propbably will be stol;en so all customers are treated as potential thieves.

The things i can't stand and wouldn't allow from my staff were-

eating and drinking on the shop floor (esp. gum)
allowing a queue to build up when there was another cashier available
not talking to customers during a till transaction
blocking the aisles with stock trolleys

I also wouldn't allow them to take sh!t from rude customers. Manners is a two-way street.

[dot.hawkes]

as a retail manager in a designer shoe store, my oet hate is the customers bringing back a pair of shoes they have had for 27 days in the last hour on a saturday when you have just rung your figures thru to the contact store and told them you have done x amount and that you have actually made target, then this bint comes in with a �60 quid pair of shoes that she has kept at home for almost 4 weeks and you no longer have any of them and so now they can't be put out for sale as there are no other sizes! grrrrrrrrrr
i agree with the returning worn shoes thing, i get women coming back with 4 inch heels that have snapped and it is obvious from the wear pattern that they have been driving in them! stupid cow, never read their highway code obviosuly.
Oh and the ones who say they have only worn them once or twice but a milimetre of the tiny stitching is coming undone, and the sole fo the shoe is filthy with encrusted fioodstuffs groubnd into the tread, but they bring it back like that and hand it to you! I take them off them and get the Mr sHEEN out and spray them, clean the soles and then look at them, the customer usually just goes red!

[dot.hawkes]

and you would not believe how many women actually ask me 'do you have the other one to this?' when ginving me the right shoe off display. No of course we don't, we sell shoes singly! Another one that annoys me is when you off someone the right money and they say, 'if you have it'. like you would offer it when you didn't have it DOH

[Misty77]

I hate it when you do to the deli counter in a big supermarket. The number of times we've been waiting in the queue, and all the assistants are trying to ignore you, pretending they've got better things to do than serve you. They glance over to see how long the queue has got, but still don't do anything about it. I feel like shouting 'EXCUSE ME, AM I INVISIBLE ?'

[rocklolo]

Every day, thousand of small business are closing down.
Every time you are shopping in a big store or town stores
you are giving your money to these greedy firms offering you massive discount on goods but in the matter of fact you are buying at retail value SUCKERS! so do not moan.
Small business have suffered a great deal, and with it losing quality staffs, service,refund. And i means for all traders.
Instead everyone seems happy to buy crap clothing made in bloody china, without any style or class and it so expensive when garments have been made there for a fraction of a cost . A pierre cardin shirt may be at cost of 20p. If you knows your numbers work out the margin!!!
Independent traders do not get discounts like superstores
they can not even buy there goods at the same price as big firms.
A former tobacconist myself was paying the same delivery charges as asda and tesco a week. they had the best sellers and given a massive discounts not me why!
I come from France, was trained as an apprentice in lingerie, quality service was there. But here i am appalled 99% of youngsters can not sell, do not care, and to preocup
with daily targets,tasks,and dirty uniforms or and there breaks. I would love to train a few because 99% of them do not know what they are on about .
Me, will support my local small business,where i can have a friendly smile, chat, and excellent service.

[chazza]

In shoe shops when i say "Can I try this in a 4 please?" and the assistant goes away and when they return they say
"We dont have any 4s left, we have it in a 2 or a 6?" and look at you expectantly

As if I'm going to say "Well ok then i'll try that!"

[vehelpfulguy]

My pet hate is LOUD "BACKGROUND" MUSIC.

Many shops seem to play rock or rap music which is obviously aimed more for the staff working there than the customers.

I also hate it when the music is played through the PA system and not through a proper sound system, You get a tinny sound and loads of distortion.

I have walked out of many shops because of the music, and I always try to let someone know that is why I am walking out.

I always used to shop at my local Safeway but when they got taken over by Morrisons they started playing loud pop and rock music.

I complained a few times, hoping others would as well, but when it carried on I stopped going there. They have probably lost about �5000 of business from me over the last 3 years.

Biggest culprits recently have been Maplins (playing LOUD rock music for the staff) and Burger King ( playing loud RAP music for the staff).

Also a number of shops have MULTIPLE sounds coming from computer games, TVs, stereos etc. Recently I have walked out of Toys R Us, and PC World becuase they had sound coming from all directions.

btw, I am not anti-music, I love music. I just hate hearing music being played in small tinny speakers.

[Kim A]

i hate it when:

You've barely made it through the door and a 12 year old pounces on you and says ''you alright there?'
and then says 'there you go' when you've completed your purchase.

The person on the till carries on a conversation with a colleague whilst serving you.

The person on the till can't get it into their head that 'no bag, thank you' means that I don't want one of their carrier bags, as I carry my own, plain bag and don't want to do free advertising for anyone, thanks. Dorothy Perkins in Chichester is particularly bad at this and insists that you have to have one of their carrier bags.

Shop assistants who say, 'there's nothing I can do about it', to a complaint, instead of having a think and using a bit of initiative to deal with the problem.

Other customers who push in front of you as if you were invisible, they are the most important people in the world and their time is more valuable than yours. This happens a lot in Arundel, especially in the deli.

Think I need a lie down and a cold flannel, now............

[diamondrocks]

i have to really disagree with chazza. even if i ask for something in a certain size and they dont have it most people will try another size

[diamondrocks]

this is more of a customer one.
the shop closes at 6 o clock.
the announment comes on reminding the customers that there is 5 mins to closing time.
then again saying the store has now closed.
the lights go off and im standing there about to leave with the till bag
my question is why do customers continue looking when the shop has closed???
get out for gods sake lol