I'm posting this in the ladies section as I spose we generaly do more 'mooching' type shopping than guys.

Yesterday I went clothes shopping, wanted to get a pair of nice troosers but of course deviated and checked out bags, shoes, make-up etc.. (as you do .)

Havn't had a shopping experience other than in LOS for quite some time and just wondered on everyones take of Thai shoppong assistants/clerks.

My experience is that as soon as I walk in to thier shop or section of store, I immediatly gain my own shopping clerk 'shadow', someone who stands directly behind me giving a space of about 1 foot to mooch, if I walk away they follow, if I pick up an item they instantly go on with some preprogrammed speil about offers,discount,sizes etc. They then preceed to bring items (that I have no interest in)up to me,push them in my face as if this would make me buy it.

Eventually no matter how interested I am in whatever it is I'm looking at, I end up walking out of the section/shop out of either intimidation or annoyance

When I finally do buy something I like, I'm bombarded with other items that 'are discount too' or 'have this too' or 'new style', Buying a mascara yesterday I was forced to say 4 times "No thanks, I'll just take this" before I could even pay.

I have never met shopping assistants like this in the Uk, only in LOS.

The point is I just want to shop in comfort and get help only if I ask for it.

Anybody else have this experience in LOS??

I really wanted to say something, but don't want to be seen as rude, but it happens in every shop.

What do you think the best thing to say is when your hemmed in by a shop clerk?"

I want to say "JUST BACK OFF!!" I would if it happened in the UK!

Oh, I do know what you mean. Drives me mad. a firm but polite "just looking" doesn't seem to do much good. I usually go shopping with my hubby in Bangkok and somehow he manages to keep them at bay. Not sure why tho. He says the same thing, "just looking, thank you" and off they go. If they don't go he will then say, "thank you but you can go now" and off they go! Maybe its because he's a man

I make it a point to go shopping in shabby clothes (faded t-shirts, shorts, flip flops, etc.) - usually no one pays me any attention

Oh, I do know what you mean. Drives me mad. a firm but polite "just looking" doesn't seem to do much good. I usually go shopping with my hubby in Bangkok and somehow he manages to keep them at bay. Not sure why tho. He says the same thing, "just looking, thank you" and off they go. If they don't go he will then say, "thank you but you can go now" and off they go! Maybe its because he's a man

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Yeah, the problem isn't half as bad when I go with my hubby either, thats why I always ask him to come with me, but he knows what I'm like and is now wise to my 'mooching' approach to shopping, so he often refuses!

Once I was really annoyed and just said "Can you go away?" really loudly and shooed with my hands, the girl looked at me like I was a complete bitch and I felt really bad , but hey I needed my mooching space!

I just want to be able to get rid of them without them thinking I'm a complete cow!

Shola - just not Thailand, its most Asian countries. Japan is the absolute worst for this - multipy by 100 and you have what its like there.

Shola - just not Thailand, its most Asian countries. Japan is the absolute worst for this - multipy by 100 and you have what its like there.

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! I know! I have experienced it there also but didn't say initially as I wasn't sure if peeps would think it was just me getting in a tiz over this! I wasn't sure if it bothered anyone else or I was just getting abnormally annoyed!

Japan are worse for the greeting too, you get 'Sawadi Kaa/Kraaap' here a few times in one place but over there the 'Irashaymaasaaaaay's' can get really out of control!!

Ahh! How can us moochers shop in peace?!

I have not been to Japan, but I have found that China (both mainland and HK) are just as bad. You cannot even look at an item without having someone approach you seconds later. It really is intimidating as I understand how one likes to shop without being watched over.

However, the mentality is if you give your customer attention (approach them, talk to them, etc.) you will most likely end up with a sale much more often than if you were to leave your customer alone. If given the chance, most customers would just walk in and out unless they had come with a prior agenda to buy a certain thing. I worked in retail for a couple of years to support myself through college and saw how effective even a simple "hello" was in making a customer want to stay. I do agree, however, that most asian merchants go waaaayyy beyond the hello

I would say that if they didn't leave you alone after a couple of gentle "I'm just looking" and walk a little bit away from them. If they persist, it probably would be best to just walk away.

Shola - just not Thailand, its most Asian countries. Japan is the absolute worst for this - multipy by 100 and you have what its like there.

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! I know! I have experienced it there also but didn't say initially as I wasn't sure if peeps would think it was just me getting in a tiz over this! I wasn't sure if it bothered anyone else or I was just getting abnormally annoyed!

Japan are worse for the greeting too, you get 'Sawadi Kaa/Kraaap' here a few times in one place but over there the 'Irashaymaasaaaaay's' can get really out of control!!

Ahh! How can us moochers shop in peace?!

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Japan is horrible with this. You walk into a store and everyone has to greet you with the latest offer. I try to do what little shopping i have on base.

Easy,tell them that you have a very infectious cold that you caught in Vietnam....and then watch them run

Easy,tell them that you have a very infectious cold that you caught in Vietnam....and then watch them run

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HA! You've given me a great idea Chuchok, next time if they don't move after I say I'm just looking I'm going to put on a really serious face and say

' Lawang kaa, Chan ben wat nok'

then spray a big fake sneeze in thier direction!

(Mind you they're very determined, most likely try to sell me some tissues or a funeral suit )

I would say that if they didn't leave you alone after a couple of gentle "I'm just looking" and walk a little bit away from them.  If they persist, it probably would be best to just walk away. 

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This is what I do. your thread is right on the mark, though. Shopping here can sometimes turn into a nightmare with pushy sales people watching your every move. &lt;deleted&gt;?!

I would say that if they didn't leave you alone after a couple of gentle "I'm just looking" and walk a little bit away from them.  If they persist, it probably would be best to just walk away. 

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This is what I do. your thread is right on the mark, though. Shopping here can sometimes turn into a nightmare with pushy sales people watching your every move. &lt;deleted&gt;?!

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Thing is I'm always torn becuase I don't want to walk away, I'm interested in what I'm looking at and may seriously be considering buying it, in the end when I do walk away out of pure intimidation/fustration, I feel cheated out of a decent shopping experience, which lets face is supposed to be fun, and it's not like I get to do it V.often (I wish I could! )

Point is when I do buy I feel like I'm encouraging them! making them think that what they do actually works so they'll carry on harrasing us poor shoppers endlessly!

When you do tell them to back off they look so hard done by it's pittiful!

Ahh well theres always online shopping! At least you can close a pop up!

Could have fun with it.. start making laps around the store.

LoL, just keep walking in & out of racks of clothes, up & down isles, doing figures of eight & see if they follow you, wait till they are really close behind you then step back on their feet really hard or else, if that all fails, get them to fetch you things & hold the stuff you want to buy, at least that way, they can follow you around but make themselves useful

its ok, the middle east is the same: one of two types:

the minute you show interest in a pair of whatever, its already been taken down off some high shelf by an old geezer that drags a ladder over and climbs it, on return he is panting and huffing and makes it seem like this may be his last sale, and he's already wrapping it in a bag.... and then i say, but i was just inquiring, and then you get yelled at, and feel guilty to boot...

OR

in some super fancy store where two horribly made up women wearing tight black pantsuits w/gold chain belts and henna'd hair are chatting about Avi or Yossi or whomever and they completely disregard the fact that you have found what u are looking for but want a different colour, or worse, just want to pay.... then they do u the favor of stopping the conversation to take your money, by asking, 'is thaaaat allll' ....

but i am one of those people that really hate shopping, and if i go for a pair of socks, well, thats what i intend to buy and thats it......no fun shopping w/me, girls.

but take me to see goats or dogs......... well, .......

LoL, just keep walking in & out of racks of clothes, up & down isles, doing figures of eight & see if they follow you, wait till they are really close behind you then step back on their feet really hard or else, if that all fails, get them to fetch you things & hold the stuff you want to buy, at least that way, they can follow you around but make themselves useful

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Ha! Have actually done that one, stepped back and trodden on the poor girls foot pretending I didn't know she was directly behind me!

Another time I took advantage of a poor guy assistant in Dapper when buying a shirt for my hubby, I knew he was the same size as my guy so I made him turn around while I measured the fit of the shirt on his back!

Well at least he came in usefull!

I much prefer the shop staff in Asia compared to the UK, at least they're interested in selling you something (probably the comission). The goons in England just stand around talking to each other and taking the p*ss out of the customers. I know when I walk into a shop in Bangkok, I'll get an assistant to help me with what I want to buy. In the UK, finding an assistant to ask whether I can try it on is hard enough.

Granted, if you shop for pleasure and not necessarily to buy something, it could get annoying but then I'm a fella and when I walk into a shop, it's to buy and not browse

I much prefer the shop staff in Asia compared to the UK, at least they're interested in selling you something (probably the comission). The goons in England just stand around talking to each other and taking the p*ss out of the customers. I know when I walk into a shop in Bangkok, I'll get an assistant to help me with what I want to buy. In the UK, finding an assistant to ask whether I can try it on is hard enough.

Granted, if you shop for pleasure and not necessarily to buy something, it could get annoying but then I'm a fella and when I walk into a shop, it's to buy and not browse 

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Thats why I posted in the ladies forum as for most girls browsing is 90% of the fun!

But I have to say I'd rather have the shopping assistants talking amongst themselves, even taking the piss if they want, as long as I get blo0dy left alone!

I think there in Jack Jones post we have a major difference between men & women Even if we know what we want we will still browse as you never know what else you might find whilst looking, also for most of us shopping is a recreational sport but for most (straight) guys it's a means to an ends not a pleasure

So true! I love shopping and am a bargain hound extraordinaire. (Why pay full price when I can get it for cheaper?

Taking a guy along just takes all the fun out of it!

I immediatly gain my own shopping clerk 'shadow', someone who stands directly behind me giving a space of about 1 foot to mooch

The pushy salesperson routine is really overdone to death in Thailand.

Sad thing is they never get the hint!!!