Midweek rant: Hey Mister Salesman - stop stalking me!

[Dukeleto]

Actually I prefer it when I am looking at say, water heaters for the local "expert" to point out his recommendations. I then know exactly what NOT to buy and can narrow my focus a little better. A bit of advice to the newby setting up a new place. Steer clear of Samsung and LG. Samsung home appliances may look the nicest with the highest specs at a reasonable price but they do not last and are a repair nightmare! Stay away from LG air conditioners for the same reasons. I go with Japanese brands here possible and have met with far greater success!

[prakhonchai nick]

2 hours ago, Crossy said:

"security"

 

Makro is the same, the man spends a minute or so looking at the (metre long) receipt before stamping it. There is no way he's checked the content of our two trolleys in that time.

Actually Crossy, the Makro man is just making sure that the high priced items (boxes of beer, whisky, wine etc) have been correctly recorded and the correct number listed. He is not interested in your fruit and veggies.

[prakhonchai nick]

13 minutes ago, Dukeleto said:

Actually I prefer it when I am looking at say, water heaters for the local "expert" to point out his recommendations. I then know exactly what NOT to buy and can narrow my focus a little better. A bit of advice to the newby setting up a new place. Steer clear of Samsung and LG. Samsung home appliances may look the nicest with the highest specs at a reasonable price but they do not last and are a repair nightmare! Stay away from LG air conditioners for the same reasons. I go with Japanese brands here possible and have met with far greater success!

Your experience is very different from mine.

[Suradit69]

2 hours ago, Familyaffairs said:

Take the wife too, then when the shark appears, split up in different directions, that throws them off a bit.

I take along a Thai friend who is assigned the task of immediately engaging the salesperson  in conversation, leaving me free to explore unencumbered.

 

[Dukeleto]

7 minutes ago, prakhonchai nick said:

Your experience is very different from mine.

I am truly happy for you. With 3 properties for over 10 years and multiple appliances over the years I'll stick with my stats thanks.

[Crossy]

14 minutes ago, prakhonchai nick said:

Actually Crossy, the Makro man is just making sure that the high priced items (boxes of beer, whisky, wine etc) have been correctly recorded and the correct number listed. He is not interested in your fruit and veggies.

 

Makes sense.

 

One assumes that he's looking down the list for any big ticket items, so he can check them.

 

[jvs]

Never have a problem,just tell them in Thai you want to look around first.If i do want to socialize i just go to the nicest looking sales girl and talk to her a bit.

 

[djayz]

Lol I love it! It's all so, so true!

 

I'd have spent loads more money here buying stuff IF they didn't stalk me. I like to browse, compare products (price, quality, functions, etc.) but I can't do that here because of the sales staff - I hate it when they stand right next to me as I read the peoduct info, check material, etc.!

 

In the mean time I'm actually GLAD that they are so annoying - it puts me off shopping! More money in the bank for me, less in the economy. ?

 

Being a good sales person is a skill, not everybody has it. 

Edited April 19, 2017 by djayz

[JSixpack]

4 hours ago, Canceraid said:

The problem with most of these buffoons working as sales in Thailand  is that they have no product knowledge of the products they are selling.

 

But sometimes they do and can be helpful.

 

Quote

Normally I when they cannot answer, I will rudely tell them to bugger off and go read the product manuals of the items they are trying to sell.

 

So The Ugly Farang rears its head, giving us all a bad rep. No wonder I get good service by being polite and friendly.

 

Quote

Worst are the sales girls at  dept stores....do you ahve this size....no have(they did not even check!)

 

But maybe they know they don't. On the other hand I've seen them do some serious checking and suggest another brand in the size needed.

 

Edited April 19, 2017 by JSixpack

[JSixpack]

3 minutes ago, djayz said:

Being a good sales person is a skill, not everybody has it. 

 

As is being a good customer.

[onemorechang]

Become a sales person

Turns you into an automatic  liar.

What an occupation to have.

 

[JSixpack]

12 minutes ago, jvs said:

Never have a problem,just tell them in Thai you want to look around first.If i do want to socialize i just go to the nicest looking sales girl and talk to her a bit.

 

Excellent. I give a friendly greeting in Thai & smile, tell them politely I'm just looking if I really don't want company, or just socialize a bit while I'm looking. Had some mutually pleasant experiences that way. Fact, I'm thinking now of a salesgirl I encountered last week at a B2S stationery store. SO nice. They're just doing their job, don't make a lot, and appreciate good treatment when, to judge by this thread, they don't get much from the stupid old farang.

[ianwheldale]

In Siam TV Electronics yesterday in CM. My shaver has packed up so need a new one. As soon as you stop moving you get the treatment. said to the guy "I'm fine thank you" didn't move just stood there. Had enough "You know if I could look at stuff without being hassled, I might buy something". I walked away and left the store. The various posts about lack of product knowledge made me smile. All you UK expats, do you remember Dixons and Comet? No staff there had a scooby about anything they were selling

[wayned]

And then there's the waiters and waitresses in restaurants!  They show you to a table, give you a menu that is 10 pages long written in Thai with pictures and then stand there and stare art you.

[janclaes47]

41 minutes ago, prakhonchai nick said:

Actually Crossy, the Makro man is just making sure that the high priced items (boxes of beer, whisky, wine etc) have been correctly recorded and the correct number listed. He is not interested in your fruit and veggies.

 

Actually the guy is counting your items and comparing them with the iotems on your receipt.

 

When I shop at Makro I always have a small cooler box with me, in which I store frozen items and vegetables. They will always open the cooler box, however I don't think they expect that a box of beer is hidden in there.

 

Wine and spirits are not on the general receipt, as they are checked out in store, and already checked if paid at the general check out counter.

 

What they do is a major inconvenience, and a reason for me not to shop at places that have this practice, and it is not the first time that I have returned all my paid for items to the check out for a refund because they insisted on it.

 

I don't like to be treated like a shop lifter, if they have security issues and think their cashier steals from them, then there are other ways to control that.

[realenglish1]

So true When they start to stalk me even if I am interested in something I just walk away and leave the area

 

Stalking turns me right off I dont want to ask any question because I feel I am committed to buying it 

 

This should not be the case and as far as knowledge is concerned I wanted to buy a microwave and started to look at the different ones

 

GUess what They know nothing about them other then turn on and off  I speak Thai and asked about the power rating on one of them

 

They did not know 

 

If you are going to have sales people train them to know the produces 

Edited April 19, 2017 by realenglish1

[Crossy]

2 minutes ago, ianwheldale said:

All you UK expats, do you remember Dixons and Comet? No staff there had a scooby about anything they were selling

 

Indeed.

 

Of course the REAL Dixons (when it was just a camera store up until the late '80s) staff knew everything there was to know.

[kkerry]

Home Pro mostly leave me in peace, but Tesco and Big C in the electrical section...

If I'm with my wife she quickly tells them to leave me be or I will go elsewhere.

Then they start talking to her as she is too polite to tell them to move on.

She will end up conveying messages to me from the staff like... that TV/fridge/washer is no good, this one is better... despite me having done my research and knowing what I am after

 

Pretending to talk on the phone keeps them at bay but if they get impatient and hover to close I raise my voice a little and start laughing while looking straight at them... that works.

 

 

[prakhonchai nick]

14 minutes ago, wayned said:

And then there's the waiters and waitresses in restaurants!  They show you to a table, give you a menu that is 10 pages long written in Thai with pictures and then stand there and stare art you.

More often than not just 1 menu for 4 people! And still they stand and expect an immediate order.

[01322521959]

' Long doo' I say in my rotten Thai, just looking. If I am caught I tend to ask for confirmation in my question. Its 100mls on this TV isn't it?
But the poor girl at the phones has had to put up with my bad Thai each time I go for a browse
Shot over to the fridges with lots of English stickers AMD all the assistants in a corner.
Then to the beds no probs but had to laugh at the the 700,000 baht cost of the memory foam beds. All the worse with the pound at 43 baht. Arrr!


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[JSixpack]

17 minutes ago, wayned said:

And then there's the waiters and waitresses in restaurants!  They show you to a table, give you a menu that is 10 pages long written in Thai with pictures and then stand there and stare art you.

 

You really need to start eating at Kiss Food & Drinks in Pattaya.

[digbeth]

11 minutes ago, janclaes47 said:

 

Actually the guy is counting your items and comparing them with the iotems on your receipt.

 

When I shop at Makro I always have a small cooler box with me, in which I store frozen items and vegetables. They will always open the cooler box, however I don't think they expect that a box of beer is hidden in there.

 

Wine and spirits are not on the general receipt, as they are checked out in store, and already checked if paid at the general check out counter.

 

What they do is a major inconvenience, and a reason for me not to shop at places that have this practice, and it is not the first time that I have returned all my paid for items to the check out for a refund because they insisted on it.

 

I don't like to be treated like a shop lifter, if they have security issues and think their cashier steals from them, then there are other ways to control that.

 

Makro used to be members only and it probably was their condition of entry that they check the reciepts... to be fair you can't trust if the cashier has counted your multiple items correctly and maybe even overcharging you by putting in the wrong multiple number.

 

Though I agree it's an inconvenience and once you left the till it's your stuff, if they insist on not letting you leave without checking they can call the cops and see how it goes.

 

Worse is that some place disallow the use of the multiple buttons because the cashier will and do count wrong and make them scan all the *same* items individually  how many pieces you brought

[kiwikeith]

7 hours ago, lemonjelly said:

Lol, would make an excellent comedy clip, soundtrack to Jaws... I usually baffle them with a couple of questions that only a fluent speaker would understand.... throws them off the scent; they tend to leave me alone now

:)

If you come across an Indian salesman they will not stop following you around the shop, I warned the guy to shut up and leave me to browse alone , he ignored that so I went to the shop next door , bought what I wanted and displayed it to him when I left.

[Kwasaki]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

And not follow me – I get scared. Keep a respectable distance

Total rubbish and just another Thai bash if you ask me you only have to tell them  

" l'm looking only "  easy Thai to learn be it a man or lady.

Before going chopping    do some research on what you want to buy.

What idiot would take notice of a salesman anyway.

[digbeth]

With Homepro with the ever so helpful staff is hurting their sales for me in one case is that when I already ask them to retrieve something that I wanted already, they would come with the trolleys and escort me to the cashier, if they had left me on my own I might've walk around and browse some more and ended up with a few extra bits and pieces that I hadn't intend to buy in the first place.

[01322521959]

"security"
 
Makro is the same, the man spends a minute or so looking at the (metre long) receipt before stamping it. There is no way he's checked the content of our two trolleys in that time.

I always irritate security as I have my own bags, one is a 10 year old smelly bag my ex ex bought computer stuff. They do look at me oddly as I come out of Tescos.
I've a real THING about this plastic crap.

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[JSixpack]

44 minutes ago, janclaes47 said:

What they do is a major inconvenience

 

No, a minor inconvenience and cutting down on the pilfering helps keep prices low, hence worth it.

 

Quote

it is not the first time that I have returned all my paid for items to the check out for a refund because they insisted on it.

 

Which is just awfully childish, reinforcing negative stereotypes Thais have about farangs.

 

Quote

I don't like to be treated like a shop lifter, if they have security issues and think their cashier steals from them, then there are other ways to control that.

 

But they aren't treating you like a shoplifter; you're simply choosing to think they are in pursuit of victimism. (Not to say that farang don't shoplift.) They check everyone, not just you, and besides the other ways this is an additional way that also offers some efficacy. Me, I might joke w/ the checker and get a smile--which is a real challenge at Makro. WHAT a boring job that is.

 

Edited April 19, 2017 by JSixpack

[stereolab]

27 minutes ago, ianwheldale said:

In Siam TV Electronics yesterday in CM. My shaver has packed up so need a new one. As soon as you stop moving you get the treatment. said to the guy "I'm fine thank you" didn't move just stood there. Had enough "You know if I could look at stuff without being hassled, I might buy something". I walked away and left the store. The various posts about lack of product knowledge made me smile. All you UK expats, do you remember Dixons and Comet? No staff there had a scooby about anything they were selling

I miss the days of being in Comet etc and being approached by a salesperson who would simply read off the card beside the product , to try and impress me. However, I always found a few technical questions would throw them off the scent. Here it is a completely different matter, I really dislike the close attention, and stalking. 1% of the sales assistants I encounter can converse in English. I always do my research before going into a shop, but I like to see a product physically in front of me. I would speak to a Manager, but they appear to be very rare beasts. I speak no Thai unfortunately.

[Ace of Pop]

Homepro Shadows are often mistaken for Staff , but are employed in the main by section area renters,  not Homepro, Michael Cain told me.!! Makro tend to follow me with a bloody great big Hi Stacker.

[cooked]

1. They are obliged to do this by their floor manager who in his turn is pressured by his boss to increase sales.

2. At least in my local Thaiwatsadu they get a bit nervous when they see me as I can get quite noisy at times.

3. This usually means they stay at a discrete distance, but will help when I ask a question, show a picture on my phone.

4. As a last resort using an obscure, loud Transylvanian dialect at least shoos them off to get their supervisor and gives you 10 minutes respite.

This is why I generally go to this one store, although in Buriram we are fortunate enough to have Rueangsongthai hardware store, who make a point of having English speakers and are trained not to pester customers. http://burirambuildersmerchants.com/