Midweek rant: Hey Mister Salesman - stop stalking me!

[CantSpell]

Don't be afraid of your shadow.

 

Take them up and down the isle and then to the other side 5-6 times, it is good for them to exercise: keeps them fit and away from the phone for 10-15 minutes  

[dbrenn]

Agree with the OP - hovering sales people are a complete pest. The most annoying part is when they state the obvious, like telling you that "these are air conditioners" when you are looking at air conditioners. Most of the advice they give you is plain wrong, and they'll tell you any lie they can think of if they believe it will con you into buying from them.

 

I just tell them that I want to be left alone to choose for myself, and if they refuse to go away I walk out.

[little mary sunshine]

Most clerks I have found to be very helpful...

ofter I tell them "just looking" they are quick

to go elsewhere.

[bendejo]

because it is more popular

 

I never understood this, but it is a pretty common suggestion in east Asia -- that the reason I should buy something is because so many other people have bought it. 

 

 

 

[CGW]

I enjoy the ones with the magical calculator who's primary focus is telling you the price of something you have zero interest in, as if you will suddenly buy a large "appliance" that you have no zero for, simply because the price is right!

[digbeth]

To be fair, if you're not browsing and have in mind what you want, greeters at the entrance of Homepro and Thaiwassadu can take you to what you need and out with minimum of fuss

[elgordo38]

6 hours ago, habanero said:

The simple phrase, " Let us know if you need any help, I'll be right over there", would be nice to hear again.

I had a girl say that to me once when I first arrived. Yes it would be nice to hear again. 

[elgordo38]

Yes they definitely seem to have that "Lets wrap it up for you" attitude right from the beginning. Assumption of a sale is big here in retail. Little to no knowledge of the product is another and of course the lack of a English speaking person in a big chain store is always amusing(for lack of a better unmentionable word)

[Andrew Dwyer]

I enjoy the ones with the magical calculator who's primary focus is telling you the price of something you have zero interest in, as if you will suddenly buy a large "appliance" that you have no zero for, simply because the price is right!

Same goes for the guys ( Indians ?) trying to sell you suit in the touristy areas !!

As I'm walking along with my flip flops and t-shirt/ shorts and they say " Suit for you, sir ? ", at first I would think it funny but now it just annoys me. ☹️

 

[chilli42]

It used to bother me.  It just felt creepy like they were lurking just in the corner of my eye with that fake smile plastered on their gob.  Then I realized that better some service is better than no service and these sales people would rather be doing anything else than watching my fat backside.  Now I just approach them and say (in Thai) that I am just looking, I don't need help but if I do they will be the first person I ask.  The look of relief on their face is funny and of course I now have the freedom to breath.  It's a win for both of us.

[CGW]

4 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Same goes for the guys ( Indians ?) trying to sell you suit in the touristy areas !!

As I'm walking along with my flip flops and t-shirt/ shorts and they say " Suit for you, sir ? ", at first I would think it funny but now it just annoys me. ☹️

 

After nearly forty years as an expat I have learned to totally ignore these people! "suit for you sir" closely followed by "how about some shirts" I have no idea how many thousands of times I have been asked this!

[PeCeDe]

4 hours ago, Prbkk said:

All too familiar. The day I bought a (ridiculously expensive) coffee machine the sales girl looked like the cat that got the cream, presumably from the windfall commission; meanwhile the boy who usually sells me stuff looked very down in the mouth when observing the sale. 

They are nice kids, poorly paid and it's management who force them into the stalking thing.

hehe to the OP, thanks. Like Prbkk I, to some degree, empathize with the sales people, presumably for most of them it's "No sale, No money, " a tough job to be sure, I usually say I don't speak Thai, and they disappear unless you're (un) lucky enough to meet a salesperson who does speak English.

[JSixpack]

18 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Same goes for the guys ( Indians ?) trying to sell you suit in the touristy areas !!
As I'm walking along with my flip flops and shirt/ shorts and they say " Suit for you, sir ? ", at 1st I would think it funny but now it just annoys me. ☹️

 

Not clear what goes exactly, but after all the Indian tailor salesforce is in a whole different category, comparable to the itinerant watch/sunglass/kamagra street vendors. Feeling annoyed w/ them is a newbie reaction, I'd say. After a while, they're just part of the scenery. A polite but firm "No" or "No, have already" with absolutely no interest shown quickly brushes away those pests.

Edited April 19, 2017 by JSixpack

[jesimps]

Has the same effect on me as someone reading my paper over my shoulder. It must be a phobia because I can't relax while they're hovering.

 

If they just had one person placed at the end of each display so that you could ask for help if needed, that would be useful.

 

Can't believe that their company owners don't realise that falang don't enjoy being stalked whilst shopping.

[maxcorrigan]

8 hours ago, wayned said:

Most have no knowledge of the products. I've been in Home Pro searching for a specific product with the entourage following me.  The last time it was Elmer's wood glue.  I knew that they had it as I had bought it there before at a different store.  I finally spotted it out of the corner of my eye but decided to ask one of the "stalkers" . After I explained what I wanted they had a conference and I was asked to follow them. They took me to the nuts and bolts section so I explained again and after another conference they told me "Mai Mee".  I said "Mee" and I motioned for them to follow me and took them back to where we started and picked up the bottle of glue.  The response was the normal group "giggle"!  You sometimes have to actually get rude to get them to leave you alone.

 

That also goes for the checkers in Tesco and Big C that want to bag your frozen food with the toilet cleaner!  They don't have a clue or just don't care!

Yes i have had similar experiences many times, sometimes there is no Thai word for what you want it is English, but you need to pronounce the Thai way, i remember asking in Tescos where i would find batteries, the girl looked completely puzzled, then i thought, ah batterlee she twigged straight away took me straight where i needed to go!

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

555 OP you need to develop new skills. You first tell them you can't afford to buy the new one and is only looking. Then you scan which models are available at which price. Then you do internet searches to see which models are in your specs and  online prices. Decide on a model you want and buy online or walk in and order them to give you the model you want. Online is just easier. 

[sandrabbit]

6 hours ago, JAG said:

We have got a relatively new " Global House" in Chang Rai.
Whilst I think it is better than " HomePro" next door, they do have a weird system.
I bought a pack of rawlpugs and screws the other day. The checkout girl handed me the item in a plastic bag, along with an itemised A sized receipt and a till receipt. I took one pace and two hovering members of staff, who had watched the transaction delved in the bag, examined the pack of screws, scrutinised both receipts carefully, stamped the A5 receipt and sent me on my way with a wai. why?

Slightly off topic, I was installing some exterior lighting at our resort and I couldn't everything in either Global House or Thai Watsadu in Rayong so I had to go back and fore between the two of them. Anyway Thai Watsadu staff more likely to follow you and also the first time I went in Homepro I had tell a guy to get lost as I wasn't going to steal anything.

[SABloke]

Same as security getting on the BTS. They flash their torch over whats at the top of the bag. Never check whats in the bag. Makes me chuckle each time I see it.

That's impressivse, because on the MRT they've stopped checking altogether (unless you have a suitcase on wheels it seems) and the buzzers are going off constantly (they used to pretend to check).

[Bantex]

10 hours ago, wayned said:

 

That also goes for the checkers in Tesco and Big C that want to bag your frozen food with the toilet cleaner!  They don't have a clue or just don't care!

When I'm unloading the shopping trolley at the checkout I always try to group food items together, cleaning products together etc so that the items will be bagged together but the checkout girls always reach for some items farthest away from them and pack things which should never be bagged together. As they bag and usually double bag my shopping I wait until they have processed about half of it and then I unpack it in front of them and repack it properly. Whilst I am repacking she has to stop as there is no where for her place the last bag she packed. When I have repacked my shopping I then put bags back into the empty shopping trolley which creates space for her to continue. By this time the checkout girl realises that I will carry on repacking what she packs and she starts holding up items she intends to pack together for my nod of approval. I guarantee you'll be remembered the next time by her.

[GarryP]

17 minutes ago, Bantex said:

When I'm unloading the shopping trolley at the checkout I always try to group food items together, cleaning products together etc so that the items will be bagged together but the checkout girls always reach for some items farthest away from them and pack things which should never be bagged together. As they bag and usually double bag my shopping I wait until they have processed about half of it and then I unpack it in front of them and repack it properly. Whilst I am repacking she has to stop as there is no where for her place the last bag she packed. When I have repacked my shopping I then put bags back into the empty shopping trolley which creates space for her to continue. By this time the checkout girl realises that I will carry on repacking what she packs and she starts holding up items she intends to pack together for my nod of approval. I guarantee you'll be remembered the next time by her.

A bit too OCD, don't you think? Anyway, I have never encountered this problem at Tops. They all seem to know what they are doing. 

 

As to PowerBuy and HomePro, I usually just tell them I am only looking and then they don't bother chasing me around. 

[Bantex]

14 minutes ago, GarryP said:

A bit too OCD, don't you think? Anyway, I have never encountered this problem at Tops. They all seem to know what they are doing. 

 

As to PowerBuy and HomePro, I usually just tell them I am only looking and then they don't bother chasing me around. 

Not OCD.  I just don't appreciate the likes of bleach being packed with fresh meat or vegetables etc the worst was when they packed bleach with baby milk powder.

And I agree with never having a problem at Tops.

Edited April 19, 2017 by Bantex

[DrTuner]

The usual is to pack Lays chips in the middle of a few soda bottles to ensure it'll all be mush by the time you get home. Or ice cream next to a hot meal. Can't expect too much from some one who's main achievement in life was to land a job as a Lotus cashier, I suppose.

[smudger1951]

Yes, I know the problem but I understand these mostly young people who are probably educated to a higher level job than a customer assistant honestly want to do something.

[The Dark Lord]

On a very similar vein, TVF is advertising massive savings on car insurance through their web site, so with my insurance due up shortly I thought I would give them a shot.

 

so FiFi calls me up and asks me to buy insurance off her. I gently explain that I would like to know the cost for each category of their cover and would like her to send me that along with a brief explanation of what is covered under each category so as to have a starting point. 

 

I dutifully gave her my e mail address even going to the extent of asking her to read it back to me which she did.

 

something like 20  phone calls later ( each one getting increasingly more annoying as I have yet to get the written proposal and all I get is " sir please buy your insurance from me" 

 

i have now now stopped answering the calls and will only do so when she sends me the proposal.

 

come on TVF if you advertise something at least make sure it  is up to standard.i am reluctant to respond to Amy TVF adverts now and I am looking for medical insurance as well as travel / flights.

 

the BR private hardware store sounds like it is worth a trip from The Dark Castle in Khorat if it is half as good as it is rumoured to be. 

 

I rarely have problems in the hardware stores beit HomePro or Do Home as both are fighting for market share and have pulled their socks up in Khorat of late. Plus when I go to either of them it is usually half way through the project so I will be sweaty, stinky, covered in (chose from the following) dust /paint /<deleted> / mud / oil depending on the current project.

 

works wonders for me

 

[electric]

There's a really friendly staff guy at my local BigC. He's one of those guys that stands there waiting to check your receipt, 3 seconds after you've paid the cashier. Boring as batshit I'm sure ....

 

Anyway ..... he always give us a big wai, a sawatdee khup and a beaut smile. Maybe he's got the hots for my missus ? .....   whatever.

 

So .... last week this guy finally got a change of scenery. He's now at the entrance handing out empty trolleys. Same big smile and hello etc. Nice.

 

This occasion I'm shopping alone. Half filled trolley. I'm in the confectionery aisle pondering which brand of honey roasted cashews to buy. Big decision, so I'm taking my time.

 

I casually look left, and bugger me if this same staff guy is standing there at the end of the aisle watching me intently.

 

Was he waiting for my missus to turn up ? Had I forgotten to do up my zip ? Can cashews only be purchased between 11am and 2pm ? Had I neglected to tip him for the empty trolley ? So many questions ... so little time.

 

I decided the best plan was to give him the 10 second direct blank stare. It worked. A little apologetically he smiled, nodded and pissed off without a word being said.

 

I have no idea what it was all about.

 

 

Edited April 19, 2017 by electric

[ddavidovsky]

If they stalk me I get out. Saved myself loads of money that way.

 

Homepro is fine except in the paint section, where for some reason they are onto me like Overly Attached Girlfriend.

 

In there yesterday, in generous mood, I was actually going to ask one of them if they had any epoxy appliance spray. Then I thought, nah.

[DieterWiehe]

10 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.

just pretend doing his duty 

[biggles45]

• " You sometimes have to actually get rude to get them to leave you alone."

after 16 years here I now have no hesitation in telling them to leave me alone and if I need help I will ask. 

 

Having said this tho they are 10 times worse in the Philippines. In the malls sales staff actually stand OUTSIDE their shops and accost you. 

[petesc55]

The first time I did a minor purchase at a SE Asian department store, I was amused that it took 6 employees and 20 minutes to buy a single, $10 item.     One had the key to get the item, which was in a locked display case.  One to demonstrate it.  (plug it in, show it lit up), and four to stand at the checkout, with three standing there looking pretty, but dumb, while one processed the payment.  (We bought a small hot water pot since we were island hopping for a few weeks, hitting hotels which may not have one in the room)

 

Then we have thailand, where 5-6 follow you, permanently, and you may collect a few more whenever you round the end of an aisle.      Sometimes I think if I circle the whole store a few times I can collect every employee in the store.   Start a conga line or something.

 

I wonder if you can lead them out of the store and down the street for a while?

 

[Khon Kaen Dave]

I always get it ia builders merchants. I know what i am looking for, but i get some kid, who has no idea, and his boss has just told him to follow us around. I can usually manage to get out with the least amount of hassle from the kid. I usually tell him that when/if i see what i want, he will be the first to know and i will call him.But I'm sure the manager tells him to follow me about, because "all felangs are  thieves. But Saturday was the last straw.

I wanted to change one of our shower heads into a drench head' its simply a shower head but its like a big disc, that literally drenches you in water.

I found the one i wanted, and my wife told him to get one from the store, as we wanted to buy it.He was gone 15 minutes and came back and said that it wasnt in stock and they weren't getting any more, as they were not making them.I said "ok, i will buy the demonstration model"

"cant sell you that one, its for show"

Ok, why do you have something on show that cant be bought?"

"its for show"

Yes, i know, but if some one wants to buy one, you cant sell them one because you haven't got any"

"its for show"

I understand that, but if you haven't got any, and you cant get any, why do....oh never mind i will go to Home mart"

Went to speak to the boss.

"its for show"

"have you never heard of false representation?"

'Its for  show"

"oh, stick it up your......"