Followed Around by Shop Assistants

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Please only vote if you shop in non-online stores.

I get this ALL the time. They are so obvious about it as well. I remember in one shop this older woman gave me an evil look when I looked at her. In another shop when I couldn't decide which sunglasses to buy, I was given a fed-up sort of look from a SA.

Note that those 'looks' rarely happen, but almost every time I browse a shop, I'm followed, and they poorly disguise this by ruffling the clothes on the rail opposite or behind me...and when I move, they move near me again.

Yes, I think they send the "loss prevention" people after me much of the time because I look suspicious. There's often an employee who walks past numerous other customers directly to me to do the "Can I help you find anything?" thing. Or someone who follows me around, acting like they're scanning inventory. Or maybe I'm just paranoid. There was at least one time when they were definitely watching me, though. There was a guy who seemed to believe he was playing Metal Gear Solid peeking around the endcaps at me like a moron.

I voted never, but it's because I hate shopping and do most of mine online.

Perhaps it's best to only vote if you actually do shop in high street stores, otherwise it'll mess with the results.

Don't worry about it! I should've explained it.

I tend to wear jackets even in warm weather and not so "trendy" clothes so I tend to get dirty looks by shopkeepers.

A most amusing experience was being told by a not so impressed sales guy at a boutique men's clothing store on presenting a gift voucher (after he looked me up and down) was that I'm lucky because my voucher is valid for 12 months so I can take advantage of the next Christmas sale when prices are more affordable (for somebody like me).

What annoys me is when I want to browse and the SA is in your face but when I do want help they're nowhere around.

I don't like salespeople following me around. I don't think it's because they think I'm stealing so much as they're forced by their bosses to be aggressive. Or in many cases, they ARE the owners of the shops. This is why I tend to favor larger retail establishments if I must shop offline. They tend to let you be a little more. I would rather compare products and shop on my own terms.

I think we probably give off an 'off' vibe which gets translated in their minds as 'possible shoplifter'. I get this quite often when I just want to look at things, there will be a shop assistant instantly by my side asking if I need help with anything. But if I actually want help with anything, half the time I can't get a SA to talk to me. To be fair, it also happens that sometimes I will need help and there will be an incredibly nice and helpful SA on hand, so maybe we just notice the unpleasant ones more because they are unpleasant?