Rant: Persistant sales clerks.

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Don't you just hate it when people stand behind you and look over your shoulder. I was in radio shack today to pick up a phone line and the first thing that always happens when I step in there is I get greeted by a salesman.

Clerk - "Hello and welcome to radio shack, what can I help you find today?

Me - "Just looking"

Clerk - "OK then, but if you have any questions, I'll be right over there"

Well today right over "there" was about 3 feet behind me. Three feet for me is too close, and as I looked over all the different things they had up on the peg boards, it took alot on my part to keep from turning around and telling the guy to get lost.

Sometimes you hope another customer will come into the store *just* then so the clerk will be busy and have someone else to attend to.

They're being polite and they don't know what's on your mind... I believe there are ways of firmly telling the clerk in a nice way that you'd like to check things out in your own personal space. Or maybe just say something with a smile like:

"I'm sorry, do you mind? I have Asperger's Syndrome."

And then maybe he'll ask what that is, or maybe he won't, but just the sound of it may make him mindful. Ahhh. I mean, how else is he supposed to know?

Scott, you are so lucky! I buy only those things that are absolutely necessary, so when I come through store door, I know exactly what I need, and I want to just buy it and leave as fast as I can. So what I do next is: "Sir, excuse me... I have a question... Where can I find... Excuse me, sir... May I ask for your attention... Sir, please... Can you direct me to... Where are you going?... Sir, can you hear me?" This has happened to me in places like Radio Shack, but most notorious is Home Depot. I once wanted to buy one lightbulb that I could not find, and I spent 35 minutes begging various employees for help. Sometimes I think that maybe Klingon style would work better.

That's a good one! To make a point even clearer:
"I have Asperger's Syndrome and it is contagious!"
Surely they would step back without further questions, don't you think?

HAHAHA... the contagion is spreading! Like ZOMBIES! Mmmm... LOL. That's too funny. Yeah, I can imagine you going over there with a Bat'leth and engaging in Klingon insults with those have smooth foreheads.

Seriously though, yeah, efficiency rules.

With batleth to Home Depot, LOL! "You will tell me where lightbulbs are, or I will kill you where you stand!" I guess that's the only way there. Thanks for the advice, Torley!

One and not a nice reason they think if you know you are being watched/helped the odds you would/could shoplift go down yes they are prejudging someone doing this. Second the sales bots get paid by the sale some of them. The ones i dislike the most are "greeter" types in some stores.

I think this is a cultural thing - I live in a neighborhood with a lot of people who are African American and Hispanic and when I am in the grocery store they will stand about six inches from me in line and it just creeps me out . . . I had never noticed that until I moved here, so I think it must be a cultural difference . . .

I often find myself being stalked in shops. I must have a very shifty look about me. I get trailed from aisle to aisle. Aaargggh. On the 'I'm sorry do you mind, I've got Aspergers Syndrome." note, I'm on the verge of hanging a huge warning sign over my desk - "Please don't cuddle or pet our autistic artist - she bites" There have been a couple of nasty incidents with an over enthusiastic client insisting on dragging me out of my chair to do the smooch/farewell kiss thing. It was only our second meeting! And I can't cope with close friends trying it.

I might just try that

I'm fortunate to never have had sales clerks behind my back, ever. Guess that's one of the nice things about living in a rural area.

I like to look around for a while before making a decision about whether or not to buy and if I need help, I'll ask for it. Then there's the places where you just planned to buy one thing and they want to sell you all this other stuff "to go with it". That's how food places make money - they always offer you a drink but I often don't get drinks because I don't like post-mix.

Still, there is one thing worse than being overwhelmed by help and that is where you go up to the counter and the assistant (I use this word loosely in this instance) just ignores you because she is chatting to her mates or just because...maybe she doesn't like the way you're dressed...just because....

I walked out of a few shops and dumped my stuff on the counter and fumed for ages. The last time it happened, a few months ago, I finally said "is there going to be some service over here?". The woman looked a bit cross but she was apologising left right and centre after that.

It really annoys me when shop assistants automatically assume that children and teenagers in shops are going to shoplift. Sure, it's a good idea to be careful, but kids are by no means the only ones who pinch stuff.

I think it is our lack of eye contact: normals sometimes read it as an indication of dishonesty or shiftiness. Of course, if you *need* service, it is nowhere to be found and they won't listen when you try to get their attention....

Usually when I go to a big chain CD store, I have pesky sales people bother me with stuff like that. I usually shoot back with a curt "No thanks, if I need help, I'll ask." Usually they scurry away.
However, in one of the big computer
stores, I've had just the opposite happen where I couldn't find anybody to answer a question about something that I wanted to buy. --I was sorely tempted to jump up on one of the displays and announce loudly that I had money that I wanted to spend, and that if nobody would help me, I would go down the street to their competition.

Ha! Try getting on at Fry's Electronics.

I use to work for them in 1998. I was
a cashier! and later computer sales.

They ask to help you when you arrive and
just dissappear, and give you plenty of time
to be lost in those damn isles.

Then when you snag one unoccupied,
and ask, say! for a mac/pc item? All
they know is the isle # and thats it.

I then find 9 items that work on Mac/PC's
both in osbcure isles. So the moral is
being stalked you don't always get
results from persistant sales clerks.

Sincerely,
ghosthunter

If they're getting comission they'll hang around. They don't want you to be swiped by another sales man.

Tell them you can shoplift on your own.

.. just kidding.

I am blunt and literal when i ask for assistance from people in stores, and i try to admit my ignorence, so when i ask stupid things they know that i know that i dont know what im talking about. Otherwise, i just try to make the questions humorus to them.

They will probably say "very good sir" then when you think they're gone they jump up behind you and say "are you sure you're OK?" and scare the sh** out of you.

Most people dont know what aspergers syndrome is, so you would probably get away with the "I have aspergers syndrome and it's contagious" thing, unless the sales clerk is also a psychyatrist, which is very unlikely, or the sales clerk has aspergers, in which case they will most likely shout "oh my god!" then start pestering so much you shout "will you please F**K OFF! i'm only in here to buy a F***ING (insert name of item here)! !!"