Annoyed with the question "Can I help you?"

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Does anyone tend to get a little irritated when they walk into a store or a shop and one or two of the employees keeps coming up to you and asking "Can I help you find anything?" or "Would you like a demo?" or anything like that. I mean, I have nothing against them normally, and I know they're only doing their job, but I still find it a bit annoying just the same when I'm just looking at things on a shelf and someone comes over and starts giving me a demonstration of a product I didn't ask to see, or seems to follow me around asking if I need any help. This seems to happen most often when I go to stores like The Sharper Image in the mall.

It's okay when they ask me the same questions from behind a check-out counter or from a distance, tho....I guess their actually striding over to me and standing next to me is another thing that bothers me about it (personal space issues?).

I'm sorry; I have nothing against store personnel normally, and I'm always very polite with them, even when I'm annoyed....I'd just like to browse the store in peace.

Does anyone else feel like this about it?

Yeah, that sometimes gets on my nerves. Of course, whenever I actually do need help, there's never anybody around.

I hate it.

Same. I happen to be a very rude person, too. If someone or something agitates me, I don't try to hide it.

I am okay with them asking me if they can help me, but only once. I don't go to the store often, and when I do, I actually would rather have a sales associate direct me to the aisle first thing with the product I need.

It's interesting that when I go to the grocery store or a hobby store to buy crafts stuff, no one really asks if they can help you or if you were aware of this awesome deal/coupon promotion. And when you ask the grocery store and crafts shop attendants, they don't know what the heck you're talking about.

This is what I get for liking weird types of tea and making greeting cards as a hobby.

It pisses me off but I know they are just doing their job and I know how to deal with them.
I just say: "No, thank you. I'm just browsing." and they go to another customer.

But the staff seem to avoid me for some reason, they rarely ask me anything. Hell. I am getting asked about details of the stuffs by other customers more than actual staff asks me if I need help. My most common phrase in shops is: "But I don't work here!". There is something in the way I browse shop that makes other people think I know it all. Staff knows they can't guide me and other customers think I am a staff member. LOL

Last edited by Kiriae on 04 Oct 2014, 1:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

It annoys me as well. I usually just say no. One thing I really hate is when random strangers ask me if I'm okay. I always tell them that I'm fine, but they never believe me because I don't have the "correct" body language. Usually when people ask me if I'm okay I'm just physically tired, spaced out, bored or too stressed to interact with anyone. If I'm tired or too stressed out to interact with anyone my body language usually makes me look way worse than I actually am.

i don´t like that either, I usually tell them i´m just looking, but i dont stay long after that. I guess they will sell more stuff if they just ignored the people and wait them to ask for help.

Yes. I find it incredibly annoying and like you I just want to shop in peace.

I like to just see that someone is around if I need to ask for help. But I don't want them to get in my space and start pestering me.

The funny thing is how at some places they will keep asking if you need help, but the second you actually do they slip around the corner and vanish. It's especially true at home improvement stores or any place where the employees might have to lift something heavy.

How I respond to it depends on how they approach me. If the person seems genuinely nice or respectful I will respond politely and just say no thanks. But if they are being really aggressive or pushy, or they keep following me around I may get nasty with them.

And if several different employees ask me in succession if I need help, by about the 4th or 5th time one I am likely to lose my temper. And I may go complain to a manager about it.

I don't mind quite as much if they just make a statement like "I'll be over here if you need anything." What I dislike is having it phrased as a question that requires me to respond.

This is one of the main reasons I mostly shop online.

Not too much since I'm really bad at finding stuff so I usually need someone to point out where the thing I was is.

I used to be embarrassed about asking for help until I realized that walking around the store blindly while the salesman looked on in bemusement was more embarrassing. But if they offer help spontaneously that's fine by me as well.

What annoys me is when you ring someone on the phone or go up to them in the shop and they ask "Can I help you?" Of course they can. I wouldn't have rung them if I didn't want help with something.

Yes, I find them VERY annoying unless I actually am trying to find something and do need their help, which rarely happens. Like at Wal-Mart, where they have greeters at the door but the service everywhere else is just awful, they've got stuff on shelves that are up so high I have trouble reaching even though I'm pretty tall, and of course they are never around to help you get it. I learned the hard way that an economy-size package of toilet paper feels a lot harder than it looks when it falls on you. And then there was that time my mother took me out to buy a new rain coat, and we found this really nice one but the saleswoman would not stop making "suggestions" what tops or accessories to wear with it that were of course also in the store, even though we repeatedly said we just wanted to buy the raincoat. Very pushy. At the same time I feel kind of guilty about going in just to look around because they must be super-desperate to sell things so they can keep their store in business, and I've seen a great many stores where I live that IMO were really good and interesting just drop like flies, especially the past few years.

I often find it annoying but I do appreciate it as long as they are polite and go away quickly when I tell them I don't need any help.

On the other hand I feel like kicking the rude store staff that don't hide their being annoyed at my asking them where to find something.

Same here. I know NTs are bothered by that too. Listen on the radio to how many car dealerships say they don't hassle you & let you look.

I tell them clearly that I am just browsing for now, but will let them know if I need help. They're generally accepting of that. I figure it's just nature of the beast - like advertising. I feel bad for them though. Sometimes you can tell they are stressed and probably on commission.

That's kind of what I say too & I also feel bad for em sometimes.