13 Things Your Salesclerk Won't Tell You

[Stormin Mormon]

13 Things Your Salesclerk Won't Tell You By Michelle Crouch From Reader's Digest

1. The greeters who welcome you to our store aren?t really there to greet you. If we look you in the eye as you?re coming and going, you?re less likely to shoplift.

2. I won?t ask a yes-or-no question like "Can I help you?? Instead, it?s always an open-ended ?What can I help you find today?"

1. Many retailers count the shoppers who come in, then calculate the percentage who actually buy something. If I don?t ?convert? enough browsers to buyers, I hear from my district manager.

2. New merchandise goes at the front of the store, bargains at the back. The endcaps on the back side of aisles at Target, for instance, usually have items 15 to 75 percent off. If you want a deal, try to figure out when your favorite retailer does its markdowns. Some do them on Thursdays or Fridays, others at the end of the month.

1. When you ask me if something looks good on you and I suggest a different style, take the hint.

2. Sure, I?ll put that sweater on hold for you. But most of the time, you don?t come back. So don?t blame me if I sell it to someone else.

1. My pet peeve? Customers who paw through a stack of shirts. Now I?ve got to spend 15 minutes board-folding that whole pile again.

2. Even though most of us don?t work on commission, sometimes we?re given a salesgoal for each customer. If we meet it consistently, we?ll get bonuses and, eventually, a promotion. So when I tell you about a pair of earrings that would go perfectly with that sweater, I might have an ulterior motive.

1. Please don?t tell the cashier no one was helping you after I brought you six different sweaters in the fitting room. It?s rude.

2. We do a lot more than unlock fitting rooms. We scrub the bathrooms, Windex the mirrors, dust the shelves, answer the phone, and clean up after our customers. And that includes two-year-olds.

1. And what is it about fitting rooms that brings out the worst in people? You stick gum to the walls and even leave dirty diapers in there.

2. After you buy something, keep your receipt and pay attention. Most mainstream retailers promise a refund if the item goes on sale within a certain number of days after you buy it. Websites like priceprotectr.com track the prices of hundreds of products from retailers such as Best Buy, Amazon, and Sears.

1. With savings clubs, e-mail deals, coupons, Internet discount codes, and other incentives, fewer and fewer people are paying full price.

[Metspitzer]

I guess I am just spastic. I have no clue how to refold a shirt. I really give an effort before I hide it on the bottom of the stack.

[DerbyDad03]

re: "Then you have to drag the wife and kids all the way through the store to get to the men's stuff."

Simple Solution:

Shop alone.

[Kuskokwim]

The 14th thing...the clerk isn't happy to see you:

[Red Green]

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in news:id4cd1$frl$ [e-mail]:

I think if I note that on my next Borg trip I'll say the infamous Sky-Hook or Brass Magnet.

[jw]

Which is why I go to Menards !!!!!

We have a Home Depot in the area, I do not like the place. There is no Lowes, but I have been to them, and they are a lot higher in price.

Menards is more down to earth with basic building materials without too much glitz. My kind of place......

[The Daring Dufas]

Years ago, there was this wonderful hardware store in downtown Birmingham, AL and the place had everything from a 4-40 screw to a saddle and bridle and overalls. It was wonderful with every nook and cranny stuffed with all sorts of treasure. Unfortunately the place burned down long ago and it is sorely missed by many hardware junkies like me. There was an old fellow in there who was as old as the store and he knew where everything was. When asked if the store had some arcane item he would put his hand on his cheek and say,"Now let me see, we got some of those in back in 32 and I moved them from the front to the back in 47 then in 1950 I put some on display with some other parts and oh yea, they're over here." Darn I miss that place. :-)

TDD

[Jeff Thies]

We've (Atlanta) got an auto parts store like that. Need a coil for you model A, they have it. 5/8" washer and nut, got that right next to the cash register. Carries top notch products. Owner works in the store. Old old guy.

The "Do it Best" Hardware store is as close to what you describe.

Jeff

[krw]

We don't have one of them, though there is one by my brother's place. I don't like it.

I don't find that Lowes is more expensive at all, in fact slightly cheaper on some things (others are identical). There is a HD right across the street from the Lowes here, so I'm sure there is a lot of price comparing going on.

I found the selection to be wanting.

[krw]

Atlanta has a lot of nice stores. We do a weekend up there every two or three months. We particularly like Highland Hardware (tools). SWMBO even likes browsing around that toy store. ;-)

SW side?

[Red Green]

" [e-mail]" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Haven't seen that one yet but it must be interesting.

Used to be competing gas stations at intersection corners. Have noticed the chain drug stores jumping on same corners the past few years. Often two at intersections in NC where I was. One intersection had Rite-Aid. Walgreen and CVS at an intersection.

Believe you did time in Burlington VT area. Not sure when here last or what updates you get. Quite a ways back they put a HD at Taft Corners. Since then a Lowes in South Burlington near the KMart. A 2nd Lowes went in on Susie Wilson Rd where Ames/Grand Union used to be.

[krw]

It's very common around here. I guess it's like all of the car dealerships or furniture stores congregating in one area of town.

Well, drug stores are so dense they have to be on opposite corners. ;-)

We sold the house and moved out in Nov '07 (I went ahead to Ohio the previous summer). The HD had been open for ten years, or so. The two Lowes were in the planning stages. It's good to hear they finally opened. The one on Suzie Wilson would have been convenient (we lived in Essex). The last year there I wore tracks in 2A fetching stuff to get the house on the market. ;-)