Stop Selling at Me!

Financial hazards are rife in retail New Zealand, especially at Christmas.

I sometimes hate going to shops because I find the whole sales culture of some outlets quite tedious.   For significant  purchases, I tend to know what I want - and most of the time just want to go in and get it. 

I actually used to think that I was doing the staff favour by doing this - but I am actually breaking a sales assistants' heart.   

This is because the sales assistants have targets and they are incentivised to sell.   Many outlets do not credit the assistant with a sale unless there is selling conversation of some sort, or they have arranged finance for you.  It's how they get paid.
This is why my straightforward transactions get complicated.   I talk to a very motivated sales assistant, and I get taken off into several directions, depending on what incentives the assistant is on this week.   I have left shops before, theatrically putting the item I was about to buy back on the shelf - due to these methods.  Stop selling at me!
 
Such sales incentive systems drive me mad because they focus on the business first and the customer second.  Very effective when done well - but clumsy and sleazy when done badly (which is most of the time).   Being talked into something that you didn't want or need is a financial hazard - particularly when you end up putting it on credit.

But this is not the sales assistant's fault.   For many, it's not their first career choice and in that context it must be a bit soul-destroying to be actively avoided so frequently by customers like me.  

So this Christmas,  if you are about to buy something and you are approached half-heartedly by someone asking if you want help, don't brush them away - give them the fright of their lives by saying an emphatic yes! 

Even if your sales assistant just shrugs, let them feel that they have sealed the deal.  "OK, you've talked me into it...".   They can claim a sale!  You were going to buy it anyway, and the price is the same - so why not spread some Christmas cheer?