Snotty Salespeople. Don't do it.

I must admit, spending money on clothes or shoes or purses or jewelry these days can be difficult enough - especially in my rat cage of a mind ... "How much do I have in my account? Do I need it? What will my significant other think about them? Can I justify this?  Crap, they're so pretty.  Ugh, I'm never going to be able to buy ANYTHING. I'm leaving."

But, lately something that has made it even less appealing to shop is snotty salespeople or just simply useless ones.

Now, I think I say this because I, too, worked as a salesperson for retail clothing stores, so I understand the dynamic.

I have a perfect example from this past weekend.

My mom and I are in Saks and we are both holding shopping bags from other stores that suggest we are doing more than merely window shopping.  We explain to the salesperson that we'd like to find shoes to go with a dress my mother is wearing to my wedding and that we are going to peek around a bit.  She tries on a few pairs and buys one pair of moderately priced flats (not for the wedding but for fun) and as we break the news to him that we won't be buying the other pairs she tried on, he huffs and puffs and starts slamming boxes around.  You would think that we had just severely insulted him or his mother.

Of course I know he works on commission and I tried to imagine him having the hardest day of his life but it just didn't make sense in light of the way he was acting.  In fact, the lady next to us witnessed his attitude and said she had a similar encounter with him and refuses to work with him anymore.

I set our encounter aside for a moment while reflecting on the other stores we had visited that day.  It was 9pm and we had been shopping since noon, so there were quite a few.

The first place we went that day was a local boutique in Richmond called Blythe.  It's a fine lingerie and linens store where the women are absolutely helpful and then some.  A very wise and successful person once said "Do what is expected and then some."

As I continued to reflect on the stores we had visited, I kept coming back to our experience with Blythe. They walked us to the car and know us by name.  They have my cell phone number and have even called me.

As much as I love big name stores like Saks and the extensive product lines they offer, I would rather shop at a local boutique and be confined to fewer product choices with a pleasurable experience than deal with snotty salespeople at the biggest retail storefronts.

I realized this and thought maybe other people feel the same way.  Who really wants to go shopping - something that is supposed to be fun - and have to put up with rudeness?  And suddenly I realized that this man's rude behavior towards me was just job security for me... As a stylist, I can go brave the front lines for you and come out unscathed in vicious battles with snotty salespeople.

So, snotty salespeople, snot on.  I'll be spending my money at Blythe.