Why I Gave the New Year Sales a Miss

The New Year sales are coming to a close. This time round, I did something radical: I gave the sales a miss. Why, you ask?

As a seasoned traveller, I continue to be gobsmacked at the poor customer service in this country. And it’s wherever you go, from bars and restaurants to shops both large and small. I am actually surprised now if a sales assistant is helpful and courteous. It happens so rarely I can count the number of times it’s happened to me on my fingers. I find myself shopping less and less in this country, preferring to leave the retail therapy for trips to the United States. This year, I am making a firm resolution to restrict my UK purchases to groceries and toiletries. If I need anything else, I can shop online.

Even going to supposedly high-end stores is no guarantee of receiving decent service. Most women will have had the experience of the snooty sales assistant who implies that you are too much of a heifer to wear anything in store. She’s the one who hovers directly behind you, daring you to touch anything with your grubby fingers. No wonder online sales are soaring in this country.

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve complained to little or no avail. Take one recent experience. I popped into a sports store in central London to get some new trainers (only because mine were falling apart). Despite my being one of only two people in the store at the time, the sales assistant on the till rushed through the transaction as though she were competing in an Olympic event. I had to ask for a bag and she did the ol’ ‘I’m just going to leave your change on the counter’ trick. Don’t you just love that?

Then the assistant started to serve the only other person in line before I had moved away from the counter. When I told the manager about my poor experience, let’s just say she was less than sympathetic, implying that I was the one who had the problem. I can safely say that I will not be going to that store again.

I’m tired of sales assistants who drum their fingers on the counter while you pay, who continue their conversations while they serve you, who don’t seem to know where anything is and don’t have the sense to find out. Here’s another example: I went to see a film at the Odeon and the clerk at the concessions stand did not know how to make tea and had to call for help.

Yes, I am well aware that if a significant number of people forego the sales, this could have an impact on the retail sector, but I feel this is the only way consumers can send a clear message to retailers to get their act together. So, I said ‘thanks but no thanks’ to the sales this year. I decided to forego the strategic planning needed to avoid the crowds, to avoid being exposed to the novo-virus on public transport, and not pay the congestion charge. It’s just not worth it.

Photo by The Consumerist courtesy of Flickr