Stop the cross selling/up selling
I am honestly so fed up with this. Everywhere I go, people are trying to cross-sell me stuff I don’t want or up-sell some more expensive stuff. My last visit to the mall…
I went to Finish Line to buy a pair of sneakers and the sales kid is relentlessly trying to up sell and cross sell me. I had checked online and they were supposed to have the sneakers in a certain color in my size for $30. So I only see the different color for $60 and he said that’s all they had. I said the web site differs. He said, that means I can order them. I say it says they have the in stock. He says “Oh”, disappears and comes back with the shoes.
He immediately starts a spiel about some cushy insoles because the ones that come with the sneakers are so thin (and it’s a Saucony, so by no means a cheap shoe). I tell him I don’t want them. I try on another pair, and now he even pulls out the insole from the sneaker to show how bad they are. I tell him I still don’t want the other insoles. Then I decide on the cheaper pair and now he says they are running a sales on socks and if I need socks. I am looking at him telling him I came to buy sneakers and that’s it!
Next I went to Eddie Bauer because I had a $10 coupon. All I need is a nice white t-shirt in tall for the hubby. I am looking at the plain t-shirts and the sales lady says that they have a 25% off sale on the active performance shirts - which are still about twice as much. I say no thanks. Than she points out that they have a “buy 2, save $5″ sale. No, I just need one, I am just trying to use the coupon before it expires. She says “Well, you are buying one - you are already half there” - what kind of screwed up logic is that to get me to buy?
Next I am at the check out, and she points to the tote bag with an integrated picknick compartment and it is also 25% off and I say no thanks. Then she starts with me again on buying another t-shirt and I am about to lose it! If my coupon wasn’t expiring that day I would have just told her where she can put the shirt and that I am not buying anything at all.
I understand that times are tough and that we all have to work a little bit harder to earn our money, but I think this has gone way too far! I am starting to dread going to the store and it gets exhausting to try and hide from the sales people. I am used to this from car sale men and the furniture store, please let me shop in peace!
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I totally understand your frustration–I used to work retail and at one store we were actually required to upsell. They even graded us on it. The manager would listen in and fill out a checklist to make sure everything was by the book–offer a sample, recite the day’s specials, and try to upsell at the register. This was five years ago when times were good so I can only imagine things have gotten worse. When it’s the end of the week/month and the managers know they are x dollars away from meeting a goal things may get especially rough.
There’s an art to upselling, especially knowing when to *stop*. I’m sorry the sales people you’ve interacted with recently have been so pushy.
I agree with Karla. When I worked at Borders I hated having to ask for customers’ e-mails. I think that is why I prefer to almost exclusively buy online now. But I am also really good at just saying No and using the broken record technique - and then there is the infamous “Hmmm.” It’s a statement, but also a non-statement. Mom used to use it all the time when we got obnoxious.
Yeah, you both confirm what I thought - that it is a “higher order”. It was what I was thinking because hey - how many times do you have a 20 year old push insoles on you? LOL
Maybe I should write an email to Eddie Bauer and Finish Line and say that they are going way too far. I am actually already saying no to the phone number, at least when I know that specific store doesn’t have it yet. Usually I say that we only have cell phones - that seems to get them out of my hair…