Furniture store stalkers....er-ah, I mean, sales people

[maddhatir]

Maybe if someone here works in a furniture store, they can shed some light on......WHY!? Must the sales people become stalkers after they jump on you at the door!?

Yesterday me and mom went to LOOK for some furniture for her new place. Yes, I said just LOOKING!

Store #1- walk in, of course there is the stalker standing right there as soon as you enter the store. *ekkk- do NOT make eye contact!* *start to veer off to the right- away for the stalker*

BHAAAAAA here he comes asking if we need help. Nicely I say- "no thank you- just looking" He goes on to tell us his name is Joe Shmoe and if we need help let him know. Thank you- off we go.

Down the first aisle we go. Upon approaching the aisle intersection- I look to the left and there is Joe, next intersection, there he is AGAIN! He is stalking us!

This continued the entire time we were looking! WHY!? Leave me alone! I said I was just looking!

We are outta there and on to the next store..............

Store #2- Pull up in the parking lot.....*arggghhhhh* I can see the stalker RIGHT at the door, waiting for his next victim!

UGH! *ok- walk up- say "just looking" and thank him for wanting to help* I open the door to the store and BOOM! Attack! Right away I start with the "just looking" "thank you" and veer to right again.

I look at mom and roll my eyes! As I am looking at her....OMG! HERE HE COMES!

As we make our way through the furniture maze- he is popping up everywhere!

That's it! I told mom- pick up the speed lady! I start practically RUNNING to see if he will keep up! I am zigging and zagging just to test him! Will he pick up his speed? Will he turn right when we do? Will he go in circles from room to room and follow my lead? YUP! he IS stalking us!

By this time- my mom is cracking up so hard, she has tears running down her face, she can't keep up! She knows I live by the pirate's code..."Any man who falls behind, is left behind" Come on mom!

I did not even WANT to buy furniture from this place anymore- I was just torturing the guy!

All of a sudden- we hear over the intercom- quite loudly and abrupt- "SO and SO- to the dining rooms!" I said to mom- let's cross our fingers that this is OUR guy and he will leave us alone. A couple seconds go by- he is still behind us. Then another sales person comes walking across the floor and yells to the stalker- SO and SO- you are NEEDED in dining rooms!

I found this strange b/c there was about 5 sales people sitting around doing nothing. I wondered if they have cameras in the place and were watching him tailing us at every turn!? NOT good for business.

Mom told me she was cracking up so hard b/c every time she would look in one of the mirrors, she would see the guy behind us!

We will be going to more stores soon, so I have my speech all ready- "We are just looking, I will take your card and come get you IF we need you, HOWEVER, if you follow us around the store, we will not be buying from here"

Craziness I tell you!

 

[Regina]

If you're talking about Raymour & Flanigan, I can certainly relate. We recently were 'stalked' by one scary lady. After she greeted us, she was just 'there' at every turn. No smile, no 'is there anything I can help you with', just this creepy stare.

I had gone a few weeks earlier and spotted the salesman who I spoke to during that visit. He was only semi-stalkerish. I bravely faced Creepella and said 'Oh look, there's Jerry. He helped me before.'

She slithered off into parts unknown.

 

[maddhatir]

If you're talking about Raymour & Flanigan, I can certainly relate. We recently were 'stalked' by one scary lady. After she greeted us, she was just 'there' at every turn. No smile, no 'is there anything I can help you with', just this creepy stare.

I had gone a few weeks earlier and spotted the salesman who I spoke to during that visit. He was only semi-stalkerish. I bravely faced Creepella and said 'Oh look, there's Jerry. He helped me before.'

She slithered off into parts unknown.

YUP! The second store WAS R&F!!!!!!!!

 

[KariC]

We will be going to more stores soon, so I have my speech all ready- "We are just looking, I will take your card and come get you IF we need you, HOWEVER, if you follow us around the store, we will not be buying from here"

Craziness I tell you!

Let us know if this works! You could have t-shirts made up....

 

[ducklite]

We were stalked at R&F as well. We were seriously looking for furniture, but the way they treated us we felt like they thought we were going to pick up an armoire, stuff it under our coat and walk out with it.

We ended up going down the road to Ethan Allen, no stalking there.

Anne

 

[maddhatir]

We were stalked at R&F as well. We were seriously looking for furniture, but the way they treated us we felt like they thought we were going to pick up an armoire, stuff it under our coat and walk out with it.

We ended up going down the road to Ethan Allen, no stalking there.

Anne

I certainly did not feel as though he thought we would steal something- he just thought he would be RIGHT there just IN CASE we needed him!

 

[One Hundred]

I didn't read the whole post, so I apologize if I'm giving a serious answer to a question posed in jest. Furniture sales people operate on commission. Once a salesperson has claimed you, they don't want to lose the commission to another salesman, which they could do if they weren't "attentive" to you.

 

[ChrisnSteph]

They don't get paid an hourly rate to work the store, it's all commission. I asked once!

 

[Youarehere]

R & F is the WORST for that. I've totally been wicked stalked there. I get it at Bob's to, but not nearly as bad. They don't stalk, they just offer help way too often. I like that better.

My platonic female roommate and I were out at Bob's getting our first set of couches after we grad college and moved out on our own. We were seperated, looking around when she saw one she liked and started talking to the sales guy about it. The salesperson looks at her and says "Ummmmm Would you like... to get... your... partner to look at it?" We were at how awkward they made a non- awkward stiuation.

 

[maddhatir]

I didn't read the whole post, so I apologize if I'm giving a serious answer to a question posed in jest. Furniture sales people operate on commission. Once a salesperson has claimed you, they don't want to lose the commission to another salesman, which they could do if they weren't "attentive" to you.

I DO know that is why they stalk you- and our visit to the furniture store DID end up being a joke!

But OMG! Do they REALLY think we are going to give them our business when they are so annoying??!

Maybe I should just make up a shirt that says- BACK OFF!

 

[KristaTX]

I hate going anywhere where employees are selling on commission.

 

[Youarehere]

I didn't read the whole post, so I apologize if I'm giving a serious answer to a question posed in jest. Furniture sales people operate on commission. Once a salesperson has claimed you, they don't want to lose the commission to another salesman, which they could do if they weren't "attentive" to you.

Maybe they could get some sort of pager system, where the salesperson introduces himself and if you do not want immediate assisstance they give you a pager to that salesperson. You can buzz when you need help and they can BACK OFF in the meantime.

 

[Mayl]

True story, I was hired by RM&F about a year ago when I was between jobs. Retail was not my work history (hotels is) but long story short, I had about a 6 month window till I knew a new hotel project would be coming down the line.

Figured why not work there, make some cash and all. I literally walked out during the 2nd break of the 3 day orientation for new hires. See during the interview, all is good and they talk about the money you will make and all that.

But in the end, the ONLY way to make money there is to slam as many total sales as you can. For the first 90 days you are "married" (their term) to a lead sales person. ALL sales you make you split with him/her. They of course don't share with you. You only make decent money on bedding and selling either their credit line OR their "platinium protection plan".

After being told how all this works, I could not go forward with it and be able to look myself in the mirror in the mornings knowing I was ripping people off, so I could make a living. All the bad cliches about used car salesman are true there.

Anyway, my new hotel project came up earlier so was only a month that I was in limbo. Moral of the story, my family, friends and co-workers all know not to shop there.

 

[One Hundred]

My platonic female roommate and I were out at Bob's getting our first set of couches after we grad college and moved out on our own. We were seperated, looking around when she saw one she liked and started talking to the sales guy about it. The salesperson looks at her and says "Ummmmm Would you like... to get... your... partner to look at it?" We were at how awkward they made a non- awkward stiuation.

Maybe he meant it like "Padnah", you know, John Wayne style.

 

[Tazicket]

Dh and I were recently looking for a new couch and we experienced the same thing!!! I HATE being stalked in any kind of store. We went into 1 place where the sales girl was really nice and soft spoken and listened to what we said we wanted. We found one we liked, but wanted to make sure it would work for us, so we wanted to go and think about it. We came back a few days later and she remembered us. We bought our couch from her.

 

[Camicar]

What I tell people is:

"I used to work in sales, so I know all about commission. If you give me your card, I will ask for you when I am ready to buy/ask questions. If you follow me around, you will end up following out the door? Deal?"

I have never had this not work.

 

[maddhatir]

True story, I was hired by RM&F about a year ago when I was between jobs. Retail was not my work history (hotels is) but long story short, I had about a 6 month window till I knew a new hotel project would be coming down the line.

Figured why not work there, make some cash and all. I literally walked out during the 2nd break of the 3 day orientation for new hires. See during the interview, all is good and they talk about the money you will make and all that.

But in the end, the ONLY way to make money there is to slam as many total sales as you can. For the first 90 days you are "married" (their term) to a lead sales person. ALL sales you make you split with him/her. They of course don't share with you. You only make decent money on bedding and selling either their credit line OR their "platinium protection plan".

After being told how all this works, I could not go forward with it and be able to look myself in the mirror in the mornings knowing I was ripping people off, so I could make a living. All the bad cliches about used car salesman are true there.

Anyway, my new hotel project came up earlier so was only a month that I was in limbo. Moral of the story, my family, friends and co-workers all know not to shop there.

WOW! That really does not surprise me- It is so obvious that they are working on commision, why else would they stalk!

The reason I went back there is b/c I bought my dining room set and few other pieces there a few years back and the sales woman who helped me was SO nice!

I think a lot of furniture sales people work on commision b/c it seems most (not all) are the same. They seem like slimey car sales people- I have also walked out of a few delarships b/c they were trying to make a hard sell! Do they think I am an idiot and I believe all the BS they spew??! How about this one....the promotion for this car is going to end tomorrow!- or when they have to go "speak with the manager" .......and how about when they pull out their calculator and start adding (and subtracting the discount they "gave" you ) somehow you end up getting scr#@ed and you KNOW it!

I got so mad at one guy that he followed me out to my car and was knocking on my passenger side window to give him another chance! I would not open it for him, so he asked my husband to talk to me......my DH said (and he knows me all too well!) "Hey man, you pissed her off- you might as well forget it now!!"

I went to another dealership about an hour away- the salesman was SUPER NICE- boom! bought the car right then and there- and guess what- Mr. "Hard Sell" called me a few days later to see if I was still looking- and do you know how nice it was to tell him I bought a car elsewhere and I told him exactly why too!!!!

 

[wendy46001]

we just spent the last two weekends in furniture stores trying to find a new table...Some sales people just don’t get the hint....I politely told one girl that if she didn’t give us some space we would stop looking

 

[maddhatir]

What I tell people is:

"I used to work in sales, so I know all about commission. If you give me your card, I will ask for you when I am ready to buy/ask questions. If you follow me around, you will end up following out the door? Deal?"

I have never had this not work.

That WILL be what I do for the next visit!

 

[Aimeedyan]

This had me giggling in my office!