If you go into a store to buy one item and the salesperson is with

[Phentex]

a customer, how long do you wait to make your purchase? The salesperson is the only one working and the current customer is looking at many different products and asking lots of questions. Now, let's say you are not particularly in a hurry but you just want to make this one off-the-shelf purchase and get out.

Do you wait?

Do you come back (knowing it won't be later that day or even that week - hey you ARE a busy person!)

Do you interrupt the salesperson?

Do you sigh heavily hoping someone will notice? :)

Do you tap your fingers on the counter?

[UndertheOcean]

1. You wait politely. n/t

[Phentex]

17. I wa polite about it...

I told myself I wasn't really in a hurry. I had plenty of time to think about it while waiting. :)

[DoBotherMe]

2. I usually ask the customer

if it's okay for the sales person to ring me up, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm in a hurry. Would you mind if the sales person rings me up?" That way the sales person doesn't have to take the blame for paying attention to me. Or, if it's a department store, I find another cashier. Or if it's a small business I wait or let the sales person know I'll be back later to get the item if I'm in no hurry. D ; )

[Kali]

3. this

:thumbsup:


or ... since it is almost expected in small town life: just butt in and start helping the sales person sell whatever to the prospective customer or otherwise give your general opinions:rofl:

[pitohui]

5. in theory this should work in reality...another story

alas in my experience the needy customer asking lots of questions is all too often mentally ill or has some other problem

the last time i asked politely i got my head bit off both by the (clearly mentally ill) customer and the clerk that i *thought* i was rescuing by making a polite interruption -- i didn't realize the "customer" was a relative with a heart condition -- i thought i was helping by giving the poor clerk an excuse to get away, oh well! and i'm not sure why in a non medical setting i should have wait "politely" while some loser yacks for 20 minutes about their medical issues anyways

hell w. it

at the end of the day if you want to make sales make sales, if you want to stand around and chitchat w/ a needy person who has no serious intention of making a purchase...fine...do that...but don't come back and yammer at me about how bad the economy is these days

most mom and pops are republican owned around here anyway so fuck 'em

but if you can't tell a lonely heart in need of chitchat from a customer with money in hand...these days...i don't feel sorry for you, your judgment is too poor to be in customer service anyway

[Phentex]

18. I didn't do that...

however, if I had been the customer with the questions, I'm pretty sure I would have said, "Do you need to ring up that sale?" and offered to wait while the salesperson did.

[pitohui]

4. honestly?

i just leave & end up never buying the item 99 times out of a hundred

it may seem lazy but i'm a busy person, i got shit to do

beside, i've saved a LOT of cash that way over the years...you regret the things you bought not the things you didn't buy

if you really need it you can order it online in your bathrobe

seriously put all the cash you didn't spend because of some whatever, like the clerk being too busy, in an envelope, at the end of the year there's usually several hundred dollars in it that i use to help pay for my travel

[Phentex]

19. I would have no money...

I hate shopping (except for books) which is why I put off doing it. And I'm very frugal which is why I won't pay for shipping unless I have to, lol. If I put money into an envelope for the times I felt like shopping, I might have a dollar. :D

[HopeHoops]

6. I stand at the counter and start singing "American Pie" in a loud voice until they check me out.

I can actually sing it rather well, but don't even try in such circumstances, well, other than to be slightly off key. That takes a little effort.

[pacalo]

15. Minnie Riperton's "Loving You" gets their attention every time.

[Phentex]

22. Oddly enough...

I know the words to that, too!

Hearing me try to hit those notes would be so painful for anyone within earshot. Hell, the original song is painful!

[Phentex]

20. This is my fantasy! I dream of doing just that...

and please note: I can't sing. I mean I CAN but no one would want to hear it.

When people are on their cell phones blabbing loudly as if no one is around, I dream of singing Happy Birthday REALLY loud!

I really like this idea and I do happen to know all the words to American Pie. :)

[NV Whino]

7. I give it a decent wait

5 to 10 minutes max if an actual sale is being transacted. I won't stand for idle chit chat or personal phone calls.

[Curmudgeoness]

12. You wait 5-10 minutes? Really? Wow.

I guess that I have much less patience. I find another store where I can buy the product. A store that cares about customers and doesn't have just one clerk to do time-consuming sales.

[Phentex]

21. That seems like an eternity...

but I probably waited about 5 minutes.

To be fair, the salesperson was trying to help this other person who was there before me so I wouldn't call it idle chit chat. Not saying you did, and I agree that I wouldn't like that.

[Mojambo]

8. If I'm at the counter I shouldn't have to wait long

Retail clerks are generally taught to see to the person with money in their hand first.

[Phentex]

23. I waited...

and eventually the clerk asked the other person if they would mind waiting while she rung up my purchase...my sale consisted of a quick scan, place item in bag, take my cash and give me change. They resumed talking before I left the store.

[WinkyDink]

9. If I see that the other customer is browsing, I interrupt!

[Phentex]

24. I didn't...

I might have at some point but they were really into an information session!

[Xithras]

10. I'm an annoying counter tapper.

Bad habit, but I don't usually realize I'm doing it.

[Phentex]

25. LOL!

Again, this is one of those fantasy moments. Should I tap my fingers on the counter? Should I start singing? Should I place a cell phone call to my hard of hearing mother-in-law?....

[tigereye]

11. I wait politely if I have some time, otherwise I come back later...

[Phentex]

26. I waited...

I hate shopping so much, it was painful to be there in the first place. But I really did consider leaving.

[jobycom]

13. I place the item on the counter, lean against it until I catch the salesperson's eye

nod in recognition of the fact that I'm ready to check out and trust that they will be with me as soon as possible, then start fiddling with the fun stuff at the counter.

Never takes long. Usually they find a way to break off in less than thirty seconds. I can't recall ever waiting more than a minute.

But I worked retail a long time, so I can generally guess whether the customer is tying them up or not. If I can't get the salesperson's attention when I step to the counter, I politely leave. That's pretty rare.

[rcrush]

14. Scream like a baby and threaten to report them to their manager.

I'm the most important person in the world!

[Phentex]

28. LOL!

Maybe when I'm a little old lady...

[Phentex]

27. I did start looking at other stuff...

The salesperson did acknowledge me when I came in with a "do you need any help finding anything?" to which I replied no, I just need this. That seemed like a good clue that I just wanted to get in and get out. So while I was standing at the counter, I looked at the stuff that was right there.

[jobycom]

30. You can put pressure on them by watching them.

That's another trick. If you look too content waiting, they don't feel an urgency to break away, or they worry you will want help with something, too, and in that case the other customer does have priority. Lean on the counter and watch them, and make eye contact each time they glance at you. If they don't glance at you, then you should leave, because they are trying to ignore you, and you could be there a while.

When I worked retail I never remember not being able to break away from a customer. You just say "Sorry, but I have to ring this customer up. I'll be right back." They always wait, as long as it's quick. The only time a salesperson shouldn't do that is if the new customer looks like they are going to need help, too--hence, the standing at the counter ready to check out. As a customer, I'll even pull out my credit card or wallet sometimes, and visibly toy with it so they get the idea I'm ready to pay, like you do at a restaurant when they are slow bringing your check.

[pacalo]

16. There's no excuse for your having to wait longer than a few minutes

under the circumstances you described. The clerk should have excused herself from the time-consuming client & checked you out promptly.

But what would I do if the sales clerk is clueless & no one else is around? I would ask the clerk if she could take a moment to check out my one item. Nothing wrong with that, as long as you come across in a friendly way. It's only asserting yourself so that everyone stays happy.

[Phentex]

29. I'm not usually shy...

I just could not bring myself to interrupt them. That's silly really. But the salesperson did finally ask to ring up the sale and the other person did not seem annoyed. They went right back into their conversation as I was leaving.