being ignored (in local shops)

[nxjen]

This is London, more heavily populated than the countryside in France, and as such it makes us more aware of our own personal space and that of others. This may make us appear unfriendly but necessary for survival in a busy city. I find most of the people working in stores in ED responsive when approached and low key at other times which is how I like it. Different environments produce different responses.

[JohnL]

Sue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Personally the last thing I want when I go into a

> shop is to be greeted, when I just want to have a

> mooch around in peace.

>

> Unless I know the person concerned, that's

> different!

Maplins - whenever I went in to look around the electronics an assistant would be right behind me "Good Morning Sir".

They must have been under instructions to :)

[KidKruger]

Owt & Nowt

[JohnL]

We do have a strange attitude in the UK (or just a different attitude if you want) - When Pret give free coffees to regular patrons the newspapers speculate it's on a best looking basis (it really isn't I can vouch for that).

British people do not like special service - it makes us uneasy - what's the catch :)

[TheCat]

> I have had an unbelievable experience here with a

> new opening which I will describe later this

> month

Why the wait? lets have all the salacious details now....

[womanofdulwich]

We checked into a hotel up north recently ( part of a chain) where the receptionist greeted us with " I've had a sh*t day".

He probably had, but I did wonder what an American would have thought about that! Nice enough chap, helpful and knowledgeable but................

[snathani]

JohnL Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> British people do not like special service - it

> makes us uneasy - what's the catch :)

Exactly. If a shop I regularly go into starts getting too chummy or chatty with me, I will start avoiding it. That said, I do like the French way of bonjour/au revoir when you arrive/leave!

Lordship Lane definitely seems ruder/snootier than it used to be, but I find that's more the punters than the shopkeepers...

[DulwichFox]

Sue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Personally the last thing I want when I go into a

> shop is to be greeted, when I just want to have a

> mooch around in peace.

>

> Unless I know the person concerned, that's

> different!

So, you are suggesting that Shop Assistants should treat customers they know differently to customers they don't know.

Like, chat with their mates whilst ignoring other customers.

Any new business would not last 5 minutes if they adopted that attitude.

Fox

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

This made me smile as my child complained to me that he doesn?t like it when the staff in his favourite chip shop keeps engaging him in lengthy chit chat, he really doesn?t like the attention and just wants to say ?Hi?, get his chips and ?Bye? and hot trot it back home to enjoy his hot chips in peace.

snathani Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> JohnL Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > British people do not like special service - it

> > makes us uneasy - what's the catch :)

>

> Exactly. If a shop I regularly go into starts

> getting too chummy or chatty with me, I will start

> avoiding it. That said, I do like the French way

> of bonjour/au revoir when you arrive/leave!

>

> Lordship Lane definitely seems ruder/snootier than

> it used to be, but I find that's more the punters

> than the shopkeepers...

[Robert Poste's Child]

Blimey. Bizarrely, it sounds as though some of you see traditionally good manners as suspicious or hostile - the opposite of how I think the OP sees it.

You want to lay off the bacon.

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/processed-meats-manic-episodes-link-bacon-hot-dog-mania-study-a8452296.html

[Sue]

DulwichFox Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Sue Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Personally the last thing I want when I go into

> a

> > shop is to be greeted, when I just want to have

> a

> > mooch around in peace.

> >

> > Unless I know the person concerned, that's

> > different!

>

> So, you are suggesting that Shop Assistants should

> treat customers they know differently to customers

> they don't know.

>

> Like, chat with their mates whilst ignoring other

> customers.

>

> Any new business would not last 5 minutes if they

> adopted that attitude.

>

Erm, no, that is not what I "suggested".

I said "greeted", not "chat with their mates whilst ignoring other customers."

Greet. Aka " give a polite word of recognition or sign of welcome when meeting (someone)".

Google it.

FFS.

[Lynne]

Considering how rude most customers are, I suspect that it's quite a struggle for some assistants to be permanently polite.

I know that I've often wondered how the Post Office staff refrain from snatching the mobile out of the customer's hand as he/she has a long conversation while trying to conduct a complicated transaction at the same time, ignoring the assistant.

[Sue]

nxjen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

I find most

> of the people working in stores in ED responsive

> when approached and low key at other times which

> is how I like it.

Exactly. Same here.

I've never to the best of my recollection found anybody in an ED shop to be deliberately rude, or even off hand.

[Robert Poste's Child]

Remember the East Dulwich Deli grumpy guy?

[Angelina]

oh, I have. My children have been accused of stealing - which they didn't - they were scared out of their wits - evil woman.

[ruffers]

moondancer Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> .....? so many times we have

> been devalued, the times we have been valued are

> standout, this does not make any sense to me - the

> rotten shops should be the ones we are wary of...

>

You feel devalued? Halfway to the classic combination anyway.

[Sue]

ruffers Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> moondancer Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > .....? so many times we have

> > been devalued, the times we have been valued

> are

> > standout, this does not make any sense to me -

> the

> > rotten shops should be the ones we are wary

> of...

> >

>

> You feel devalued? Halfway to the classic

> combination anyway.

:)) :)) :))

Ah yes, crushed and devalued by all the local pubs apart from the one the poster ran.

Those were the days, eh :)) :)) :))

[JennaAZ]

As an American living here 3 years and having been in Customer Service my whole life, I find this thread highly amusing while unable to comment on said shops as I do not frequent the area's mentioned. Those locally to me are all friendly enough. As for the comment about greeting a customer with a 'I've a shit day' - I'd commiserate as a customer, but as a manager of the employee, I'd have ensured his day was as such. :)

[Robert Poste's Child]

Just remembered the assistant in the Blackbird Bakery who implied - twice! - that I was shoplifting. Apparently I wasn't the only one. I forgave them for the food-poisoning (hello cheekbones) but being taken for a thief was a step too far.

[JohnL]

Store I won't mention - I remember putting my pin number in incorrectly "card rejected" and the assistant shouting "we've got one here" - I don't think she meant it the way it came over.

[PeckhamNicola]

By no means limited to ED, but it does irk me that I so often come across shop assistants at tills who don't stop their conversation to serve customers. Even in places which used to pride themselves on customer service.

[robbin]

TheCat Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> > I have had an unbelievable experience here with

> a

> > new opening which I will describe later this

> > month

>

> Why the wait? lets have all the salacious details

> now....

Ok, agreed, but Moondancer please consider our sensibilities. If it was something horrific like a shop assistant wishing you a 'good morning' when it was actually 12.10pm, I'm not sure we could cope with hearing that.

[rendelharris]

robbin Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> TheCat Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > > I have had an unbelievable experience here

> with

> > a

> > > new opening which I will describe later this

> > > month

> >

> > Why the wait? lets have all the salacious

> details

> > now....

>

> Ok, agreed, but Moondancer please consider our

> sensibilities. If it was something horrific like

> a shop assistant wishing you a 'good morning' when

> it was actually 12.10pm, I'm not sure we could

> cope with hearing that.

Excellent.

[spark67]

what an odd post, never felt i have been mistreated by staff anywhere i've been in ed, in fact over the years we in our house have become friends with a good few of the staff and owners of local businesses .... if i walked into a shop and someone yawned, i wouldn't think straight away it was me... amazingly people yawn unpredictably and its not always personal😏 .... the only rudeness i've encountered on the lane has been by other fellow customers on the rare occasion to the staff.

please excuse the lack of capitals in this post... my friggin shift keys broken 😂

[Asset]

I think the most laughable is the implication that staff in french shops and restaurants are generally superior. I cannot count the many remarkably rude and unhelpful exchanges I have had in French establishments, and not just Paris.