Seriously. The other day I was in Radio Shack and the dude asked me "Can I help you?" I answered that I'm fine and mostly looking but I would let him know if I needed anything.

Three minutes later he asks me "Anything I can help you with?"

"No, I'm fine, thank you. I just have to work this out in my head."

One minute later: "Anything I can help you with?"

I ignored him and he had the audacity to repeat the question then finally walk up to me where I proceeded to ignore him while saying what I was thinking aloud:

"AV connects to Receiver, Digital out to Audio, Aux to DVD--no, no,that's no good."

I couldn't believe he asked me again. I turned to him and said "I'm fine. Honestly. I just. Have to Think. This out in. My head."

ssooooo annoying.

Thank you, Rey, thank you so much. I'm not alone. Yes.

Just wandered over from another site that recommends you! Your post here is very true, but you need to complain to the management...those clerks have no doubt been TOLD to do that! I worked a couple years in retail and resented some of the stuff we were supposed to do, in fact I ignored it. Good part time help is hard to find, so did not fear for my job. But a lot of this is what the poor clerks have been told to do. When you speak with management don't name the clerk please. (Everyone loves a good scape goat.) A lot of what is happening today is because of the low profit margin in retail...at least it was that way back in the early 90's when I was clerking. And of course, theft...a larger problem now than it was then, no doubt.

Elizabeth,

You're right, many of them are doing what they have been told, and the management ought to wise up. I would gladly tell the management, but:

The management is not readily available, and often is nowhere on the premises, and

I have a limited amount of time to get my business done. I am not going to spend that time hunting down managers and providing a free consulting service to them, and

There are other stores that have already figured this out.

Honestly, anyone whose profession is retail sales ought to be able to put themselves in the consumer's shoes for a few minutes and see that being annoyed by salespeople does not help make a sale.

I work retail ::sob:: But yes, I only ask once if I can help. Then if they have been in the store for more than a half hour in one corner, I'll make sure they're doing alright.

But after that I leave them alone. I don't like being pestered by people when I shop, so I try to be nice about it. Though it is part of my job to ask.

Kristina,

I would gladly shop in your store, and I don't even know what you sell. Just so it's not Bath & Body.