"Why don't you get a kilt while you're there?"

[lethearen]

Interactions like this are exactly why I tend to shop online more and more.

I greatly prefer brick & mortar to shopping online. If I can find the things I'm looking for, even if I do pay a little more for it. Unfortunately, more and more of the things I seek are getting harder and harder to find in person, which forces me to shop online more. Which in the long run makes it harder to find such things in person...

[artificer]

I greatly prefer brick & mortar to shopping online. If I can find the things I'm looking for, even if I do pay a little more for it. Unfortunately, more and more of the things I seek are getting harder and harder to find in person, which forces me to shop online more. Which in the long run makes it harder to find such things in person...

Don't get me wrong, I would ALWAYS prefer to actually HAVE the product in front of me when I buy, ESPECIALLY fabric goods. I don't mind paying more for what I want, when I can find it.

I am cursed with a massive intolerance for stupidity as well as rudeness. When I know more about a given product than the person who is supposed to be selling it to me, I find it extremely aggravating. Rude help... is enough for me to black-list a store for eternity.

I'm also cursed with a fairly specific idea of what I want. I know what I like and I don't want anything else (if I know that what I want exists). I don't want someone trying to sell me a pleated front shirt if I want plain. Don't try and sell me a wing collar when I want a turn down collar. You are just wasting your time as well as mine.

I DO dislike the "shop in person, then buy online" style of customer. The B&M retailer takes the hit on all the overhead, the salesperson wastes their time, and some anonymous internet warehouse gets the sale.

All that said, if I cannot get what I want in person, I have no problem buying online.

[BobsYourUncle]

Same here. That, and I just can't find what I'm looking for locally. None of the local stores ever have the style I want, a size that fits, or people who know anything about anything.

And on top of that, it's cheaper to buy online. The cost of shipping is much less than burning up gas driving all over creation on the hunt for something. Because I live rurally, any shopping trip requires driving into the city, and I can easily spend half a tank of fuel in a hopeless search for what I'm after. And I will waste a half a day doing it.

Online is the way to go. More variety, better prices, less hassle.

I greatly prefer brick & mortar to shopping online. If I can find the things I'm looking for, even if I do pay a little more for it. Unfortunately, more and more of the things I seek are getting harder and harder to find in person, which forces me to shop online more. Which in the long run makes it harder to find such things in person...

Don't get me wrong, I would ALWAYS prefer to actually HAVE the product in front of me when I buy, ESPECIALLY fabric goods. I don't mind paying more for what I want, when I can find it.

I am cursed with a massive intolerance for stupidity as well as rudeness. When I know more about a given product than the person who is supposed to be selling it to me, I find it extremely aggravating. Rude help... is enough for me to black-list a store for eternity.

I'm also cursed with a fairly specific idea of what I want. I know what I like and I don't want anything else (if I know that what I want exists). I don't want someone trying to sell me a pleated front shirt if I want plain. Don't try and sell me a wing collar when I want a turn down collar. You are just wasting your time as well as mine.

I DO dislike the "shop in person, then buy online" style of customer. The B&M retailer takes the hit on all the overhead, the salesperson wastes their time, and some anonymous internet warehouse gets the sale.

All that said, if I cannot get what I want in person, I have no problem buying online.

Isn't this the vicious cycle in which we live? Walking into a bricks and mortor store is an exercise in futility unless you simply need a type or kind of product--if I need a shovel or a generic coffee maker, I am happy to jump in the car and go.

However, if I need a SPECIFIC item, a particular brand, or configuration where not just any generic of that kind will do, I shop online, because if I go to a bricks and mortor store, my experience has been that I will spend lots of gas and time, only to find that "inventory management" means it is not on the shelf. I have been frustrated like that so many times, that online is now my default shopping venue.

The only exceptions are (1) if I need it NOW, and can't wait for it to ship, I will call likely local retailers BEFORE making the trip, to ask if the item is on the shelf. Even that can be frustrating due to employees not knowing anything about the stock, or caring enough to answer accurately; (2) my local hardware store, family owned for generations, is a shining exception to the rule. Everyone who works there knows the stock inside and out, down to the number of bolts in a particular size, and if they don't have the specific item I am looking for, they know where in town to get it. I don't even need to call ahead, I know that I will get knowledgeable, efficient service there. I give them my custom at every opportunity. If they ever go out of business, there will never be another retail store where I can have such a shopping experience.

Online will be the inevitable default, inventory management will continue to keep inventory to a minimum, and retail shopping will necessarily involve tolerating a high frustration level. I'm not sure I will ever quite get used to it...

[Tobus]

Interactions like this are exactly why I tend to shop online more and more.

Same here. That, and I just can't find what I'm looking for locally. None of the local stores ever have the style I want, a size that fits, or people who know anything about anything.

And on top of that, it's cheaper to buy online. The cost of shipping is much less than burning up gas driving all over creation on the hunt for something. Because I live rurally, any shopping trip requires driving into the city, and I can easily spend half a tank of fuel in a hopeless search for what I'm after. And I will waste a half a day doing it.

Online is the way to go. More variety, better prices, less hassle.

[biblemonkey]

My wife works retail and she would never dream of being that rude. Yes, politeness is definitely key.

By the same token I cannot fathom how so many people in today's world feel like they can treat store workers with disdain and downright rudeness. The wife comes home all the time with tales of horrible behaviour by customers who seem to think associates are little more than bugs. Not that anyone here seems to have done so, just an observation on society in general. Young and old, male and female, it's a wide range. Hey buddy, put down your cell phone, say please and thank you, don't skip in line, and under no circumstance do you have the right to cuss out the sales clerk just because they ran out of crock pots on Black Friday (that really happened to her). It's nice that, for the most part, the folks on this site are so polite and helpfull. Kilties must be different breed, eh?

[azwildcat96]

By the same token I cannot fathom how so many people in today's world feel like they can treat store workers with disdain and downright rudeness...

It's nice that, for the most part, the folks on this site are so polite and helpfull. Kilties must be different breed, eh?

I agree. The same goes with chewing out a waiter for a mistake the chef made in the back. It's just not called for.

Regarding kilties...we have our bad days too!

[tripleblessed]

While there is a convenience factor, I would just point out that shopping online
is one reason for shrinking inventories in local stores, not to mention shrinking local employment. Good shopping experience is wanted, to be sure, but tolerance can be contagious.

We're here on this forum because we appreciate community and mutual support.
It might be helpful to support (literally) our neighbors who work and live near us.

[EagleJCS]

The wife comes home all the time with tales of horrible behaviour by customers who seem to think associates are little more than bugs.

I used to work retail while going to school (20-some years ago) and the customer attitudes were much the same back then. Most shoppers were OK/indifferent at best. Some were actually polite and thankful for the assistance, especially if we spent time looking for something that couldn't be found immediately. THEN there were the occasional snooty so-and-so's who wouldn't believe any explanations given ("Sorry, we're out of that right now but expect some more next week", "those aren't made in that size", "we don't have any in that brand/style - you'll have to go to <another store>", "we'll have to order that through the catalog - the ad says CATALOG ONLY").

I would never treat a customer as you were treated - I might think it, and may make a comment to a co-worker later, but I wouldn't say it to the customer's face.

I personally prefer to buy things in person whenever possible, at local shops is even better. Sometimes, the thing is just so unique I can't avoid buying it online. (Replacement parts for out-of-service items come to mind.)

[azwildcat96]

I like to look on-line too, but I also like to see the actual product in person before spending the money. So, if I can find it locally, I will spend the time to go see it. The decision on the purchase ultimately depends on the price. If it is cheaper to buy it on-line (including the shipping), I will almost always do that. The only exception is if I absolutely need to have it now...which is rare.

[macwilkin]

Try T.M. Lewin in London. I purchased a Marcella from them years ago from their online store.

T.