Trying on clothes you can’t afford in commission situations
Maybe a bit of a silly question but... how do you handle trying stuff on you know you won't buy at stores where people earn commission? I've been to stores with luxury stuff I can't afford and looked around, but I've never had the courage to try anything on because I don't know how to ask in a way that doesn't get their hopes up for a sale, but I also don't want to just be like "just so you know I'm not buying this for sure" because that feels kinda rude
23 Replies
Hi @kewlpinguino! For better answers, include:
- Reference pictures
- Budget in numbers
- Specific measurements
- Openness to buying secondhand and/or online
- Location: country/continent is fine
- Timing/urgency
I cant speak too specifically to your situation, but many of those stores you're referencing rely on their brand being saught after and lusted over.
And they want you to eventually be a customer which might start with you going in just to try the clothes
Don't be a dick. Don't waste too much time. Enjoy learning about the design of the clothes and what you do/don't like
just dont bring it up tbh. go, try it on, if they ask if u wanna buy it just go "no"
dont overthink it
often times sales associates in luxury stores have clients that they know and have relationships with. this isn't always the case, but when i worked retail i relied much more on my client relationships than foot traffic. the store is there for you to go and look at things, just be respectful
Oh to be clear I’m talking abt like Bergdorf Goodman not boutiques
Yeah ive heard about this especially with boutiques
bergdorf sales associates def have a book of people they call up and say "hey got this thing you might like"
the point i'm trying to make is that you don't need to worry about hurting anyones feelings. especially in a department store
even at a small boutique, you arent hurting anyones feelings
its a part of their business model to have you come in and try stuff
because they want to take the chance that people off the street might be interested in buying stuff now or even coming back later to buy it
That’s true. I just know working at a non-commission based retail setting I worry I might be pestering people hoping to earn a commission. Like I would have way more patience if I earned commission
i get where you are coming from. before i worked retail i thought it was all more of less the same, but luxury is a whole different thing. i could sense who was there to be a tourist and who was buying. didn't change they way i treated them, but its a vibe that becomes very easy to pick up
i don't want to discourage you for going out and touching things and getting a better sense of them. this, again, is why the store is there
i guess i'm more trying to make the point that the sales associates often have plans for meeting their sales goals/KPI's/whatever and foot traffic usually doesn't make or break this. unless you plan on being in the store and being high maintenance for 6 hours no ones going to care if you want to put on an expensive coat.
haha that's true
part of what made me think abt it today is that at work (nordstrom rack) a guy made me walk him to everything and even unbutton a shirt jacket for him
which is stuff that would make more sense if i earned comission
yikes
yeah been there, know the feeling. but you don't plan on doing that so i think you're good lol
a friendly "just looking, i'll let you know if i need help" will get you a long way
yeah thats what i've usually done, i just feel weird asking to try on
feels very look-don't-touch bc if you do someone will get their hopes up. but I suppose people who already kinda have a plan wouldnt mind that too much
nah, if they got their hopes up all the time they wouldn't be working in sales
lmao
this is barely related to the initial topic but since you mentioned working in that type of retail, is it true that people act fake with each other to steal sales? I've thought of moving to full-line Nordstorm but that's what people say happens
hm. it depends on the team and management. i was really lucky to start with a friendly team that helped each other. where i was not everyone had the same goals set for them (this was determined by leadership status, time with the company, if you were pt/ft, your shift length, etc.) so if someone did really well in a day they'd often just assist while everyone else sold. so really solid, and i enjoyed being a part of that team. when i was an asm i made it a point to break that shit up when i saw it, but i'm not sure the other managers cared much (i hated this management team). i've never been a part of a store as large as nordstrom so i can't speak to what that might look like, my team was like 20 max.
Ahh that’s fair. I don’t know enough about the full line structure to say for sure but I believe they have separate managers by department so it would still be relatively small
i've had sales stole from me, and it sucks. but it was only ever those random people that were coming in to shop on vacation and never from my client book so there is that as well. cultivating good relationships with clients goes a long way
Ahh yeah that would make sense. Thx
np!
one time i walked into a very high priced boutique and i straight up told the guy I was just browsing cause I felt bad and didnt want to waste his time, but he was extremely nice. But generally, if I feel pressured into buying something for simply walking into a store, fuck that
in recent memory though only really happened at like, new balance and guitar center though :xd:
Yeah this is what I think abt doing but then like I worry people will get rude
if they're rude it sounds like a place i wouldn't want to shop at tbh
in my experiences people have been accommodating of trying stuff on (minus exactly one instance where it wasn't bc microaggressions). i think you may be putting cart before horse a lil - the conversation may not even come up
I tend to overthink things so that doesn’t surprise me if I am. Thx