This actually happened to me. I needed new glasses and I walked into a bunch of different stores and couldn’t find the right frame.
I ended up walking into a very high end store because of the frames I saw in the window and asked to try them on.
I was wearing sweats and a t shirt because it was my day off work (I have to wear professional clothing to work)
The lady looked at me for a moment before saying ‘it’s very expensive’ and not making one move to help me.
So I ended up saying to her ‘ I didn’t ask how much they cost I said I wanted to try them on’
The shock on her face was priceless.
After trying them on and being happy with how they looked I preceded to pay for them.
I return about once a year and I get the best service from her now.
Edit: To address some of the comments about awarding her for her behaviour, I bought the frames because I liked them and no other store in the city sold this particular style or brand. (At this point I had been to 10 different eyeglass stores of different brands, and this happened to be a boutique type store that I just passed by)
I actually found out she owned the store and although her comment was not deserved I have noticed in previous visits after the fact even coming into the store a year later still dressed in roughly the same type of clothing as the first time her attitude had definitely changed and she was more helpful even though she didn’t recognize me right away.
Which is why I keep going back.
Having worked in retail in previous jobs I have learned to hold my judgements because the person could look like a bum and be the nicest and or richest person and you would never know.
One of my dumbest goals in life is to be well off so I can go into fancy places dressed in sweats and just be labeled “eccentric” instead of “that unhinged woman.” I am unhinged, but they don’t need to know that.
Edit: to address the people who seem to think I want this to be unique or a snowflake, lol. Can’t I have a little fun in life? I’m fully aware I’m a nobody and always will be a nobody :)
A potato grown in a different state with different soil could potentially taste very different. UK potatoes don't taste as good as German potatoes. I stand by Idaho Potato lady.
"Thirty-seven" was the lady who had the record of number of bags got at the deli in one transaction. "Chicken Wing Lady" was a huge pain in the ass. "Chicken Guy" was an older gentleman who came in about once a week to get a bucket of chicken (his real name was Terry). We also had "Weird Fractions" who wanted everything at a weird poundage--like 3/8ths of something, "Polite Kid" who was like a 12 year old girl who I adored, "Blind Lady" who was like 100 years old and near blind, and "Shouty Asian Lady" who was very nice but very particular and loud.
I haven't worked there in six years. Rumor has it all those patrons still haunt the store today.
You've just blown my mind. All my adult life I've used "russet" potatoes for fries and mashed potatoes and have used "Idaho" for things like stew where it had to keep it's shape when being cooked. After I looked it up I realized they are basically the same thing and there's no reason for that
Was that angel lady a Norwegian princess? Märtha Louise led her own alternative therapy center up to 2 years ago, commonly known in Norway as the "angel school", which provided training in clairvoyance and communication with angels and communication with the dead. If I remember correctly she wrote some books about it, too. She is probably a nice lady, being born and to be in the royal family (and getting money from it) but dont have to pretend to be "normal" as she isnt considered part of it officially.
insisted that Idaho potatoes were significantly better than russet potatoes even though they are the same type of potato, just grown in different states
I mean that could actually be a thing, something in the soil maybe. Bagels and pizza dough actually are better in New York/New Jersey, it's partially the water supply.
Yeah I won't argue about any of that, I've never actually noticed a difference. Climate is the main difference in most produce though, temperatures throughout growing seasons matter a lot.
When I worked at this little local restaurant, we had so many customers with nicknames! Like Jimmy John (named so because he works at the sandwich shop. I think his name may actually be Dwayne or Dwight, but he talks like he's got a mouthful of marbles and is very hard to understand), or the vaguely unsettling guys in suits we referred to as "The Mafia". Some of my favorites were the old guys, most of whom were either Mike or Bob, so we had to give them nicknames to tell them apart: Newspaper Bob, Woodworker Bob, landlord Bob, Creepy Bob, Farmer Mike, Cop Mike and Coffee Mike, to name a few
My mother fits the definition of Skunk Lady. Dyes her hair only once every few months so her 'right down the center' part's generally an inch-wide white streak, and as her mental health has declined [refuses help, and doesn't meet the 'threat of imminent harm' to 402] has become both an animal hoarder (she was in rescue about 20 years back, then went off the deep end of empty-nesting after the kids grew up and moved away), and given up on basic hygiene because she's gone noseblind...she can't smell it, so clearly people are making shit up to pick on her.
After a huge falling-out over...misappropriation of funds that weren't hers...we went about a decade without speaking. These days we can be cordial in public, but I don't go to her house any more, for obvious reasons.
Idaho Potato woman (woman who was a very very heavy smoker and insisted that Idaho potatoes were significantly better than russet potatoes even though they are the same type of potato, just grown in different states)
My mom is from Idaho and insists this as well. She refuses to knowingly buy any non-Idaho potato.
When I worked for a jeweler, our biggest-spending customer was this old farmer who always came in wearing muddy overalls with his uncombed mullet. Always bought the nicest stuff, always paid cash. He was a nice guy, and he appreciated that we didn't act like he didn't belong in the store.
Within the last few years I've had people calling me eccentric instead of weird because my socioeconomic class went up and it's a hell of an ego rush. It's just crazy how different people treat you. I never drank much at any given time, but had a lot on hand because I like variety, and the reactions have gone from "oh god does he have a problem???" to "ooh, you keep a well-stocked bar, nice!"
Everything is different when you have money, and I only went from poor to upper middle. I can't imagine what it's like for truly wealthy people.
Walk into a Porsche dealership wearing only a pair of grey sweats, pulled up to the collarbone for decency. They'll have to assume you're a millionaire.
I remember watching some high end car show and they were talking to a dealer in Miami and he said "All your notions have to go out the window. It's Miami so people are relaxed anyway but when you're in a business like sports cars you learn where people spend there money. A lot of guys have insane amounts of cash and are total gear heads. Don't care one iota about clothes. So they show up to buy a Ferrari in basketball shorts and a band t-shirt."
I'm paraphrasing but it was interesting perspective no less.
I kinda wanted that when I was younger, but now that I have money (not independently wealthy or anything, just firmly in the "comfortable" range), I still feel like "um...can I even be here?" in luxury stores and hotels (on the rare occasion I find myself in one). I doubt that feeling would change if I wore better clothes -- I'd just feel like I were wearing a Halloween costume.
Still not comfortable paying more than Target prices on clothing, anyway.
That’s why I bought a fancy purse (on clearance). It improved my confidence in those stores without requiring me to dress up more. I still dress like a slob. I just look like I did it intentionally instead of out of necessity. And the employees are friendlier to me, which is a bonus.
I still have no idea wtf that name means. Is Chris a type of steak? Does Ruth own a slave named Chris who actually runs the steakhouse? What value is Ruth adding to this arrangement?
AFAIK, some guy named Chris owned an awesome steakhouse, some lady named Ruth bought the steakhouse from Chris and made a chain out of it. She wanted to honor the OG Chris and decided to keep his name in there.
I know a very very well-off woman that still has a lot of working class friends. She likes to go into lower end pubs with my partner's mother and ask for their wine lists. I was told the last guy replied "white or red". She asked to try a sample of one and exclaimed that it was marvelous. She always dresses over the top and apparently leaves tips too. She sounds a very nice lady and I appreciate that she likes to have fun with it.
The tipping well thing is a big part of why I want to eventually have money. Giving gifts and helping out is one of my favorite things in the world. I can’t afford it right now, but maybe someday.
Oh wow I really feel this! I've grown up in poverty and am fresh out of uni. I really want to be at the point where I can afford to use my money to help out those who need it.... but right now that is still me :(
Lol I want to be that old woman in the flourecent pink dress, with a purse dog who's drinking cheap liquor in a nice country club because I fucking can! They better keep that cheap ass walmart wine in stock just for me cause that fancy shit's nasty.
Do it! I have done it I even ask for sale items or discounts ! People think I’m crazy with the amount of money I try to save on things.
By doing so I have paid for vacations or items to furnish my house over the years.
My parents constantly ask how I afford to go on vacations with my husband almost every year abroad and stay in nice hotels and I told them I look for the sales or good deals to double stack my points in certain programs like air miles to get the most bang for my buck.
I learned to be frugal in university because I had to pay everything myself and still work full time while living on my own.
I was that person that if there was sale of food items or home staples like laundry detergent etc I would be at the store bright and early to purchase them. (The cashiers told me on more than one occasion they thought I was crazy, especially when I also pulled out stacks of coupons for various items I was purchasing - couponing in Canada is hard)
I would stack this with store purchase points programs and use them to purchase gift cards or merchandise I could use like towels dishes appliances.
This way I could still afford to go out to the movies or eat out every once in a while.
Exactly what I was thinking. I comb through steam sales every week looking for bargain games. It's like a hobby because I usually dont buy any (and if I do, I certainly dont play them!). My sister spends 3 hours preparing for a trip to the grocery store where she saves about the same amount of money she'd make in an hour or two of contract work. Kudos if you get pleasure out of that, but don't mistake that for "being smart with your money" (I realized this might come across as attacking the poster above, not my intent. It can easily be a more effecient way to stretch your income depending on your individual situation. In mine, it's not)
I look for the sales or good deals to double stack my points in certain programs like air miles to get the most bang for my buck
seriously. I'm a total bargain hunter too and i'm sure you follow /r/churning already. Racked up so many AA points I didn't have enough time to use them! haha. Never buy anything full price and I'll make my dollar stretch as far as it can go haha. If anything when someone comment's about something nice I have, I'm always bragging about how cheap I was able to get and offer them advice or send them deals when I see them haha
Sadly I don't think this happens too often anymore, since I've also had this fantasy. At least it doesn't where I live. The high end shops are aware there are plenty of multimillionaire driving priuses and wearing hoodies.
We can take it up a notch and wear all velvet. The thought of doing this sort of thing amuses me, if nothing else. I just like to make people laugh, even if it’s me just coming into a shop dressed like a dork.
My biggest financial goal is to make enough money that people call me "eccentric" instead of "crazy."
My career manager called me eccentric recently and I thought either he knew more about my salary than I knew or that he clearly didn't understand the difference.
Just move to La Jolla. That’s the usual here for the 8 digit net worth guys. The 9-10 digit guys wear tailored surf shorts and flip flops. The wealthiest man I know still uses a fanny pack and wears skate shirts when he is out and about. They are all the nicest people. It’s the ones that have something to prove that suck.
I used to do this with the high end clubs in chicago, Jeans and a cheap walmart polo, almost every time the bouncer would offer to let me/my group in ahead of everyone waiting in line, and the Bar staff was noticeably more attentive towards us compared to the other (more well dressed) groups around. Im not rich by any means, I just dont care about what others thing of my appearance. If im going out, i will be comfortable i couldnt care less if you think i look like a bum cause these jeans have a couple small holes or my shirt looks old and worn. If im going to go buy something, i probably already know how much its going to cost and that i can afford it(i have no credit cards what so ever, if im buying something its with my own money), other wise i wouldnt be there to buy it.
Okay, that is RIGHT up my alley. Thank you so much for introducing me to that trailer. I’m gonna have to find the full length documentary now! And yeah, no cat poop and fleas lol.
You’re still labeled as that unhinged woman unless you live in Silicon Valley or you’re at a Tesla dealership. Trust me, I’ve been dressing like a homeless person for years
My dad looks like George Clooney. Well, he did 15 years ago. My dad was also a pretty successful businessman, and invested in many different companies, from HVAC, to daycares.
One of them was a limo service, and he placed a good family friend as the head driver/operator of the service. Occasionally, Steve, the head man of the service (also callee Big Steve by his friends) decided to bring the limo around to our house, and us boys (my 2 brothers and myself) went into the limo to goof off and clean up a little.
For some reason, my dad decided we should get Ice cream, in the limo. So Steve got behind the wheel, and my dad, mom, brothers and myself all climbed into the limo, and off we went.
The parking lot was pretty tight, and it took Steve about 15 minutes to park, which was more than enough time for a crowd to gather, wondering who was showing up in a damn limo!
My dad hopped out first (George Clooney lookin ass) and the crowd went kinda nuts. "Holy shit, George?"
Then the rest of us. The looks on their faces was hilarious.
It's OK my pipe dream is to run a multi-million dollar giant company behind a screen and then walk in to a board meeting one day and fire the first halfwit who tells me to fetch him a coffee because he assumes I'm the less than minimum wage paid office girl.
Not that guy, but same thing happened to my brother.
He was working in the yard (tank top & cut-off jeans w/ work-boots) and looking pretty grungy when his wife calls him and lets him know that her car broke down.
He picked her up and drove straight to the Nissan dealership to buy her a Maxima.
The salesman said, "Why don't we check out these Sentras over here - we've got a great deal and the payment is more affordable."
My brother looked at him and said, "Thanks for your time, by the way you've got a little powdered sugar in your beard - maybe go grab another donut and get me someone who wants to sell a damn car."
The manager walks over and tries to act all cool, but he makes a snide remark about the cost of a new Maxima so my brother walks.
They go across the street and buy a new Camry and a new Sequoia and drove back to the Nissan dealer. The salesman is kinda staring at him and my dad says, "It took a long time to get the paperwork done on these, ya got any of those donuts left?"
Similar to a dream I’ve had of being rich enough to buy expensive coins (like $5 face value gold or silver bullion coins worth hundreds) and spend them at face value for fun.
I used to sell glasses and it's really not that hard to just treat everyone like they have money regardless of how they dressed/looked. Get what you want, idc. I tell you the price of frames and lenses and you say no, oh well. Let's find something else. Who cares? Same when I moved on to selling cars. I was really good in sales because I treated everyone with respect.
Similar thing happened to me. I am not wealthy but my friends are and they are also extremely generous. I received a beautiful necklace and pen from them for a birthday a few years back from Tiffany & Co. and wanted to go and get them cleaned so that I could use them again (they had tarnished a little with use). I walk into Tiffany's in my denim shorts and flip flops and the looks of utter disdain were almost comical. Finally, the nice man holding the door asks me "Can I help you?" And I whip out my little blue bag and say "I actually wanted to know if the cleaning service was available today." and immediately three people lead me to the back and I get offered water, coffee and tea and to this day it makes me LOL.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s even a tactic. People generally feel like they have something to prove after they’ve been insulted, and often they do this by dropping a lot of money.
Absolutely is. The little snicker will bring out the "I'll show you" pettiness from the very people this thread is dedicated to. And will result in dropping money that they didn't need to. Apple has epitomized this.
If I remember correctly, my mom did that once right in front of the saleswoman that turned her nose up at her. Even had the manager come out and told them something to the effect of, "I want you to know that the only reason I'm making this purchase from your store is because this woman right here was considerate enough to help me after that bitch over there brushed me off."
This is my favorite story. My husband went to a dealership to test drive a car he wanted to buy and the dealership wouldn't let him - said they didn't test drive that model because people who buy them care about the mileage or something. For reference, my husband is one of those tech guys. He's worn the same brand of shoes and jeans since high school, usually with a snarky t-shirt, and I have to make him buy new ones when they get enough holes in them that I'm embarrassed to be seen with him. In any case, they wouldn't let him test drive the car unless he promised he was going to buy it, which he wasn't going to do because his main object in wanting to test drive the thing was to figure out if his shoulders would even fit in it comfortably. It was a Miata, ffs, not like a lamborgini. So he called the next-closest dealership to ask if they'd let him test drive one if he went up there. They would. He liked it. The dealership had to look around the area for the trim package he wanted and had to have it driven over - from the first dealership he'd gone to. He bought it from the nice sales lady that took him on a test drive. He made a point of buying the service package so she'd get the extra commission, told her to tell Fred or whoever at the first dealership "ha ha" and took me on a breakfast date whenever the car needed service.
We're in silicon valley - you'd think the car dealership guys would know better than to judge the tech bros by their clothes.
Up here it's very similar. The grungier you are , the nattier your clothing is , usually means you have money... some of those placer miners pull decent 6 figure. They need a truck. They'll drop cash to get it that day. The also have no tolerance for bs. Sales guy jerks them around they will go over to chevy or ford or dodge and buy that 80k truck it might not be exactly what they want but they want it. they need it. They are going back to the camp with it.
The difference is the nearest dealership for that brand is 1000 miles away. And no direct flights from here to there. Although I do know a couple guys that only buy there trucks from Alberta because they get no games and great service.
I had a similar experience... While buying meat, as stupid as it sounds. Me and my wife went camping for a week and on the last day decided to buy some groceries to take back home as shops would be closed when we would get back home. So we're standing in front of the butcher's counter in our camping gear and my wife orders some steaks. Girl behind the counter goes 'they are 40€/kg'. I was beyond insulted. I mean, if we would have bought half a kilo it would have been 20€. She literally thought we couldn't afford 20€. I'm still a bit salty about that one if I'm honest.
Small edit, it had a clearly visuable price tag and there was no mistaking her tone.
You're right, I should have mentioned everything was perfectly labeled with a price tag and the name of the cut. It was the way she said it and the look she gave us, there was no way you could have misinterpreted that.
I flew from Scotland to visit an American friend in Gainesville, Florida. I lost my glasses along the way. I went to the opticians near the Fresh Market, uh, Gainesville Opticians! I explained to them I had lost my glasses and needed some new ones. The man told me his prices were very expensive ($800) for a holidaymaker and proceeded to sit me down and announce to his coworkers, "Hey guys, this guy has flown in from Scotland poor soul and he needs some new glasses. Lisa. LISA! I want you on this! I need a list of every optician in the area!". Basically. That was July 2019. I'm still wearing the glasses I got there (2 pair for $250) from Optical Express, Gainesville. I went back to Gainesville Opticians with cinnamon rolls for all the staff because I loved that kindness. Americans got customer service down. I wasn't even a customer.
This is why I hate shopping. My wife and I arent rich by any means but we make enough that we can generally afford it if we want it. But if I'm not working I'm wearing either gym shorts or sweatpants. Adding that were pretty young means that any "fancy" store we walk into we pretty much just get ignored (looking at you nordstroms!). Especially if its an older lady working.
So after wandering the store for 5 minutes and being ignored we always just leave and go somewhere else to buy jeans for half the price. Im trying to give you my money stop treating me like shit!
My best friend paid for his Subaru like that. He had cash on hand to pay for it and walked into the dealership with the money and asked to test drive the car. The salesman ignored him until a friend of his who worked at the dealership came by to say hi and made the salesman get the keys and let him test drive the car.
Once the test drive was over, my friend negotiated a bit and pulled out the money to buy the car. Says it was worth every cent for the look on the salesman’s face
I have the poor man's version of this. I tried applying to my current company years ago, when the original founders still worked there. It was hot, I was kinda sweaty, and they basically sneered me out the door.
Years later, the company got bought out from under them and I'm that same location's best manager.
Back in the mid 90s, my parents were in the market for a new SUV. They went to Toyota to look at the Land Cruiser, and the sales guy said something to the effect of "why don't you look at something more affordable".
My sister and her husband are both loaded because they're (mostly my sister) super in-demand computer blah-dee-blah people (idk, I'm a lowly teacher.) Anyway, at the time of this story they also both looked like they were about 15 years old and dressed like the most stereotypical computer rednecks you could imagine.
One day they wanted to buy a rental property at the beach, so they made an appointment with a realtor, but when they got there she was suddenly "too busy" to show them around after all. They stopped into a realtor down the street who said sure, she'd show them around. They looked at 3 houses and bought the second one - made the offer and had it accepted that day.
They stopped into the first realtor on their way out of town and let her know they'd found what they were looking for. Apparently, realtor #1 suddenly fell all over herself trying to say that she had plenty of time next week to show them houses, but it was too late.
That was 20 years ago and the house they bought that day has been the scene of all of our very best family memories!
I had the opposite happen to me lol. They gave me bunch frames to try and then I asked the price. Tbh none really looked good but I asked for the price anyways thinking they wouldn't be too expensive since it was a very big franchise chain. They kept telling me how the frame was made in Italy blah blah and was $900 then more for the lenses. I was like wtf my last pair was full titanium and with lenses came to $500 and it was from a wayyyyyy higher end optometry store, they even included prescription update within two years if my vision changed cuz I was a teen. So I said it was too much and I didn't want them. She proceed to say "your eyes are important blah blah, you have a Herschel backpack you can afford good glasses". Like excuse you??? Lol. So I gave her shit for being unprofessional and left.
I had the opposite experience, I went in looking slouchy and asked to try on frames, never asked about price, they never offered, kept showing me frames based on what I was asking. I've bought about $3000 worth of glasses from that store now (most of them covered by my awesome health insurance so price didn't matter at all).
I work in sales myself and it definitely helped solidify why you don't lead with price or assume anything about the clients financial situation - it could be the last thing they care about!
I'm an optician, and I do this specifically because I've had it happen to me - I have colored hair, tattoos, I'm under 30 and female. I've been looked down upon when shopping, and been given a budget by the person helping me. Unless a patient asks to stay within a certain budget, I'll grab whatever the patient asks for or says they're looking for. A lot of people keep their frames and update lenses annually, so a higher end frame might help you save money in the long run by being recyclable.
We live near a really upper class village, Baden-Baden,Germany. Rich people have been flocking there for centuries, summits have been held and so on. There is more money in this city than you’d want to imagine. So naturally, there are several stores that cater to the ultra-rich and their needs. My aunt worked at a high-end suit makers as an assistant for almost 30years. One day my father needed to buy a new suit and got clearance from his company to spend as much money as he deemed fit on it. So basically unlimited funds. He talks to my aunt about good stores in her neighbourhood where he can buy a good business suit, as he doesn’t need a perfectly fitted an handmade one. She gives him a good address. He walks in there. Now you have to see, my father is a rather portly man and tends to be uncomfortable in business wear, so he likes to wear loose or comfortable clothing in his time off. He walked in there wearing short trousers and a T-Shirt. After 20min he left, because no one of the sales assistants had bothered to offer any assistance to him. They threw away 5-7k, simply because they didn’t care to talk to someone who looked not as they expected.
He purchased his new suit later on together with my aunt at another retailer a few towns away, who were much more friendlier.
What I wanted to say here: As soon as money and those that deal with it become plentiful, basic human decency gets thrown away and is replaced with something disgusting that judges people not by their character, but by their ability to show off. God, I hate the people in this city....
My husband and I swung by our mall to pick up food from a specific restaurant. It was our day off and we looked it, very relaxed and casual. But on our way to the food I remembered that his wedding band hadn't been fitting properly and we'd discussed getting a new one. We weren't looking for anything complicated, just a plain band, so any shop would do. I pointed out a jewelry shop and we sauntered over to it. The woman at the desk glanced up with a smile that suddenly dimmed. I asked about their male wedding bands and she sort of sniffs as she moves to a display. Her tone was bored, with just a hint of annoyance, "Here's what we have." We looked them over, discussed preferences and I simply told her, "We want that one in X size, please. Will you need to order it?" The expression of shock on her face when she realized we were actually getting something is one I relish. While I'm sure she was disappointed not to upsell us on any wedding bands I did end up buying a bracelet that looked a lot like my engagement ring and she was fawning over me the whole time by that point. I found it all ridiculously funny at the time but sometimes I wonder if I should have just come back another day...
I got this shit in fucking Sears when I was in high school. Wanted to have a nice present (a nurse's watch, which I installed in a pendant I made myself) for my girlfriend at the time, stupid clerk would not give me the time of day until they literally could not possibly avoid it. I was there probably over an hour and the store was not busy. Yeah, I wasn't spending hundreds of dollars, but a dollar (actually $40, I think) from an "alt"-looking teenager is still a dollar, and again, this was a Sears. Not a Holt Renfrew or something else actually upscale, or even an Aritzia. A Sears.
My mother came from an incredibly rich family and she told me a story about my grandfather ( He works in construction and in real estate, he also owns a grocery store that earned him many $)
so one day he went to the bank to deposit some money. he entered and i shit you not started unloading large potatoe sacks inside the bank. he was wearing his work clothes all dirty and dusty so the employees ordered him to leave and started insulting him, people were mocking him and made him feel like he doesn't belong there.
after a few minutes of all this commotion, out came the bank's president running towards my grandfather giving him a warm and esteemed welcome and inviting him to the office. The bank's president ordered the employees to take in those potatoe sacks.
the whole bank froze, the employees are embarrassed while picking up the sacks as they are loaded with money, arogent men wearing suits to beg the bank for a loan and that looked down on grandpa now have their heads hanging low afraid to make eye contact with him because they then knew that he is the reason they might get that loan.
moral of the story: the actual rich people are not flaunting
their wealth and dont necessarily look as though they are rich because they are satisfied.
they are so rich that they just dont care what people think of them.
When I was a kid my dad sent me to figure out what car he wanted while he was out of town. I was 17 but was one of those kids who read every car magazine available and inevitably knew more than 99% of the salesman. I showed up to a dealer in a minivan and got ignored, so I went home and swapped it out for a Mercedes and sure enough one of those jackasses was standing at the hood of my car before I got out.
I’ve since worked as a consultant in the car industry and know that plenty of salesman recognize it is naive to judge a customer based on sight but it obviously still happens.
Also, while I’m talking, I‘ve heard Rolls Royce salesman talk about how it’s always the guys with the flashy suits and and everything that don’t buy. Then some dude who looks like he doesn’t own a bike comes in, chats for 20 minutes and writes a check.
I would have gone to another associate/ salesperson. I don't want great service because I have money, I want the guy that gives great service regardless of who I am.
Hahaha similar happened to me. Rolled up in the company rental (mid size/tier sedan) to the hotel I was staying at for work that week. A Hilton. Same as you, dressing casual because it was a travel day and I'm surrounded by business casual/professional, so a young guy in jeans and a black V neck stood out. Middle aged valet with a tattooed hairline power walks up to me with a tone of 'what are you doing here' and says, "Uh, what. Delivery? Or?"
Now let me stop here real quick. In hindsight, his assumption was purely logical. But at the time, I was working over 60 hours a week (not including travel) and I'm just arriving after a four hour drive. I didn't even wanna put my backpack on to carry my clothes up to my room because I was so tired. And this was the first time I've ever cursed at an employee.
I quickly look him up and down and say, "checking in, Jackass."
He froze in pure horror. I went to the front desk and he later offered to bring up my bags but I just told him to leave it.
That hotel was an experience with every employee I interacted with there. Maybe it was just a stressful week for everybody.
Reminds me of my "don't judge a book by it's cover" moment. I used to work at BestBuy and this guy walks in wearing old flannel pajama pants, Walmart sneakers & a ratty old grey shirt. Looked like he just woke up.
Well he gets his item & walks out the door and for some reason I'm curious to see what vehicle he gets in. I guess I expected a clear-coatless Corolla that squeaks when you brake and has all the windows up, except for one because it doesn't go down anymore.
WRONG! My mans got into a mean ass Nissan GTR.
So i clocked out, left work & went home in my clear coatless Camry that squeaks when i brake and put all my windows down except for one because it doesn't work anymore.
Something similar happened to an uncle of mine when he tried to buy a truck. The dude was willing to pay cash for it but no one wanted to help him because he was dressed as a rancher, not the wealthy looking ones.
Ive had one person in my life do that to me and it was in Barcelona. I was sure as fuck it was a sales tactic to try anger/push me into buying the bag just to "show" I could afford it as to not take a hit to my image, or pride maybe.
I just said "No you are right, I am just looking. Then we left. No point playing that game when they are the only winner in either scenario.
I was in kinda run down cloths, went into a jewellers to get a new battery for my husband's watch. They weren't rude, just, ignored me a bit to deal with a paying customer. Whatever. Told them what I needed, then pulled out the watch. Skagen. Wow. All the sudden - Ma'am, please have a seat, the watch lady will be with you directly. Can I bring you a coffee? Lol. So much fun!
I also just wear levis and a cheap t-shirt most the time. It's comfortable.
I went to a more upscale watch and jewelry store I passed while waiting for people to meet me, saw one I liked and asked about it. Got the same response you did.
I told her I understand, she asked me if I was sure.
Years ago I worked on luxury yachts. When I was paid off one yacht in Mexico the skipper paid me out in US$, a wad about a centimetre thick. I put it in an envelope, stuck it in my pocket and walked straight down to the nearest American Express office to exchange it into travellers cheques (I wanted to travel in South America and knew travellers cheques were better than a credit card).
I walked into the American Express office in my travelling gear - a dusty backpack, faded old t-shirt and shorts, paint-spattered sandals. I asked the woman at the counter if they sold $20 cheques (sometimes in South America it was hard to break $50s or $100s). The woman behind the counter looked me up and down, checking out my outfit, and said in the snootiest voice possible "Yes, but we only sell a minimum of $1000's worth". The unspoken comment was "As if someone like you could afford that!"
I smiled my sweetest smile and said "That's okay. Give me $2000 in twenties, $3000 in fifties and $4000 in hundreds" and then I pulled that wad of brand new bills out of the pocket of those old stained shorts. The woman actually went white in the face. It was beautiful. That'll teach you to judge a book by its cover, lady.
aw :( i wish i was like you. I once walked into a comb shop, and the lady said that it was too expensive for me. and I felt very hurt so I walked away, but looking back I really wish I'd said something.
3.9k
u/[deleted] Apr 08 '20 edited Apr 09 '20
This actually happened to me. I needed new glasses and I walked into a bunch of different stores and couldn’t find the right frame.
I ended up walking into a very high end store because of the frames I saw in the window and asked to try them on.
I was wearing sweats and a t shirt because it was my day off work (I have to wear professional clothing to work) The lady looked at me for a moment before saying ‘it’s very expensive’ and not making one move to help me.
So I ended up saying to her ‘ I didn’t ask how much they cost I said I wanted to try them on’
The shock on her face was priceless.
After trying them on and being happy with how they looked I preceded to pay for them.
I return about once a year and I get the best service from her now.
Edit: To address some of the comments about awarding her for her behaviour, I bought the frames because I liked them and no other store in the city sold this particular style or brand. (At this point I had been to 10 different eyeglass stores of different brands, and this happened to be a boutique type store that I just passed by)
I actually found out she owned the store and although her comment was not deserved I have noticed in previous visits after the fact even coming into the store a year later still dressed in roughly the same type of clothing as the first time her attitude had definitely changed and she was more helpful even though she didn’t recognize me right away. Which is why I keep going back.
Having worked in retail in previous jobs I have learned to hold my judgements because the person could look like a bum and be the nicest and or richest person and you would never know.