This is why I don’t go into tiny locally owned shops like this. I’m sorry, but they just make me uncomfortable. And even though I would much rather have them take my money than their larger corporation counterpart, I also take my own experience into consideration.
I hate being watched while I shop/browse. And that’s literally all the shopkeepers do while you’re in there, unless it’s the rare occasion where you’re not one of the few people that are in there at one time.
And then I feel a pressure to buy something instead of walking out with nothing and giving the shopkeeper a sense of “false hope” that I was going to buy something. And have them feel bad because I didn’t.
Nah, miss me with that whole experience. Been through it plenty of times by now. Not my jam. Sorry shopkeepers, I just don’t enjoy the experience, despite enjoying the products/politics behind it.
No that’s actually the exact environment they have created. There is nothing there that I’m making up lol. That’s just what has happened any time I go into a shop like that.
I’m a 6’3 dude. If you’re not a woman, these shops aren’t going to make you feel super welcome. That’s just the reality of things lol, I don’t really care to know if you’ve had a different experience. I’m just sharing mine.
I’ve gotten the same experience at many places. Doesn’t matter if I’m well dressed or have a purse worth more than their monthly salary, I still get hounded
maybe some is in our head. But not the watching. the watching is real. not saying they think i am going to shoplift. but their eyes are on us the entire time as they stand behind the counter folding and refolding a pile of scarves.
their over-diligence works against them and freaks us out. like the annoyance of video autoplay when your cursor hovers over a clip to long. i cant pick up a clothing item for 2 seconds too long, without a salesperson materializes next to me to ask if i'd like to start a fitting room.
cant tell if they are just bored or desperate for a commission but they have to ease off
I think it might be a bit of a viscous cycle because once you start feeling (and looking) uncomfortable and begin paying attention to whether or not the employees are watching you, you probably do start to look like you might be shoplifting.
you feel pressured to buy something so you don't make the shopkeeper feel bad?? you need to work on yourself. It sure is poetic irony that you are afraid to let local shopowners down so you just avoid them altogether, thus letting them down even more.
It is kind of ironic, yes. Like I said, in a perfect world I would prefer to give my money to them. But the environment they create doesn’t inspire me to do that.
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u/SeismicRipFart 11h ago
This is why I don’t go into tiny locally owned shops like this. I’m sorry, but they just make me uncomfortable. And even though I would much rather have them take my money than their larger corporation counterpart, I also take my own experience into consideration.
I hate being watched while I shop/browse. And that’s literally all the shopkeepers do while you’re in there, unless it’s the rare occasion where you’re not one of the few people that are in there at one time.
And then I feel a pressure to buy something instead of walking out with nothing and giving the shopkeeper a sense of “false hope” that I was going to buy something. And have them feel bad because I didn’t.
Nah, miss me with that whole experience. Been through it plenty of times by now. Not my jam. Sorry shopkeepers, I just don’t enjoy the experience, despite enjoying the products/politics behind it.