Newbie - What excuses do you use to get out of sales situations?

I've only been shopping for 3 months. It occurred to me last night that I might need some excuses to get out of sticky situations. I did a luxury car shop and that was easy. "I'm not buying a car tonight. Nothing will change my mind. You need to respect that." However, last night I was at one of those big box comforter type stores that everyone seems to hate. (I've done several. I like to browse the store and use the reimbursement to subsidize gift purchases.) The associate was really great. The item I was looking at wasn't on the floor so she offered to retrieve one from the back and take it up to the cashier while I continued to shop. I said no, that's okay. Well, lo and behold, I get to the checkout and there it is.... waiting for me... and the cashier started to ring it up. Thinking fast, I said that my husband and I have a rule that anything over $100 requires joint approval and we didn't agree on the purchase. That was a lie because my husband pays no attention to that rule. I felt so bad. I think she practically had to scale Mt. Everest to get that item for me.

What other excuses have y'all used? I almost left with a darn vacuum cleaner.

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First, it may be helpful to remember that you need very few excuses, since you will not be seeing the same sales associate twice in 99 percent of the cases.

Second it is a good idea to remember that, in most instances, the guidelines bar us from being anything BUT the sole decision-maker. In your case, since the sales associate never heard you say that you needed a second vote for the item, it did not affect her behavior. But you may want to avoid those excuses in future to avoid voided shops.

As for other excuses, here are a couple that I use:
I'm just one of those people that needs to sleep on any major decision.
I don't make good decisions on an empty stomach. Can you recommend a good little local restaurant?
I'm sure I will decide today, but I have a couple of other appointments before I do and I don't want to stand them up.
I never buy on a day when someone tells me that the deal is only for that one day.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

First, welcome to the forum. I think you'll find much good advice here.

As far as getting out of sales situations, I personally think your "out" for the luxury car shop was not all that good,. Having done many car shops, from Chevys to Porsches, I always have a competitor make/model as my out. Even if it's a $20k car, my story is along the lines of this is likely the last car I will buy, I want to make sure I'm getting the right vehicle. Wanting to compare another vehicle is always a good, safe, out, although you need to be prepared for the salesperson to tell you to take their car to the competitor's dealership and do a side by side comparison [I had that happen one time].

As far as consumer goods, you want to check the reviews at Consumer Reports before you make the final decision. In this particular situation, I would have said something along the lines of, "I asked the salesperson to not get the vacuum because I was still comparison shopping."

This is a learning process. With time the outs will become more comfortable.

"To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful." Edward R. Murrow

Thou shalt not steal. I mean defensively. On offense, indeed thou shall steal and thou must.--Branch Rickey

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/2016 12:51PM by GMooneyhan MBSC.

Shopping around is never a bad excuse. It can even offer them an opportunity to explain price matching if it is a store policy. For new cars I mix it up between considering another make and wanting to sleep on it. I have actually been caught up in a sticky situation saying I wanted to shop another make. There was one nearby that from the name did not indicate it was related to my target vehicle yet they were owned by the same company. My sales associate was insisting we test drive his vehicle over to the other showroom so I could compare them side by side.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.

To keep it as natural as possible, I use what I'd say in "real life." For the car, I would keep it basic. Something along the lines of "It's a major purchase and I need to do a little more research." I have bought a number of cars in my life and it has also been a little shocking about how little the car salesperson knows about the product they are selling. If you research a few facts about the car, you can usually gain the upper hand very quickly because they can't answer your questions or they know you have done your homework.

As far as other merchandise, I'd keep it simple too. "Thanks for taking down the XYZ, but I want to think about it a bit more." You are the consumer and you don't need to feel obligated to purchase anything. They are doing their job and the clerk did a great job by bringing it up to the register, even though you asked her not to do it.

My go to excuses are "where is the bathroom" and "I really need to get some lunch while I think about this, what time do you close?" Sometimes I get disappointed looks but have never had a problem.

You have excellent responses from each of the panel pros, here's something I use when they are really pressuring me. I start with "I need to get my girlfriend's opinion because she can tell me if its in budget". This will lead to them offering you credit and other ways. You look them in their eyes and say "My relationship is based off trust, I respect her opinion and she never deprive's me of anything reasonably so let's keep it that way!". I like the associate initiated the transaction because so many people are not following the rules! Kudos for that rep for acting with courage, you got to give them a A+ for being bold. What you said should be the rule, "The Customer is always right" in scenarios like this! Thank you for letting me know there are still great sales reps trying to do their job to the highest standards!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/2016 04:41PM by GrosMichel.

@Cocogirl wrote:

I'd keep it simple too. "Thanks for taking down the XYZ, but I want to think about it a bit more." You are the consumer and you don't need to feel obligated to purchase anything.

Ding Ding Ding. We have a winner.
I don't understand why people don't just simply walk out when they are done with their shop?
"thanks, need to think about it, have a good one, c ya"

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind

I just say I am not ready to decide yet. I am going to look around a little more. something like that and thank them for their help or info

I don't think it is what you say, it is how you say it. If you want to wait consult the man in the moon or even the cow jumping over, it doesn't matter. Wishy washy is good for your objection so the associate will make their second or third attempt to close. After that just be firm.

I remember was I was a brand-new newbie. I did a bank shop. It was far from my home. The banker said, "You live in ____ but you are in this bank in ____. Why are you so far from home?" I froze for a millisecond and then it came to me, "Oh. I will be moving into this area in 3 weeks." She smiled and we went on with the interaction. (whew).

Since that time, I use that one, when I am far from my city. I personally have been asked things that we would not expect but I always think of my "excuse" should someone ask me an oddball question!

Having worked in retail, I saw plenty of customers back out of purchases even after I had spent two hours helping them narrow down choices. They "loved" the item, but still needed to think about it.

The location where I worked was not mystery shopped so this was just natural customer behavior. I wouldn't give it much thought if you do decline to purchase. People are naturally protective of their money and I, as well as most of my co-workers, just learned to shrug off these situations after seeing them so often. This was just part of the job.

I should add a disclaimer that we were not commissioned but quite a few retail stores are not.

@bgriffin wrote:

@Cocogirl wrote:

I'd keep it simple too. "Thanks for taking down the XYZ, but I want to think about it a bit more." You are the consumer and you don't need to feel obligated to purchase anything.

Ding Ding Ding. We have a winner.
I don't understand why people don't just simply walk out when they are done with their shop?
"thanks, need to think about it, have a good one, c ya"

I need to think it over. I want to look at a competitors brand but I don't have time to go over there to compare today.

Shopping Western NY, Northeast and Central PA, and parts of Ohio and West Virginia. Have car will travel anywhere if the monies right.

I always use my late husband as my excuse. I'd say, "Oh, for this I really need to consult with my husband because I want to be sure I am buying the right one." Or I would insist that I would need to comparison shop some more as I don't want to make a mistake.

What aria posted. Sales folks are used to being told no. Don't feel as though you need a great, logical, foolproof reason to not buy at a retail store. Just say you still wanna look around / think about it. I'm naturally non-committal about all kinds of decisions, so those kind of responses flow easily from my lips. But it helps to realize that it's not worth over thinking the reason for saying no. The associate doesn't care. He / she just hears, "No."

I don't think there are any Russians / And there ain't no Yanks
Just corporate criminals\ / Playin' with tanks

Thank you everyone, for the great advice.

As others have said, using the need to get something to eat is often a good out. I've found saying you're diabetic and feel your blood sugar dropping really shuts them up fast.

@GrosMichel wrote:

You have excellent responses from each of the panel pros, here's something I use when they are really pressuring me. I start with "I need to get my girlfriend's opinion because she can tell me if its in budget". This will lead to them offering you credit and other ways. You look them in their eyes and say "My relationship is based off trust, I respect her opinion and she never deprive's me of anything reasonably so let's keep it that way!". I like the associate initiated the transaction because so many people are not following the rules! Kudos for that rep for acting with courage, you got to give them a A+ for being bold. What you said should be the rule, "The Customer is always right" in scenarios like this! Thank you for letting me know there are still great sales reps trying to do their job to the highest standards!

While this is okay, most guidelines say not to say that you need to consult with a spouse, until at least the very end.

Dittos to what Kakita987 said. Many shops, especially auto and home, require you to be the sole decision maker. If you say you need o consult with someone, and the salesperson IDs you as a shopper, you could possibly not get paid for not following the guidelines. I always avoid the excuse of needing to check with a spouse simply to avoid the possibility of ever missing that guideline.

@GMooneyhan MBSC wrote:

Dittos to what Kakita987 said. Many shops, especially auto and home, require you to be the sole decision maker. If you say you need o consult with someone, and the salesperson IDs you as a shopper, you could possibly not get paid for not following the guidelines. I always avoid the excuse of needing to check with a spouse simply to avoid the possibility of ever missing that guideline.

You are right but I don't do auto or home shops. Never! And I use that excuse according to the Guidelines. Big box, wireless, electronics, expensive home furnishing, etc. all went through. Always according to the Guidelines. And they are not all the same, even for the same client.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/31/2016 08:30PM by risinghorizon.

"No."

It is a complete sentence.

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Newbie - What excuses do you use to get out of sales situations?

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