Especially in clothing stores, it's not at ALL uncommon for me to not be able to find anything that fits me correctly and walk out with nothing. With other retailers, I am not an impulse buyer, so I frequently collect info on the first visit and return another time to purchase. From the comments, I don't think I'm the only one who shops this way, so I don't think we as MSers stand out for this reason.
Something else that helps is I'm not susceptible to being pressured into purchasing. (In fact, if I feel like the associate is trying to pressure me, I am less likely to purchase because I'm stubborn like that.) If you're more sensitive to this kind of pressure, it might help to keep clearly in mind what you are there to do, step by step. If you still feel awkward, maybe work out a backstory in your head (i.e. the reasons I mentioned above - couldn't find anything that fit, collecting info - or another reason like maybe you got a text/need to leave the store early, etc) so that it feels more natural to you. Just a thought.
Happily shopping the Pacific Northwest. Shopping since 2013
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/05/2018 08:23AM by RedRose22.