What is the appropriate behaviour towards SA when shopping?

[VickysBFF]

Hello Irene: Two things....
1.) I had the experience of trying on wedding dresses in SoCal (suburban Los Angeles to be specific). I was well treated and I only tried on one dress, not because of not wanting to bother the salespeople but because I had a wig "malfunction" in the dressing room that made me decide that it would be easier to come back another time in my natural (long) hair for ease of trying on dresses. All the staff were very nice and polite and one particular sales assoc. was really friendly and invited us to come back on a weekday when they would be less busy and they could devote more time and help to us. I was not made to feel like a problem or rushed in any way; I simply decided on my own to cut it short because of my wig issues.
2.) I highly recommend going to a salon/spa for a makeup application. I have not gone to a makeup counter; I've only gone to salons to have it done. It is great because you get more privacy and no pressure to buy a lot of products. I have had terrific service buying makeup at stores; I just have not had any makeovers done there.
Best of luck to you.

[Eryn]

The thing to remember is that these businesses exist to make money and will react badly to situations where this does not happen. If a bridal shop experiences too many TG clients who consume their time but don't produce any revenue they will eventually say "no." OTOH, TG clients might be considered better customers than GGs if they actually buy more than the one or two gowns that a GG might buy in a lifetime! You might work into the conversation the phrase "I love wedding gowns, I have seven in my closet right now!"

The same goes with makeup counters. Buy things and you're their best friend, be a lookie-loo and you aren't. I remember reading an article written by a makeup saleslady and she described the SA at the neighboring counter telling a client to go to her counter because their products were better for "younger skin." The reality was that the other SA had decided that the client, a teenage girl accompanied by her mother, wouldn't buy enough product to make it worth her while and therefore offloaded her onto the less-experienced clerk next door!

I've never sat for a full makeup session, since I want my electrolysis to be complete first so I can be clean-faced. However, I fully intend to buy at least the foundation products they recommend and to make careful note of the lip, cheek, and eye product that they use, if I don't just break down and buy them as well.

[Miriam-J]

Our daughter tried on dozens of wedding dresses at a number of shops before buying one, while at the same time doing the same with her bridesmaids. From what I've heard (from as great a distance as possible), I think this is the typical experience. The SAs are quite used to indecisive ladies who want to try on everything. If you can avoid bridezilla mode you might just make their day anyway.

Miriam

[Chickhe]

You can look at it another way... the shop would sell nothing if the customer could not try things on and shop around. I think the key is to make the experience a positive one for the seller even if you don't plan to buy.... sales is all about impulse buying so they are offering you the dress to try on in an attempt to convince you to buy it...so a little deception or intent is shared both ways... Personally, I would be more worried about finding the perfect dress and then convincing myself I need it.