Just leave me alone and I might buy something!

Exactly what happened on our Greek holiday a few years ago. If I'd been left to browse, I'd have bought quite a few more things!

I agree with you, it's extremely infuriating. Some years ago we were in Gran Canaria when our children were young and we were hastled constantly by the street sellers trying to get my daughter to have her hair braided despite a polite 'No Thank You' time and time again.
I was so annoyed I knocked the stand over while pulling her away from one of them. To my delight the whole of their wares were strewn across the plaza.
Good.

I stayed in Rhodes over Christmas quite a few years ago Sago and we did not have that problem 🙂. Weather often chilly, no tourists, no traders, apart from a local women selling oranges on the street. Was lovely to walk the deserted streets in Old Town, apart from the odd stray dog, and drink at night with locals in the only bar we could find open.

100% agree. I hate being bothered when I'm browsing. It makes me leave the shop as they just follow you around and won't stop trying to sell you anything. Leave me alone and there is a very good chance I'll buy something. If I need help I will ask.

It's so counter productive.. we had it in India, but the worst was Morocco where we were literally followed on a walk in the Atlas mountains and hassled for the whole walk..

This happened to me recently at an up market (expensive) craft fair in Beaconsfield. I tried on a jacket and the stall holder then bombarded me with other jackets and she ignored me when I said ‘I don’t wear that colour’ and ‘I don’t want a long coat’. I only got away when she pounced on someone else.

My worst experience was in Egypt a few years ago. Men and children running up constantly trying to sell you things you don’t want!

OH lived in Cairo for three years and got used to paying children to watch his car when he was in the supermarket or helping him pack his shopping. He said it was because they were so poor.

We were offered 22 camels for our 14yo daughter in Eygpt! . Dh told her she was worth more than that.

Seriously, it is annoying to be pestered. When we lived abroad I learnt to deal with by simply ignoring it although it gets more difficult if they start to touch you.

I was in my mid 20's when I first worked in London. I went into an upmarket clothes shop on Oxford Street to browse. Immediately a woman came to my side. I said I did not want any help, she said they were instructed to stay with a client so I walked out.

My salary was under £30 a month so I doubt if I would have bought anything.

We have just had a holiday in Kos and were never hassled in shops.
We had a day trip to Bodrun and were hassled in every shop we entered.
It just makes me want to leave as a polite no thank you seems to make no difference.

Not just you. I hate being hassled and watched and prodded so I'm quite likely to walk out.

In fact I walked out of a make up shop recently because not one but three assistants came up and asked me if I was okay, told me about the discount offers and asked if they could help. I appreciate the recognition, but would much prefer a quick 'let me know if I can help' and being left to browse.

This happens in Turkey too. It's not that they try to sell you anything it's to watch you don't steal anything. It makes it awkward to pickup an item to look at it so I just walk out without buying. I was in Tenerife in lots of clothes and perfume shops and it didn't happen there.

I find undercover shop/security guards can be annoying!

A few days ago I went to a large multi-department store and was followed around by a so-called ''undercover'' guard as soon as I walked in who was on my back non-stop! He thought I didn't notice but I saw him peeping around the corners of shelves at me or pretending to look at something, he was piggin' awful!

I spent about an hour in there walking really fast, really slow, picking something up and looking at it then putting it back down, all floors, all departments then I left without buying anything!

I'd gone in with the intention of buying about £500.00 worth of things but Mr. Idiot totally put me off, however, I did make sure he ran a 26 mile marathon in 60 minutes!

It was a lovely store and they sold some gorgeous things but he totally icked me from buying anything!

I experienced this many times but the worst was in the Black Forest in Germany, we entered a shop selling cuckoo clocks and from the moment we walked in a man in a suit walked behind us with his hands behind his back looking very serious and so close he nearly had my ankles, we only went in there to pass time waiting for our coach he must have thought we were going to stick one of his large clocks up my jumper

Egypt was by the worst place we experienced this. My husband always gets caught because he is so polite and can't bring himself to ignore them. I literally walk on, stick up a hand and say very firmly, "No!" They rarely bother to chase me. I find myself having to turn around and say in a sharp tone, "Husband, come on!" to free him from the perils of a seller who is trying to put things on him or get him to hold it. Now he hates travelling abroad because of it.

It's the same for me in any shop or market. I go to the San Lorenzo market in Florence most years and the minute a stallholder approaches me I know I am unlikely to buy from him. I know what I am looking for (usually handbags or purses), what style or colour and I don't want to be offered all sorts of things I am not interested in, such as leather jackets.

We had this when we went to the pyramids in Giza twenty odd years ago. We had gone on a coach trip which must be a target for these sellers.

They just wouldn't leave us alone. Everything was a £1. It totally spoiled the experience for us. There were policemen about but they just ignored them. In fact one policemen said we could take our photograph with him - for a £1! We declined

We have been to the Canaries several times over the last few years. I have never seen the hair braiding ladies hassling anyone.

The people selling fake glasses and bags are the worst. They even come into some of the restaurants at night trying to sell you stuff whilst you are eating.

I once had an incident with a security guard in House of Fraser at Metrocentre. I’d gone in with both DDs after school, intending to get the bulk of my Christmas shopping. He followed us everywhere, watching as I struggled from Department to Department with an ever growing armful of gifts.
In the end, I turned on him and suggested he carried some of the stuff, instead of just tailing us!

I agree about Egypt - that verged on physical harassment and our Egyptian tour guide seemed to encourage it. We suspected he got a cut from any sales. I was very pleased that DH was with me to step in.

A couple of years ago in John Lewis, I was greeted 3 times in 3 minutes in the cosmetic section - each time being asked if I was ok/alright. I began to wonder if I’d forgotten to put makeup on, or just looked like death warmed up. I just walked out.

O.H offers a free judo lesson.

We had it the worst in Egypt when we went to Sharm El Sheikh many years ago. But have had it in other countries too. Restaurant touts are also a problem, every time you try to look at a menu someone descends and the hard sell begins.
It just puts us off. Now we look up restaurants on TA before we go anywhere and book online.
Doesn’t make me want to buy anything or sit and eat a meal, I just want to get away as quickly as possible.

Don’t go to Bali - they really harass you and nick things out of your pockets at the same time. Vietnam and Cambodia are nearly as bad ( not quite,though )

We were on a Med cruise a few years ago and this constant pestering happened in every single country we visited.

I was in a leather shop in Turkey one day, with the possible intention of buying a handbag, but the assistant completely put me off.
As I was walking out of the shop I did point out to her that I was off a cruise ship with mostly British and American passengers and pointed out that we are just not used to that sort of pushy behaviour from sales assistants back home, and that she would do a lot better with sales if she just left people to browse.

I don’t suppose it did any good though.

I worked in a Nursery shop years ago, the owner did exactly this , followed customers around the store yabbering away and instructing the staff to do the same, her favourite line was ‘ the shop goes on and on’ her staff unbeknownst to her followed it with ‘ just like the owner’ . We used to just say to them, just shout if we can help and left them to browse.

This is just the same in Hong Kong, it always made me feel like I was a prospective shoplifter! I imagine these assistants were trying to be helpful but even if you said you just wanted to look round and you'd ask them if you wanted to know anything they still followed you around the shop and woe betide if you picked up anything up to look at, they would be there in a flash telling you all about it. Basically you just had to be rude and walk away or just leave the shop.