Ever wondered why you can never shop in peace? Former floor staff say their ‘surfing’ policy is to blame

When was the last time you shopped without the floor staff hovering over you with their countless questions? It's hard to remember, right? But that's because it happens almost daily to every customer. Apparently, it's something the staff members are trained in. Yes, Maisie Adam (@maisieadam), a stand-up comedian who used to work at a store, revealed how they are literally taught to interrupt customers while they shop. In conversation with Mel Giedroyc, Adam explained an interesting acronym, "SURFING," and how it's a core part of their training. 

The host unapologetically told Adam how she always finds the shop assistants very forthcoming. That means they are always ready to help you in finding whatever you need and provide useful suggestions, products, and services. This is mostly to help customers with a hassle-free shopping experience, but sometimes it gets truly annoying. Constant disruption from floor assistants can often be frustrating, and customers may even leave the shop because of it. Adam, however, said they do it without a choice. In fact, they are trained to follow something called "SURFING." S stands for "Say hello," U for "Understand the customer," R for "Relate to them," F stands for "(follow them to) Fitting rooms," I for "Introduce a new product," N for "Never leave them alone," and finally G for "(say) Goodbye." She explained that greeting customers is given top priority in their job. A floor assistant has to say hello and goodbye to them, even if they have had no conversations with the shoppers.

A poll of 2,008 UK consumers revealed how often shoppers get annoyed by assistants; in fact, 68% confessed they were put off by someone actively selling to them. 27% of those who were clearly bothered by the sales pitch said they hate getting distracted while shopping, while 22% said they were bored hearing the same pitch in every shop. Another 17% said, "If I wanted to buy a product, I would do so without someone asking me to." Most people nowadays don't appreciate any form of interaction with shop assistants. A similar study by K3 of 2,000 British customers found that more than half (51%) of people surveyed don’t want any human interaction while they are shopping.

Meanwhile, reacting to Adam's confession about "Surfing," @jennie.godfrey commented, "This explains SO MUCH! I stopped going in for a while because they asked me, 'What are you doing for the rest of the day?' too many times! IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS WHAT I AM DOING FOR THE REST OF THE DAY (and the answer is always 'nothing')." @ewanshere wrote, "Honestly, I fail to understand why places do this; it puts me off. Just LEAVE ME ALONE. I avoid places like this like the plague. I can’t cope with it." Similarly, @theglamvampnextdoor shared, "This is 100% accurate! Believe me, I don't want to at all, but we are just forced to… I don't work in retail/hospitality anymore, but back when I did, our managers told us to and would tell us off if we didn't." 

You can follow @willthereswake on Instagram to see more such viral moments from her podcast. 

More on Scoop Upworthy

Woman being ignored by luxury brand staff plots a perfect revenge leaving the internet in awe

Artist humiliated her staff, so she bought his $4800 sculpture and smashed it to teach him a lesson

Customer returns to grocery store to thank kind worker who helped him in his 'darkest hour'