DEAR Jasminda,

My daughter was walking through the shopping centre after a big day and was approached by a lady selling a beauty treatment.

Since she was tired, she allowed the lady to give her a free sample treatment but then said she couldn’t afford to make a purchase.

The lady then said she would give her a special deal.

My daughter felt overwhelmed and walked away with a product she didn’t really want for $50, which she can’t afford.

How should she have dealt with this?

Gerry K.

Dear Gerry,

There are many sales techniques and some of the best are on display in the walkways of shopping centres.
Your daughter has discovered a valuable lesson and she will be better prepared next time.

There are several stages to avoiding salespeople and the first is to immediately avert your eyes.

Once they’ve made eye contact, you’re already well on the way to being fleeced of money for a product that you didn’t have any need for just 20 seconds earlier.

If you are already at the eye contact stage, walk as though you are about to miss your bus, that is, so quickly that you build up a sweat.

Hopefully they won’t catch you.

If they’ve started their spiel, it’s very hard to get them to stop.

Salespeople have been provided with specific training and any chatter will give them false hope.

Say a firm no, and consider crossing your hands in front of your body like a referee. Yes, you’ll look like a twit.
That’s okay.

Do not under any circumstances let them demonstrate their product on you.

If you get to this stage, you’ve likely lost the battle and will end up giving in and buying something you don’t want because you’ve received a free service.

Nothing is free, as you will soon discover.

Finally, if you’ve been conned, use it as training for the next time you’re accosted.

It’s an expensive lesson, but one that’s hard to forget.

Carpe diem,
Jasminda.