Even the workers at Walmart are confused about why there are constantly representatives from cellphone and internet companies in their stores.
This has likely happened to you. You’re doing some holiday shopping or picking up groceries for the week. As you try to figure out what aisle the pasta is in, a salesperson interrupts you.
No, it’s not a Walmart worker since they’re not wearing the signature blue vest. Instead, it’s a bright-eyed vendor asking you if you’re satisfied with your cell phone plan and trying to rope you into changing service providers.
It can be a jarring and uncomfortable experience. You might be expecting sellers on the street but not within the walls of Walmart or Target.
While retailers like Walmart and Target don’t seem to officially list their partnerships with these companies online, it’s safe to assume that the relationship is mutually profitable in some way.
But this Walmart worker says that they’re getting out of hand.
Walmart worker speaks out
In a trending video with more than 21,000 views, Walmart worker Sensei T (@_.senseititi) shared her observations as a person working on the inside.
“I don’t know why they hire these internet providers here. They harass customers all day,” Sensei T said.
Not only do they try to convince customers to switch to their company, but they also ask for sensitive information, like Social Security numbers, that makes customers feel like they’re not legit.
“They got customers scared coming over to us, the Walmart workers, asking, ‘Hey, are they a scam?’” Sensei T said.
“I’ve seen them run after customers, walk with them while shopping, or if I’m helping them already they walk up asking them about internet just interrupting without saying excuse me/waiting until I’m,” she added in a comment.
But Sensei T said that to their credit, those third-party workers “take rejection so well.” While many walk away from them or politely decline, they are able to reel some people in.
Sensei T has noticed that many of the workers are conventionally attractive, and she suspects that’s part of the sales strategy.
“That’s how they get you. That’s how they get them customers to talk to you all day long,” Sensei T said.
Sensei T said that it doesn’t seem like a bad job if you’re a person who’s extroverted and good at chatting for hour on end.
Customers are over it
There are multiple Reddit threads of customers universally saying the same thing. Having those salespeople in the store is annoying and makes for a worse customer experience.
“whose bright idea was it to have people following the guests around the media section, trying to get us to change our phone plan?…I’m turning into a cranky old lady,” a redditor said, kicking off a thread on the topic.
Some employees chimed in to say that they’re also annoyed by the salespeople’s presence, but there isn’t much they can do about it.
Others shared that they’ve seen these workers pop up in Target, Costco, BJ’s, and Kroger.
What to do to ward off salespeople
One commenter, who’s marked as a fulfillment expert, suggested wearing headphones “as obviously as possible even if you don’t listen to anything,” simply ignoring them or loudly announcing that you already have a plan you’re happy with and keep walking without making eye contact.
Another person said people should call Target’s guest relations phone number if they really want to try and make an impact.
Commenters react
“They’re like real life pop up ads,” a top comment so eloquently put it.
“I avoid walking near electronics whatsoever. I hate being approach while shopping,” a person said.
“Telemarketing, I used to work as one. It’s usually commission based. No sales mean no pay,” another added.
The Daily Dot reached out to Sensei T for comment via Instagram and TikTok direct message and to Walmart via email.
@_.senseititi They getting outta hand harassing these customers that just wanna shop in peace without having to be asked about internet/phone service they got enough bills already😭😂 #fyp #internet #phoneservice #serviceprovider #callcenter #3rdparty #creditcard #managers ♬ original sound – Sensei T
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