Aggressive salesman insults me to try sell

[Seshat]

where the guy was still insisting to his coworker that it was all natural

So's hemlock.

[Jay 2K Winger]

Considering how every establishment that sells food these days has a "Please inform server if any member of your party has a food allergy" plaque right at the register, it boggles the mind that any salesman would be colossally stupid enough to rub any sort of ointment or cream or spray onto a prospective customer's skin without their consent. Allergies don't just relate to things people eat, you idiots!

At the wholesale club, the people who work the demo kiosks refuse to let unaccompanied children take any samples until their parent/guardian gives the okay. They always have the box with nutrition/content information in plain sight as well.

[Kogarashi]

he still insists it's all natural so totally non-allergenic

So's hemlock.

Exactly. "All natural" does not necessarily mean "good for you," nor does it mean "hypoallergenic." It just means "not artificial." Peanuts are natural. My sister is allergic to them. Mangoes are natural. My other sister is allergic to them. Cats are natural. My mom is allergic to them. Ragweed is natural. I'm allergic to it. Tomatoes are natural. A friend of mine will die if she eats them.

And Seshat, you reminded me about a homeopathic cough syrup we picked up for the kids just a couple weeks ago (which I got because it claimed to use honey). Hubby wanted to know what the active ingredients actually were, since they use long scientific names instead, and found out that one of them is monkshood. Yes, diluted down a whole lot because of the homeopathy thing, but still. We ended up returning it and found one that was actually honey-based (and the ingredients were all things we recognized without an encyclopedia on hand).

[Seshat]

Hubby wanted to know what the active ingredients actually were, since they use long scientific names instead, and found out that one of them is monkshood.

They put ACONITE in a CHILDREN'S COUGH MEDICINE?

Okay, monkshood/aconite has a long tradition of being used medicinally as well as for poison; but there are many much safer ways of achieving the same medical goals!

[Kaylyn]

They put ACONITE in a CHILDREN'S COUGH MEDICINE?

Okay, monkshood/aconite has a long tradition of being used medicinally as well as for poison; but there are many much safer ways of achieving the same medical goals!

Granted, it is diluted via homeopathic methods to the point in which there is not likely to even be a single molecule of it actually remaining in the medicine...that's probably the only way it could even make it on the shelves. But still, eek!

[mjr]

Cats are natural. My mom is allergic to them.

Interesting tidbit about cats...did you know that people who are allergic to cats are not actually allergic to the cat's fur? They're actually allergic to the cat's saliva, or so I understand.

[jedimaster91]

I'm pretty sure it's the cat dander I'm allergic to. Just being at someone's house who has a cat makes my eyes itch and my nose get stuck on the on position.

[fireheart]

I remember my mum once told a story to someone else about a pushy-as-heck door salesman.

This was when I was a toddler and she was pregnant with my sister. Apparently we were all in the backyard having a fun time, when suddenly this random woman appeared.

Turns out that she was a door-to-door lady, who'd knocked on the front door, found it unanswered, then went all the way around to the BACK and opened up our gate.

Needless to say mum chased her off the property pretty damn quick.

[MadMike]

It's people like that that keep me out of our local malls.

Same here. I rarely go to the mall anymore, and if I have to go to one, I'll stay away from the kiosks, and try not to make eye contact with anyone.

One time, I guess I got a little too close to one, and I heard a woman call out to me, "Excuse me, sir?"

I turned around and saw her standing by a small kiosk, motioning me to come closer. I told her, "I don't have time for this!" and kept walking. Maybe that was a little rude of me, but the last time I let myself get sucked in, it wasn't so easy to get away.

[Kogarashi]

They put ACONITE in a CHILDREN'S COUGH MEDICINE?

Okay, monkshood/aconite has a long tradition of being used medicinally as well as for poison; but there are many much safer ways of achieving the same medical goals!

Aconitum Napellus, to be specific, and as Kaylyn said, the homeopathic dilution is probably the reason it can actually be sold (plus, as mentioned, unless you recognize the scientific name, you probably wouldn't realize just what it is when reading the label in the store). Frankly, my husband and I don't care how diluted it is. We're not giving our kids monkshood (and odds are it's so diluted it does absolutely nothing anyway, which is our general opinion of homeopathy).

Interesting tidbit about cats...did you know that people who are allergic to cats are not actually allergic to the cat's fur? They're actually allergic to the cat's saliva, or so I understand.

I'm pretty certain my mom's allergy is, like jedimaster said, to the dander. She'd start sneezing just from being in a house that had cats.

Funny story about cat allergies. A family friend who taught an early morning class at her home for teenagers in our church had two cats. Both were the sweetest things ever. They loved everybody, and would often be found cuddling in various teens' laps during the class. The problem was that one of the two caused an allergic reaction in everyone he rubbed up against. It didn't matter whether you were allergic to cats or not. If this cat snuggled too much with you, you'd be guaranteed itchy eyes, a runny nose, and lots of sneezing. The other cat never triggered this reaction. To this day, that one singular cat is the only cat I've ever been allergic to, and I have no idea why. But it's funny to list my allergies for people (ragweed, old dust, dandelions if I get too much of the pollen on me, marigolds if I try pruning them--guess I'm part aphid--and one single cat).

[HotelMinion]

Strangely, I'm glad that I'm not the only one with a bad salesperson. These people turn malls into mauls, like someone else said. No joke. Another time, I had someone else trying to sell my these heat pads, and before I knew it, there was a mob of salespeople trying to sell me them. I guess this crazy salesman/owner thought I was easy pickings when he saw that I bought some lotion from the girl, and figured he'd give it a shot. Cannon sized. :\

[emax4]

I always told salespeople, "I work in the mall too..." And they don't hound me.

[Dentarthurdent]

My fiance and I were walking through a mall when we were on vacation and this guy from a cell phone kiosk goes "Hey, you guys wanna replace your phones?"
"Not interested," said my fiance, and we started walking faster.
"We have a great contract and blah blah-"
"I SAID no," my fiance said firmly, and we kept walking.
"You guys don't have phones?" The salesman said disdainfully.

Hell no, I am NOT going to turn around and waste another SECOND of my time to explain to you that
a.) We both have phones we're quite happy with.
b.) We live in the middle of nowhere and there is literally only one cell phone provider offering service to the area, and it's not your company. My fiance has their contract service, and I have a prepaid version that's essentially the same thing, but cheaper and without the bells and whistles.
because frankly, neither of those things are any of your damn business, and you just tried to insult a pair of total strangers because, what, you perceive they don't have a modern amenity? Ridiculous.

I was going over the stories about salespeople smearing creams or lotions on people without consent. I'm allergic to lavender, too, and I would lose my shit on someone if they tried to pull that with me.