We have a question: how exactly do you feel about the obsequious Frank Nelson type who advances like a praying mantis upon you when you walk into a store, rubbing his fingers together, rolling his eyes to heaven and bellowing “Yeeeeeeeeesssssssssss?”

We ask because Eric B. just wrote us, enthusing about Restoration Hardware for our Best Customer Service contest. One of their saving graces, he writes:

Time how long till someone greets you. Not a pushy sales greeting like, “Ooh you look good on that sofa how many do you want to take home?” But an actual human greeting like, “Hello.” RH: 60-90 seconds, per employee training. PB: Infinity. (RH trainers sometimes take new recruits into PB to show how it’s NOT done.)

That’s a far cry from the sales push, but we were curious how many customers were annoyed even by that. I would personally like to have no contact whatsoever with people working in a store until I actually require them. That makes me seem callous and unfriendly, but what seems to be a friendly “Hello” issued by a salesman often times becomes a sales pitch when you respond in kind.

Am I the minority here? Is a greeting when you walk in the door something that makes you feel all gooey, or an imposition that puts you on guard? Let us know in the comments.

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