Bed Bath & Beyond tries to prevent shoppers from doing any online comparisons or research, because it has a “no photos” policy in its store. I discovered this yesterday when I used my cellphone to take a no-flash, silent photo of a coffee grinder. A store associate walked up and said, “You can’t take photos of merchandise. It’s store policy.”
We proceeded to have a conversation about this policy, where I explained that there are good reasons to let customers take quick snapshots of products, and he explained that “every store has a policy like this” and that “it’s been around for forty years,” and if I wanted a photo I could go to their website. He also said the policy was to prevent spies from stealing trade secrets. (He actually just said “You could be a spy,” but I’m assuming he meant the retail kind, and not the Polonium-210 kind.)
In all stores I’ve been in, I’ve been allowed to take photographs of products with my cellphone. I do it now without even thinking about it—and often, if I decide to buy the product, I go back to that store because that’s where I first saw it. It’s like a DIY brochure for the item.
I called the corporate office and asked whether this was really a company-wide policy, and the customer service rep kept repeating that it was, that she was sorry for my inconvenience, and that if I wanted to take photos I had to ask for permission from a District Customer Service Manager, who would take my name and reason for the photos and then contact the store to set up an appointment. So now you know what you need to do if you want to snap an impromptu photo of an item.
Bed Bath & Beyond: you have a reputation for treating your customers with respect, so please grasp that here are at least half a dozen reasons a shopper might want to take a photo:
- He might be going to meet someone he wants to show it to.
- He might want a good image of the box that includes any model numbers and product information for reference when he looks up product reviews online.
- He might want a “real world” photo of it from a specific angle to match it with existing products he owns, or products for sale in other stores, and he doesn’t want to rely on the manufacturer’s beauty shot.
- He might want to compare a different model in another store side by side with this one, and using cell phone photos makes more sense than buying and returning the product.
- Maybe he wants to send the photo to his mom right there from the showroom floor to see if this is the grinder she wants—and if so, then he will buy it right then.
- Or maybe he just doesn’t have pen and paper with him (after all, why do you need to carry a notepad when you can take a photo of the product?)
At least one of those reasons could lead directly to a sale for the retailer during the same visit, and several of them could lead to a future sale—yet Bed Bath & Beyond insists on a shortsighted policy of trying to control its shoppers’ behavior so they can’t make smart decisions.
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You know, I was treated with similar suspicion on a day that I decided to go on a clothes-shopping quest, taking notes about the type of clothes each store had to offer as I went along. Because, well, I’m nerdy like that and also not made of money, and have a bad memory. I wanted to shop around a bit before I dropped significant jing on a new wardrobe, and also have notes to jog my memory in two years when I’d have to do it all over again.
It pissed me off when the store clerks got all up in my face at one store (the other eight stores I went to didn’t care), and made a special point of snottily telling me that the shirts I was looking at weren’t even my size. Excuse me? How do you know I’m not looking for clothes for a friend, or checking out the general quality of the workmanship before I start serious shopping?
It occurred to me later that they probably thought I was a company spy, rather than just an overly-thorough consumer. But that whole argument is rather ridiculous, isn’t it?
Let me get this straight: if a spy can just walk into your store anyway, it really makes a huge difference if they take notes or photos while they’re at it? If they’re professionals in the relevant industry, they’re going to know what the fuck they’re looking at and probably remember a whole lot more detail just from BEING THERE than the general consumer who takes a picture to remember what the doohickey they wanted was called. And if someone really IS a spy, don’t you think they’re going to at least ATTEMPT to conceal what they’re doing and to lay low? Secret-shopper sort of thing?
All I can say is, stores who treat customers like they are spies lose customers. And in my opinion, the ‘possible spy’ argument is mostly a canard; what they’re really doing is trying to discourage people from comparison-shopping. Slimy business, if you ask me.
@CoffeeCup: Unfortunately, even writing it down can get you in trouble! See the comment I just posted above.
@Eyebrows McGee: hilarious, I’m picturing frantic dress designers badgering wedding photographers to stop taking pictures
Wow, that’s crazy. I don’t even know if BBY has a policy like that, but we have never stopped anyone from doing it (at least at my BBY). I once even took a pic with a display cellphone of an item and used our photo printer to print it off for the customer. Makes sense to let ppl do this.
No, seriously, it is NOT to prevent comparison shopping. I work for BB&B. I have seen this at many retail locations I’ve worked at: Macy’s, Barnes and Noble, all top grossing companys. It is PURELY a merchandising issue. Companys shun photos in the store for that reason and that reason only. i get very frustrated when people attack my company for incredulous reason. We bend over backward for our customers. I have never worked anywhere with as strong a commitment to customer service as bed, bath, & beyond. I am not saying there isn’t stores, or even associates, that fall short on occasion. Simply put: some stores are run better than others, as with any national chain.
I am saying that is is a merchandising security issue. We always match prices with other retailers. We take competitor and expired coupons. We have one of the best return policies in the business (we’ll take back your ten year old “I dropped this porcelin enameled casserol dish and it broke so I want an exchange” item… even when you leave the dried on, smelly, week old food in it. We do the things because we appreciate our customers. But please understand that Bed bath and Beyond is part of a VERY competetive business, and like all company’s desire to protect our place in commerce and our ideas, so that we can stay successful and ABLE to provide the customer service we do.
P.S. If you want to comparison shop, just take a pen and paper. Write down the brand and product as specifically as you can (inc. color because stainless steel items like the coffee grinder in the picture would run a tiny bit more than a plastic one). To get really specific, write down the model number on electric items by checking the bottom of the displays (it is usually imprinted in the material or on a sticker). If you plan on checking stores in person, not online. Use the Universal Product Code, commonly called the UPC (which will be the same with every retail company that carries the exact item (the color counts on this as well) which is always printed on the back or bottom of the item packaging, or on the back of the display sign. And if you have any trouble finding this information an employee can easily help you write down the pertinent info.
An example using the picture at the top of this thread would be as follows:
Brand- Cuisinart
Item- Grind central coffee grinder
Color- Brushed stainless steel
UPC- located on the bottom of this box
BTW- writing it down may cause a stir some places, but there is no policy of this at bed bath & beyond. I mean i stick notes of upc numbers in my pockets and forget about them until i get home every day. No big deal.