The hard sell

I've been on the receiving end of the hard sell in shops twice this week. First, in PC World. I'm looking for a tablet and with the help of my friend Geoff I've narrowed the choice down to three: Samsung Tab4, Lenovo Yoga and Asus MeMo. What I wanted to do on Sunday was feel the weight, eyeball the screen and see how fast the tablets reacted to a swipe. Sadly, I then got caught up with a sales guy who tried to persuade me I needed a cover, extended insurance, an in-store tutorial and Macafee security. Before I knew it, the £200 tablet was costing £370. I made an excuse and left. I messaged Geoff who assured me I would get a cheap security system and a free tutorial online. I don't buy extended warranties for anything. Voilà, £135 saved!

Later in the afternoon I went to Tesco at Silverburn where I knew nobody would bug me, mainly because there's never any staff around. That let me do a bit of comparison shopping but I didn't buy. I wanted to look online to see what Argos and Amazon were asking for the same tablets. And I was able to stock up on stationery while I was there.

Yesterday I had some physio and followed that up with a foot and leg massage in Whole Foods. Very pleasant, though I do feel the noise of the pop music outside was competing with the plinkety-plonk 'relaxation' music in the wee room and not conducive to relaxing, especially as I couldn't hear the lassie's relaxation patter. Next time I'll ask her to cut the music and the chat. I've got my own yoga relaxation techniques.

After, she gave me some bad news: my lymphatic system is in poor order. I couldn't argue since I don't know what it means. But I did argue when she told me I had fluid retention in my ankles. Nope, said I, I've got fat ankles - always have had - but that's a different thing. She wasn't fazed. I needed to build up my immune system and my gut. Since I've had Guilain-Barre syndrome, I reckon my immune system is as good as it's going to get. But what would she recommend? Cumin. £4.95. I'll bet it's cheaper in the herbs aisle. And for my gut, she suggested something the name of which I've forgotten. I declined on the grounds that my gut needs no more interference. She suggested aloe vera for my skin but I've got a house full of that. Gel? she asked. Yes. Cream? she asked. Yes again. She gave up but not before a bit more chat about avoiding processed food (well, you'd expect that - it's Whole Foods after all) and taking omega 3 or was it omega 6? If I bought the things she recommended, I think I'd be about £55 out of pocket.

Two things occur to me.

Firstly, the sales guy in PC World had me clocked for a pensioner (old, frail, easily confused) as soon as he saw me and, I suspect, tailored his talk accordingly. I don't like that. The lassie in Whole Foods omitted to ask any questions at all about my state of health but accepted everything I'd ticked on her obligatory form. That's the one you get at the dentist's as well, but at least the dentist wants to know what meds you're on and has enough knowledge to understand what they are.

Secondly, is it still the hard sell if it doesn't sell?