"How can I help you?"

The issue a lot of people have in store today, at least here in Paris, are the salesmen. I'm not being discornful, but:
A. They do not known how to welcome a customer without making him ill at ease because 1)they make him realize he's not home and 2)they make him feel he's disturbing more than anything else.
B. Salespersons are often looking down upon the customer.

What customers want is, if not a warm welcome, a discreet and/or original one. Salesmen dancing over the music, or complimenting someone about his outfit is much better and secure for a customer than getting the usual, disturbing, upsetting, "How can I help you?".

People, even when shopping in the hippest shop of the moment and therefore expecting cold greetings, will be happier and then more relaxed, i.e. more willingful to spending money, if the salespersons are taking it easy rather than being the most disdainful one can think of. Often being uncool is actually really just uncool, and that's it.

Of course salespersons are an aspect of the brand identity as much as anything else, and consequently must match it. In any way, when the retailer seems unpleasant for any reason, it's often that he doesn't match the brand's identity.

Well, Paris has to cultivate this idea of the Garçon de Café being grouchy and always bad-tempered, but still, French luxury brands or some concept stores should be go learn goodwill and kindness the other side of the Atlantic...!