h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

... Gotta think about that one.

They're becoming something of an endangered species in the US. You go to a department store, find something you want to buy, and then you hunt around for someone to ring up your purchases. Maybe you'll find someone, maybe you won't. Or you'll find one of those U-Scan things that let you ring up your own stuff (which will probably have problems with at least one item and tell you to 'ask for cashier assistance' - if you'd been able to locate a cashier in the first place, you wouldn't be using the danged U-Scan...)

Oh, I don't know. Used-car salesmen definitely belong in Room 101 - they're often sleezy and dishonest and they dress bad. And all the salespeople who just can't be bothered to wait on you: into the Room with 'em!

But then there's all the genuinely helpful ones ...

Can I vote 'yes' and 'no'?

The genuinely helpful ones get driven out, you know.
There was one in the supermarket the other day, who told me that I ought to buy the very similar cheese on the other counter because this stuff hasn't moved for days.
Even as I thanked her and moved away, I swear that I heard the terrible sound of them ripping off her hermetic hairnet and then jumping up and down on her little plastic gloves.
She'll be sobbing her poor heart out back on checkout by now.

Perhaps Dishonest Salespeople should go in the Room then, as I've had many lovely experiences with polite well-mannered and approachable sales-staff who've helped me no end when I've been flummoxed in the lingerie section or bamboozled in dairy aisle. It's the sleazy degenerate and rude, thick ones that I detest, the ones that come up to you before you are even two inches into a shop and say 'Can I help you' through glazed eyes and a cheesy smile and I often feel like saying ' and let me look before you jump down my throat you horrible little toadie of the greedy consumer based society we now live in', but instead I say, 'no thanks, I'm just browsing at the moment' and wander off. *sigh* Anyway, chuck in Salesmen to Room 101, but leave Nice Helpful Shop Assistants out.
PGHF

Conceded.
I wasn't really thinking of retail salespeople, atch.