I am a man, so I hate to shop.  I am also blind, so I rely on the kindness of strangers to help me locate the items I want to buy.  This combination of facts has resulted in a lot of experience with salesclerks.  In general, I have observed threee kinds of salesclerks:  those who are way too helpful; those who are not nearly helpful enough; and those who are
juussssttttt right.
   First of all, let's consider the salesclerk who is way too helpful.  This smiling bird of prey will spot you the moment you enter the store.  He will zero in on you with his sales-claws poised to rip your wallet from your pants pocket.  Typically, he will assault you with a stream of questions that give you no time to interject any questions of your own.  for example:
   He:  Welcome to Pants City!  We're having a sale this week on capri pants; buy two pairs,
     and get a pair of woolen socks for 25% off the original retail price.  Would you like to try
     on some boxer shorts?   You look like a size 38.  Do you prefer solid colors orstripes?
     Me:  Ummmm, I want a pair of jeans.
     He:  Wow, that's super!  Do you want straight leg?  Boot cut?  Loose fit?  Or maybe
     you prefer bell bottoms?  You look like my uncle, and my uncle used to wear bellbottoms
     in the 60's.  Here's six different pairs to try on.  the changing rooms are back  here,
     but don't try to steal anything.  We';re watching you.  Will that be cash or charge?
Usually, by the time he has greeted me, interrogated me, and told me several rather personaldetails about his family life, I have either forgotten what I wanted or have decided to just live with my problems.
     Second, let's go to the other end of the spectrumand consider the salesclerk who is not even close to being helpful.  Clearly, this person haates her job, hates her co-workers, and very likely hates the customers, too.  Her characteristic expression falls somewhere between bored and scornful.  Her attitude makes it very clear that you are a fly in the oatmeal of her life:
     Me:  Excuse me, can you help me?
     She: (Sighing) Well, what is it? (Looking significntly at her watch).
     Me:  I need a charging cable for my Iphone.
     She: (Rolling her eyes) Pfffft!  That model will be obselete in a month.  And we'll probably die soon anyway.
     Me:  Well, if I have to die, I want to go with a fully charged Iphone.
     She: (Yawning) I think I saw something like that back there someplace (pointing toward
     the rear of the store).
When I arrive in the "back there someplace"section of the store, I see six or seven other customers, shuffling around like the walking dead, looking for whatever they wanted.
     Finally, once in a while, we will enter a store and encounter a salesclerk who is just right: helpful, but not too helpful; available when you need him, but not when you want to be alone; knowledgeable about the items in the store, but not interested in educating you about products you do not want to buy today.  Here's how this salesclerk will work with you:
      He:  Hi! May I help you find something in particular?
     Me:  Well, yes, I guess so.  I need some new forks for my fondue pot.
     He:  Sure, we have those. Come with me, please.
(Notice that he doesn't TELL me or SHOW me, but instead he TAKES me there!)
     He:  Right here we have a full selection of fondue accessories.  If you have any wuestions, please let me know.
Sure enough, when I feel a bit overwhelmed, and I DO have a question, my salesclerk is easy to fin.  He knows the store, he knows fondue forks, and he knows how to talk to people.  I leave the store feeling as if I have not just improved my cutlery selection, but also somehow helped the salesclerk fulfill his destiny.
     Years ago, I worked as a salesclerk in a book store.  Honestly, I tried very, very hard not to make it obvious to the customers that I had read much more than they had, and was much smarter than they could ever hope to be.  I admit that whenever someone asked me about a good book, I steered them toward books that I liked.One time I even told a woman that she was making a mistake buying a dictionary for her nephew for a graduation present.I can't say how things worked out with the graduation party, but I know that before a long time I was asked to leave the book store in order to pursue different challenges in my life.  I can only hope that this experience helped me in some small way to be a better customer, because as we know, good customers are the key to good salesclerks.