An Australian store has started charging a $5 "just looking" fee to customers who enter the store and try to leave without purchasing something. The store has received a lot of scrutiny lately after a strongly worded letter by the store's owner was posted online.
Reddit posted the sign online last week that cautions customers that they are not welcome inside the store just to browse around without buying anything.
The reason for the fee is simple, people have been using the store as a "reference" for prices and then purchasing items online instead according to The Huffington Post. The process has caused the store to lose thousands of dollars, so the owner decided to do something about it.
"As of the first of February, this store will be charging people a $5 fee per person for 'just looking," according to the sign posted outside the store. "The $5 fee will be deducted when goods are purchased."
Most commenters on the Reddit thread seem to disagree with the store's strategy.
"If it was me, I'd say 'Screw you.' and not give them a dime, walk out and refuse them any future business," said one user on the thread. "They are asking to go out of business."
A study conducted by the International Business Machines Corp. said that almost 50 percent of online purchases were a result of originally browsing around for the item at a store first according to The Wall Street Journal.
Stores like Toys 'R' Us, Best Buy and PetSmart are among the top companies that have suffered the most from online shopping the past five years.
"It has to be the most misguided strategy we've seen for dealing with showrooming," said Matt Brownell at Daily Finance. "The goal of any retailer should be to impress customers with competitive pricing and great customer service - not treat their customers with suspicion and hostility from the moment they walk in the door."
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