She probably worked on commission. Often that happens in places where clerks *follow* you...typically they’ll tell you their name...and ssy something like, “I’ll be right there, if you need help.”;)
Yes you are probably right. My mother worked in retail briefly and quit for a bank job because as she put it, the other salesladies were cutthroat, and she couldn’t bring herself to tell people they looked good in clothes that were unflattering lol